Better Beer by Rush

A friend passed the news on to me recently that Canada's own Rush has released a beer bearing their name and iconography. As a long-time fan of the legendary prog-rock trio, I was curious to see this. And taste it. First, take a gander at the striking colours and design on the can. Pretty, eh?

The famous man-in-the-star (2112) image is depicted in black and red on a shiny gold background. The Rush word-logo is cast in the same font as appears on the cover of their Moving Pictures album. Above that, in a script font, it reads on Side A: "Beer is for genuises" (I did not mispell "geniuses" there; it appears exactly like that - on purpose, I can only assume - on the can), and on Side B: "Books are for tourists". Down below the big star logo, under the black "Canadian Golden Ale" banner, is a small crown symbol. Is this a reference to the A Farewell to Kings album? Could be....

Then, as I scrutinized every inch of the product, I found more neat little Easter eggs. On the side/edge of the can, there are four small symbols, which any good Rush fan will be able to decipher. From top to bottom, there are: the wavy arrow road sign from the Snakes & Arrows Live album cover; a tidy Better Beer symbol, referring to the line in the lyrics of the song Territories; the three floating balls from the front cover of the Hold Your Fire album; then the floating rabbit in the top hat from the Presto album cover. And on the other "edge" of the can, beside the Henderson  Brewing Company logo, is the original Rush logo from their very first album from 1974, a lifetime ago. Nice presentation, classy and fun in the tradition of the band Rush themselves. 

Now, looks aside, lets get to the beverage itself. This is a Canadian Golden Ale, featuring a barley and rye recipe that has a distinctive, but not overly hoppy, taste that lingers nicely on the palate. It's smooth and flavourful, and I found it difficult to stop at just one drink. I'd say it's a winner. 

If you'd like to investigate further, wander over to the Henderson Brewing Company website for details. At this moment, the Rush beer is temporarily sold out, testament to the popularity of all things Rush to its massive global fan base. Cheers!