Def Leppard will launch their own Def Leppard Pale beer brand on their co-headlining tour of North America with Journey, which will begin in Hartford, CT on May 21.
The UK rockers have teamed up with Seattle, WA-based Elysian Brewing on the beverage, whose can was designed in tribute to the 30th anniversay of the group’s “Hysteria” album and “was brewed to fuse the infamous malt bodies of British ales with the mysteria of Pacific Northwest hops.”
“It tastes great – that's the most important thing I can tell you,” singer Joe Elliott tells Billboard. “I would pass on doing an interview about this if I didn't like it. That to me is the most important thing,” adding, “we're not going to drink it just because we put our name on it.”
Def Leppard Pale will be on sale starting May 23 at the 2018 tour’s second stop at the Times Union Center in Albany, NY, and will be available in 16oz cans and on draught at most concert venues and select restaurants, bars and pubs near the venue.
“There's no cut off time on this,” says Elliott. “If it takes off and people like it, it can be around. Iron Maiden has a beer named Trooper and they've done really well with theirs. We have to see if we can match that. It’s been around five years or so by now, so there's a long way to go to keep up with them and all these other people [with branded alcohol such as] Jimmy Buffett.
“We don’t know what kind of legs it's going to have -- come back to me in a couple years on that one, I’m not gazing into a crystal ball right now.”
On June 1, Def Leppard will release the first of four career-spanning box sets; “Volume One” features the group’s first four studio albums alongside bonus live and studio material.
See also:
VIDEO: Def Leppard stream vintage 1983 concert performance
Def Leppard announces Australian tour
Def Leppard announces box set series
Def Leppard add second London show to UK tour
Search Def Leppard at hennemusic
