Iron Maiden have crossed a pretty major milestone with sales of their Trooper beer, and they're sharing the buzz with fans.

According to the Trooper website, they've sold 10 million pints in a little more than two years, and to celebrate, they'll begin brewing a special limited edition version — called Trooper 666 — in the fall.

Billed as a "supercharged" version of the beer, Trooper 666 boasts a 6.6 percent ABV instead of the original's 4.7 percent, but there's another reason they settled on the name — and it isn't what you might assume. "Our fans have been asking for a stronger brew and it seemed only right to do this at 6.6 percent ABV," explains singer Bruce Dickinson in a press release posted at the site. "Despite the links with our song ‘The Number of the Beast,' the name Trooper 666 has actually come about as a result of some detailed research by historian Terry Brighton, who has shown that there were in fact 666 soldiers that rode in the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Battle of Balaclava in 1854, and not just the 600 of Tennyson’s famous poem."

According to John Robinson, brand manager for Trooper brewers Robinsons Brewery, Trooper 666 boasts "the same award-winning Trooper recipe but brewed to a higher gravity." The end result is what he describes as "another wonderfully authentic beer that is packed with malt but slightly sweeter than the original. It has a dry finish and is remarkably moreish."

Adds Dickinson, "I think it tastes tremendous, and I personally prefer this straight from the fridge."

The press release promises an autumn arrival for Trooper 666, with trade outlets already invited to pre-order stock and direct orders soon to follow for consumers directly through the IronMaidenBeer.com site. For those who manage to get their hands on a few bottles, it'll make a perfect companion to Maiden's new double album, The Book of Souls, which is scheduled for a Sept. 4 release.

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