Fans who attended Metallica’s recent performance in Quebec City were surprised by a certain aluminum presence at the heavy metal concert — namely a 48-foot truck packed to the gills with Labatt facility’s newly made Budweiser Metallica-branded beer.
The beer was created in commemoration of the Centre Vidéotron. According to NPR, Centre Vidéotron reported: “Budweiser has partnered with legendary rock band Metallica to channel the brute force of this historic show and be inspired by its vibrations, its energy and its decibels to create a beer in the image of the power of rock.”
The Metallica beer bears the tagline “Coulee dans le rock”, which translates to “cast in rock”. It also dons lightning bolts, a clear nod to the band’s 1984 album Ride the Lightning.
Though recently released at the concert, the beer will get a more widespread Quebec release later in September.
But if you’re looking to have a sip of the black-canned beer when it hits Canada’s shelves, you’d better act fast! Less than 100,000 cases will be sold in stores in Quebec.
While the craft beer market is worth around $19.6 billion, it doesn’t appear that the Metallica beer’s taste differs much from any other run-of-the-mill Budweiser. Rather, the appeal of the beer seems to be focused on its celebration of the band rather than any unique brewing techniques or flavors.
“During the concert, the sonic vibrations from Metallica’s music will be infused into the liquid, creating the rock and roll recipe,” said the beer maker in a press release.
Since their inception in 1981, the heavy metal band has been notorious for their relationship with alcohol. As NPR reports, the band has mentioned drinking before, after, and during shows right before they became famous — and they were even dubbed with the nickname “Alcohollica”.
But in their more than three-decade span, the band has matured and calmed down a great deal. Lars Ulrich, drummer and founding member, has been quoted saying that the furthest he goes now is a glass of champagne before shows.