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, but not to their workplaces. Instead, they founded their own beer start-up: CREW Republic. The local brewers greeted them with skepticism. But that didn't stop them because they knew they were on to something special. They knew that while German beer was good, it could be much better. They knew it could be more creative, more interesting and more modern. They knew the revolution was coming and wanted to help shape and lead it.
And where else should you start this German craft beer revolution if not in the Bavarian capital, the metropolis of German beer brewing: Munich! So they proclaimed a new republic in the midst of a nation torn by brewing empires: the CREW Republic.
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.
Decried out of indignation, laughed at in skepticism - the local industry clearly made the most of its rejection. Germans don't drink craft beer, one predicted. German beer has evolved – endgame, one lectured. Experiments are not welcome in this country, they threatened. Craft beer is a crime, one insulted.
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.
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 after hit: 9x gold with the DRUNKEN SAILOR IPA, 8x gold with ROUNDHOUSE KICK, 8x gold with REST IN PEACE - beer after beer, year after year, CREW Republic won alone WORLD BEER AWARDS has now won 23 gold as well as many silver and bronze, and has already received over 100 international awards in its short history.
The highlight so far in 2020 - every brewer's dream comes true... Mario and Timm still can't believe it, but it's true. Their bestselling DRUNKEN SAILOR IPA is the world's best IPA. Achieving this incredible title at the 2020 WORLD BEER AWARDS is the result of years of hard work and persistence from 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…!”
