The Trooper x CREW story

Partners in "Crime"

Mario and Timm, two friends and workmates, were unsatisfied with their jobs and took time off in 2010 to travel the world. In Australia, Timm tried beers that blew him away. In Colorado, Mario ordered "a beer" and was served a revelation. And they both wondered: Why are such beers not available in Germany?

They returned home, just not to their jobs. Instead, they started their own craft brewery: CREW Republic. Local brewers met them with skepticism. But that didn't stop them, because they knew they were on to something special. They knew that German beer was good, but that it could be so much better. They knew it could be more creative, more exciting, and more modern. They knew the revolution was coming, and they wanted to help shape it and lead it.

And where else should this German craft beer revolution be started if not in the Bavarian capital, the metropolis of German beer making: in Munich! So they proclaimed a new republic in the midst of the nation that had been battered by brewing empires: the CREW Republic. A territorial claim, a craft brewery that was nothing like the established, traditional breweries.

Writing its own constitution, CREW Republic was to change the German beer landscape forever right from the start with beers like DRUNKEN SAILOR IPA, against all odds and in defiance of all gloomy predictions.

Scolded out of indignation, ridiculed in skepticism – the domestic industry clearly savored its rejection. Germans don't drink craft beer, they prophesized. German beer is fully developed – end game, they lectured. Experimentation is not welcome here, they threatened. Craft beer is a crime, they reviled.

But CREW Republic was determined to persevere. Undaunted, Mario and Timm worked on their own craft beer recipes with great passion for detail. CREW Republic stood and still stands for honest, craft-brewed beers of exceptional taste – strictly according to the German Reinheitsgebot –, as a new home for all those who consider "standard beers" as not enough.

Not available
Trooper

Trooper

Progressive Lager
29,99  €4,54 per liter (20 x 0,33l) plus deposit Not available
Not available
Trooper (can)

Trooper (can)

Progressive Lager
39,99  €4,54 per liter (20 x 0,5l) plus deposit Not available

CREW x Trooper shirt

Eddie goes Hop Grenade
29,99 

CREW x Trooper glass 0,3l - 2x

Eddie goes Hop Grenade
12,99 

CREW x Trooper glass 0,3l - 6x

Eddie goes Hop Grenade
25,99 

Brewing awesomeness

DRUNKEN SAILOR IPA hit like a grenade, several times. In Germany. In Europe. In the world. And with the acclaim of impressed critics and jurors, The Hop Grenade established itself as a hallmark of BREWING AWESOMENESS. Firmly anchored in the center of the brand logo, it testifies to the great love for hops in all its manifestations, but also to its power to transform desires and emotions into explosive flavors.

The rebellion advanced and landed hit by hit: 9-fold Gold with the DRUNKEN SAILOR IPA, 8-fold Gold with ROUNDHOUSE KICK, 8-fold Gold with REST IN PEACE – beer for beer, year after year, CREW Republic has won 23 times Gold as well as multiple times Silver and Bronze at the WORLD BEER AWARDS alone, and has thus already received over 100 international awards in its still young history.

2020 then saw the highlight so far – every brewer's dream come true ... Mario and Timm still can't believe it, but it's true: Their bestseller DRUNKEN SAILOR IPA is officially the world's best IPA. Achieving this incredible title at the WORLD BEER AWARDS 2020 was the result of years of hard work and perseverance by the fantastic brewing team! This is real, this is BREWING AWESOMENESS, yeah!

Even Eddie reaches for The Hop Grenade

Obviously, a successful movement like this does not go unnoticed. And so it also caught the attention of Iron Maiden legend Bruce Dickinson, who presented CREW Republic with the challenge of creating a unique, excellent lager. They accepted.

The result was a partnership that could not have been more fitting. On the one hand, Iron Maiden: one of the most popular, influential and uncompromising bands in the world for over four decades. The band’s award-winning Trooper beer, inspired by their 1983 song The Trooper and developed by lead singer Bruce Dickinson, has long been a great international success, having sold well over 2013 million pints since its original launch back in May 35. On the other end: CREW Republic – a young, high-class and committed to quality craft beer partner to launch TROOPER PROGRESSIVE LAGER.

Mario and Timm emphasize, "With our incredibly passionate CREW behind us (consumers, employees, dealers and suppliers), we are all working on a better world of beers, creating something new in the midst of the traditional, mainstream German beer environment, something modern and more creative. We are excited and grateful to have the chance to work with Iron Maiden on one of the world’s most popular beer brands and contribute to it in our own, unique way. With TROOPER PROGRESSIVE LAGER, we once more resist the mainstream. It’s our way to rebel against the status quo of basic, washed-out lagers. This one is special and just how a lager should be: distinctive, hoppy, fresh and exciting. Just how Bruce wanted it! Maiden have never been bigger than they are in Germany right now – as top of the charts albums and sold out shows attest – and to accept this challenge from them to make a special beer for their fans all over Germany was something we just couldn’t resist.”

CREW Republic’s logo, The Hop Grenade, now sits in Eddie’s hand on the packaging. The first German Trooper beer is a truly exciting, sessionable 5,0% alcohol lager that combines accentuated bitterness and an intense hop aroma with light citrus notes; like everything from CREW, strictly following the German Reinheitsgebot.

On the collaborative project and the resulting brew, Maiden frontman and, yes, global beer expert Bruce Dickinson adds: “This has been a fun process to be a part of with Timm, Mario and the whole CREW Republic Team who have been so cool and ambitious right from the start. I think we have brewed an epic lager with all the characteristics a great one should have. It’s fresh, bold and distinctive in aroma and taste and I know that our fans will love it. I look forward to sharing it with them as we begin our European shows this year and our sold out shows across their country. Prost, as they say…!”

Bruce’s visit at the CREW Republic Brewery

To celebrate the launch of TROOPER PROGRESSIVE LAGER, Bruce Dickinson came to visit the CREW Republic brewery in Unterschleissheim near Munich to see for himself the high quality standards of the craft beer enthusiast and review the state-of-the-art brewing and packaging technology they use there. After a warm welcome in the taproom, where Bruce admired the many awards in CREW's still young history on the "Wall of Fame," he was taken on a very personal tour of the brewery. Together with Mario and Timm, he inspected the brewing and bottling line, demonstrated expertise himself in using the tasting tap, symbolically pressed the start button for the bottling line, and performed the standard quality control together with the CREW team. Bruce, developer of the original Trooper beer and a global beer expert, was delighted: “I like that. It’s dangerously drinkable. It’s lovely and light and fresh. It’s beautiful, very refreshing, perfect for a summer's day.” Impressed by the brewery and the great team, Bruce then also tried some of the other award-winning CREW brews. This was of course also an opportunity for a professional exchange - just beer experts among themselves. The evening ended with some great gifts for the honorary guest, including the brand new CREW shirts with TROOPER design. Mario Hanel and Timm were more than happy after the visit. Mario emphasizes, "Even though we were constantly in close contact with Bruce for the development of the beer, his visit to the brewery was of course something very special for all of us. Not only is he an incredibly likeable person, but he's also a proven beer expert and knows exactly what he wants." Timm adds, "His enthusiasm for our joint product is further confirmation of us and everything we do and how we do it. Now that he's seen, tasted and approved the quality for himself, we're even more excited to bring TROOPER PROGRESSIVE LAGER to all the fans out there, starting right now." On that note, "Cheers" – or as Bruce put it during his visit, "Let the magic begin!"

Now there’s really nothing to add to that, except: Welcome to the CREW! Here's to the German craft beer revolution – together for a better world of beers!