WEEKENDER I BEER

Motorhead brings IPA to Ohio, Michigan

7/11/2018
BY BRIAN DUGGER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
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    The Motorhead Road Crew IPA is now available in Ohio and Michigan.

  • For more than 30 years, Phil Campbell and Lemmy Kilmister were brothers through music, though not birth, performing side by side as English rock-metal band Motorhead.

    The collaboration ended in 2015 when Lemmy died at the age of 70. Along with Judas Priest and Black Sabbath, Motorhead helped usher in the new wave of British heavy metal in the 1970s and early 1980s. When the latest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class was inducted in April, attention turned to the groups who have been snubbed, and Motorhead’s name inevitably rose to the top of many lists. “Ace of Spades” is recognized as one of the most impactful metal anthems of all time.

    The Motorhead Road Crew IPA is now available in Ohio and Michigan.
    The Motorhead Road Crew IPA is now available in Ohio and Michigan.

    “Me and Lem visited the Rock Hall one time, must have been in the early days. We didn’t know what to make of the place,” Campbell said, chuckling, in a phone interview with The Blade from England. “The main thing is that we have a great body of music as one of our legacies. It’d be nice to be included in the Hall, but it’s nothing that I worry about. The music speaks for itself.”

    Besides its dark, driving music, Motorhead was also known for its partying and drinking exploits, something that Campbell said led to the group’s latest collaboration — Motorhead Road Crew, an IPA with an ABV of 6.2 percent that is heavy on floral, citrusy hops.

    “I think the three of us were getting drunk five or six years ago, and one of us came up with the idea: Wouldn’t it be cool if we had our own beer?” Campbell said.

    The dream was initially realized in England with the release of the American-style session pale ale Road Crew, which has an ABV of 4.5 percent. The U.K. version is distributed in 22 countries.

    The stronger IPA debuted in Michigan in the middle of June, then distribution followed in Ohio weeks later. It is brewed by Michigan’s Arcadia Brewing Co.

    “We’ve done some homework, and we know that you Great Lakes people, especially, are into your craft beer in a huge way. You’re sort of the North American experts for these types of beer. We thought we’d give you the first crack at it,” Campbell said. “Who knows what we might do in the future. I think a stout is more of an acquired taste, so we’ve gone with something that we think everyone can get a good grasp on. It’s definitely a quality brew.”

    Motorhead as a touring band ended with Lemmy’s death. All the members agreed that their frontman was the heart and soul of the group and that it was pointless to pretend otherwise. Campbell said, as odd as it might sound, that the whisky and wine carry the group’s name, and now the beers, are all part of Lemmy’s legacy.

    “The music, the way he lived his life, this beer are all part of it. Most of the songs were written after various amounts of alcohol were consumed, to be perfectly honest. We recorded after various amounts of alcohol, and we performed live after various amounts of alcohol,” Campbell said. 

    “Lemmy played by his own set of rules. He was actually one of the last real outlaws.I’m sure wherever Lem is that he’s causing a good bit of chaos.”

    Craft at the Quarry

    One of the highlights of the summer for beer lovers is the annual Craft at the Quarry at Sylvania’s Centennial Terrace. This year’s event will be from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. July 27 There will be live music and more than 150 beers to sample.

    Tickets are $25 in advance and include 20 samples. Tickets at the door are $30 and include 20 samples. Details can be found on the event’s Facebook page.

    Barbecue, beer event

    Defiance’s 4KD Crick Brewery is hosting the inaugural Northwest Ohio Brew-B-Que from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 25. Many local and regional breweries will be in attendance, and a barbecue buffet will be available. Tickets start at $15 on eventbrite.com.

    Toledo band Distant Cousinz will perform.

    Rhinegeist turns 5

    Cincinnati’s Rhinegeist, which has quickly grown into one of the nation’s largest craft brewers, will host a tap takeover at Perrysburg’s Swig, 219 Louisiana Ave., from 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday to celebrate the brewery’s fifth birthday. Rhinegeist beers will be on all 13 taps, including an anniversary beer, Cloud 5, a hazy imperial IPA with an ABV of 8 percent.

    Contact Brian Dugger at bdugger@theblade.com or on Twitter @DuggerBlade.