Eagles of Death Metal has partnered with Manantler Brewing Company to release a special craft beer with all proceeds going to survivors of last November’s attacks in Paris.
The Canadian-based brewery released the beer, named Boots Electric India Pale Ale after Eagles of Death Metal front man Jesse Hughes, in conjunction with the band’s shows in the Ontario area. The first batch sold out quickly after its release last week. The brewery is donating one dollar for each bottle sold to band member Josh Homme’s Sweet Stuff Foundation, which will in turn give the money to the families of the 130 killed in the attacks.
Hughes and Homme witnessed the attacks firsthand while playing on stage at the Bataclan concert hall just as terrorists linked to Islamic State began firing on the crowd, eventually killing around 90 people. Hughes himself came face-to-face with one of the gunmen while he was searching for his girlfriend.
“He turned on me, brought his gun down and the barrel hit the door frame,” said Hughes, recounting the events to Vice news. “And I was like, ‘Oh, fuck.'”
“People were playing dead. They were so scared. A great reason why so many were killed was because so many people wouldn’t leave their friends. And so many people put themselves in front of people.”
Homme and Hughes would escape, but their merchandise manager Nick Alexander was killed.
Manantler co-owner James Gorry came up with the idea for the partnership after witnessing the band’s response to the attacks and refusal to give in to terrorism. He reached out to the band with his beer idea after reading about the band calling on others to help them help the victims.
“They [Eagles of Death Metal] didn’t ask what size brewery we were or where we were,” said Gorry to The Toronto Star. “I think they liked the idea and they liked that we came up with it based on being musicians ourselves and being moved by the events that happened there and also just ultimately being really big fans of Eagles of Death Metal.”
Though the initial batch of Boots Electric IPA sold out last week, Eages of Death Metal fans and craft beer aficionados will have an opportunity to sample the beer and help the victims of the Paris attacks once the second batch is ready in three weeks.
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