Beer connoisseurs and metalheads from all corners of the globe have been pounding back Iron Maiden's 'Trooper' Ale. The beer hasn't even been available for a year yet, but in a new report, Iron Maiden's signature ale has sold 3.5 million pints without its brewer, Robinsons Brewery, spending a single penny on advertising.

Heavy metal and beer have been attached at the hip since the very beginning. Something about the combination is simply magical, and these new stats add to the proof. According to various sources, the U.K. beer market has been struggling lately, with Just Drinks reporting a 4.8 percent overall drop of beer sales in Q2 of 2013. However, Morning Advertiser reports that British pubs that offer 'Trooper' Ale have experienced an eight percent sales growth thanks to the beer's release.

'Trooper' Ale became available for the first time in May 2013, so a total of 3.5 million pints in sales since then is extremely impressive.

"I don't drink mainstream standard lager," Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson told beer writer Pete Brown in a 2013 interview. "If I was thirsty in a pub with no real ale, I'd rather have a lime and soda. But anyway, we haven’t positioned 'Trooper' as a beer from a metal band — it’s a brand of beer brewed by Robinsons that we’ve developed with them. They've had six generations of brewers there, they've got some highly respected beers, and what they don’t want is a bunch of rock stars coming up and duffing up their reputation, because they’re still going to be there in another two or three generations."

Although 'Trooper' Ale can be difficult to find in the U.S., Artisanal Imports offers a comprehensive list of stockists who carry the drink.

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