“See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”, is the motto of Vic Rattlehead, mascot of Megadeth. We can now add Taste No Evil to that, with the launch of Rattlehead IPA and Rattlehead Pilsner. MetalTalk have performed a thorough road testing, all in the name of accurate reporting, and give the brew a firm horns up.
At a press conference on the day of Megadeth’s show playing The O2, London, all the band members were hosted by Phil Alexander for a Q&A session to formally introduce Rattlehead beer, the latest venture by frontman Dave Mustaine.
It’s not the first foray into alcoholic beverages for Megadeth, either, of course, having previously partnered with a Canadian brewery for Saison 13 and Tout Le Monde, and there’s been Megadeth wine before that.
“See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”, is the motto of Vic Rattlehead, mascot of Megadeth. We can now add Taste No Evil to that.
A new era beckons now with Rattlehead beer, in conjunction with Black Sheep Brewery, which is a canny move considering the North Yorkshire company’s consistent reputation for brewing quality beers.
Mustaine explained how impressed he had been with the brewery, finding the collaboration process much easier, in part due to regulations in Canada being more complex, but mainly due to the good relationships cultivated and their professionalism in brewing and logistics.
It’s the finished product that will be judged by the consumers, though, and there are no doubts here either. “I’d sampled it a lot,” Dave Mustaine says, “and then a couple of nights ago we went to a pub for the first time and got to drink some beer. And I gotta tell you, I fucking loved it. It was such a pleasant buzz, and I didn’t feel like I had to pee after the first one, and everybody was having a good time.”
Megadeth – Rattlehead IPA
We are certainly having a good time with the Rattlehead IPA, a 4.5% fresh and fruity brew with a shimmery haze. There’s a Zero version too, which actually genuinely tastes good. Mustaine agrees that alcohol free has its place, but there can be no compromise on quality.
“If you have a quality recipe and you’ve got people who are the brewmeisters, there’s a science to that,” he says. “They’re engineering chemicals and reactions of yeast and different temperatures and everything. It’s not like you’re making pruno in a prison, not that I know about that.
“There’s a way that you can distil out the alcohol and keep the majority of the taste, and it makes sense to me. Brewmeisters, they’re the rock stars of the beer business, and I could see them turning their nose up to making a zero alcohol beer. But I think there’s a lot of people out there, when it’s the middle of the day and they’re eating something, and the taste of a cold beer sounds great and you don’t wanna go back to work and get breathalysed.”
Megadeth – The O2, London – 26 October 2025. Photo: Robert Sutton/MetalTalk
It is this commitment to quality and taste that comes through loud and clear, it is absolutely the primary thing that matters.
“I remember Sean [Harris] from Diamond Head saying, ‘there’s only one right way to do things.’ That stuck with me, it makes sense to me,” Mustaine said. “There is only one right way to do things for us, and it’s not always my way.
“All I was concerned about in the beginning was the taste and the quality. Because it wasn’t about having to make a living off of selling beer. By the grace of God, I’ve been blessed with a career where I can pay my bills if I work. I don’t need to have a secondary source of income, and therefore, because of financial fears, to lower the expectations of the beer so that the profit margin is higher? That shit doesn’t matter to me, does it taste good? Do you get a good buzz?”
Megadeth – Rattlehead Pilsner
Obviously, having all the band here in front of us was an ideal opportunity to enhance our tasting notes by asking what Megadeth tracks perfectly matched each of the beers.
“For the IPA I hear the intro to Peace Sell,” says Dirk Verbeuren, “because it’s like a call to action, get to the bar and get some beers going.”
“We came to Tipping Point the other day when we were at the brewery just because it seems logical,” adds James LoMenzo, prompting a conversation on the puns around the word ‘tipple.’ The Pilsner is a bit more of a harsh approach, so I would say maybe Mechanix. Get that engine running with some good pilsner.”
“I’d say Blood Of Heroes, for anything,” Dave smiles. “Swap blood for beer, you know.”
Megadeth – The O2, London – 26 October 2025. Photo: Robert Sutton/MetalTalk
It’s early days, but there may be a fourth beer in the Rattlehead series, possibly another Saison, or maybe a dark beer which is still popular in the UK. You can get the beer online, and in 450 Tesco stores currently, with talks ongoing with other retailers.
With just time for a few more puns (Beer is my Business… and Business is Good, anyone?), the press conference was over and we ventured to the bar to sample the Pilsner, a 4% easy drinking brew which was a real thirst quencher.
Vic Rattlehead appeared to think so, too, joining us in a well-deserved toast to the Megadeth legacy.
You can find out more about the Megadeth Rattlehead beers at www.megadethbeer.com.
The post
Megadeth / Brewing Is My Business – The Rattlehead Beer Launch first appeared on
MetalTalk - Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.
