Sarasota-based death metal singer Kelly Shaefer has his own brew

Kelly Shaefer, the Sarasota resident who fronts internationally-acclaimed death metal band Atheist and owns Kelly’s Live bar and music venue, now has his own beer.

It’s called, of course, Atheist Ale.

“It’s a truly non-denominational ale for all non-beerlievers,” Shaefer says. “It has an unquestionable hoppy taste and at 5.2 percent (alcohol by volume) it allows you to be able to drink the whole night at a concert, and maintain your integrity in the pit, but still feel like you’re always crowd riding.”

There are 22-ounce collectible bottles adorned with the album cover from Atheist’s classic 1988 release “Piece of Time.”

Atheist Ale is on tap at Kelly’s Live (2525 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota).

“We hope to have it available at all the coolest beer joints in the coming weeks,” Shaefer says. “Because of the international appeal of the band, there are plans to ship this amazing new ale across the pond to Europe, for all of the yearly rock/metal festivals.”

Rob Chalmers, of Chalmers Brewing, is currently contract brewing Atheist Ale out of Big Top Brewing Co. (6111 Porter Way, Sarasota).

“This has been in the works for a year,” Chalmers says. “I bottled 180 (22 ounce bottles) yesterday.”

Shaefer’s music career started shortly after he dropped out of Sarasota High in the mid-1980s to make it as a singer, songwriter and guitarist with Atheist. Along with bands such as Obituary and Deicide, Atheist got its start with albums made at Morrisound Recordings in Tampa. The city would become known as the launching ground for a new musical movement dubbed “death metal."

Atheist probably became known as “death metal” largely because people struggled to define the group’s sound and Shaefer’s lyrics and vocals that transcend the genre’s clichés.

“Arguably the ultimate progressive metal band of their day, Atheist’s impossibly Byzantine death-jazz proved too advanced even for committed metalheads to stomach,” reads the opening sentence of the band’s bio on AllMusic.com. Similar praise by metal experts can be found all over the Internet.