Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer and spirits trailblazer, Sammy Hagar, is adding craft beer to his portfolio of award-winning spirits with the establishment of Red Rocker Brewing Co. in Detroit. Hagar introduce his inaugural brew, a Mexican-style lager named Red Rocker Lager, with a concert featuring his Billboard chart-topping group, The Circle, at The Fillmore Detroit on Monday, October 23.
The Detroit News caught up with Hagar to discuss this new venture, and new career goals. Following is an excerpt from the Q&A.
Q: You’ve had such longevity and success not only in the music industry, but in business as well and at the same time you have your head on straight and look like you’re having a great time. What advice do you have for someone who wants to have fun but also be successful?
Hagar: "Rule number one, make sure you enjoy what you’re doing. If you don’t enjoy it, you’re not gonna look like you’re having a good time and people are not going to believe you. But the most important thing, honestly, the most important thing is a good product. You have to have what you think in your heart is the best you can make, the best on the market. That, I think, is the most important thing.
And it’s an individual tasting because, you know, somebody else may say I don’t like this as much as I like Modelo or something, or they may say I’m a Pilsner Urquell guy. Well, fine. That’s like half of what makes an individual by doing your own taste. This is what I like, and I have got a good palate though. So yeah, you just got to make a good product and then stick with it. If you don’t, you’re not going to have longevity if you keep switching horses."
Q: What's next for you? More beer, more touring?
Hagar: "Next year I'm going to really go out and see if I can do a full-blown tour. I haven't done it for a long time and I want to see if I still can because, you know, this old voice is ... thank God, I'm the luckiest guy in the world, but I'm taking care of it. My voice is also lucky that it's got me taking care of it, not some chain smoker. So, you know, when I can still do it, I want to do it. I really think it's important."
Read the complete Q&A here.
Check out a special "Thank You, Detroit" video from Sammy below:
“Rock ‘n’ roll is at the heart of Red Rocker Brewing Co. and there’s no better place to brew our beer than in Detroit Rock City. We created Red Rocker Lager to not only honor the fans, but to also pay tribute to the soul of Detroit rock ‘n’ roll. Our head brewer Cameron Schubert and I worked together with Brew Detroit for months tasting, tweaking and reformulating our beer until we got it to be exactly what we’d envisioned. I can’t wait for beer lovers in Michigan and all around the world to try it.” - Sammy
A Michigan native and brewer of 13 years, Schubert is head brewer and co-founder of Red Rocker Brewing Co., which he founded with his father, Eric Schubert. A nod to Hagar’s Cabo Wabo roots in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Red Rocker Lager is a golden, medium-bodied Mexican-style lager that is light, crisp and refreshing, with just a touch of sweetness.
Available in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans, Red Rocker Lager is 4.3% ABV and sold in liquor stores and bars throughout Michigan and will also be available soon for shipping to select states throughout the US via online orders on RedRockerBrewing.com. Red Rocker Brewing Co. is based in historic Corktown, one of downtown Detroit’s oldest neighborhoods.
