A new beer aims to be as cool as Donnie Iris.

In fact, the local rocker is part of the business that's marketing the brew, which takes on his "King of Cool" nickname: King Cool Light.

The light lager will be rolled out with a semi-private party tomorrow at Club Diesel on South Side, with a free concert by Donnie Iris and the Cruisers.

His bandmates Mark Avsec (an intellectual property lawyer) and Marty Lee Hoenes (an advertising art director) as well as manager Mike Belkin are part of this venture, King Cool Limited, based in Broadview Heights, Ohio. Mr. Iris, an Ellwood City native, also runs a real estate mortgage business.

The bottled light beer is brewed by The Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre. The partners describe it as "a full-flavored, caramel-colored lager" with 122 calories. Or as the tagline says, "A light beer that rocks!"

Gary Medved, the company's chief operating officer, says the company has planned a product line of at least four other beers, which they hope to develop with Pittsburgh-area brewers.

In the early 1980s, Mr. Iris, and Ellwood City native, and the Cruisers had three national Top 40 hits, including "Ah! Leah!"

Tomorrow's party, which marks the band's 30th anniversary, is open to people who win tickets from radio station WDVE-FM (dve.com) and invited guests. But after its ceremonial first pour, the beer is to be available to the public there and at about a dozen other South Side watering holes. King Cool Light will show up at more South Side spots next week and then all over the region, distributed by Galli.

Join me on the Reverse Keg Ride Saturday, when I help Scott Smith haul empty kegs of his Pedal Pale Ale to his East End Brewing in Homewood -- on bikes -- reversing the delivery of full kegs this spring. Riders meet for brunch starting at around 10 a.m. at South Side's OTB (Over the Bar) Bicycle Cafe (otbbicyclecafe.com), then at noon head out on a 7-or-so-mile ride with city Councilman Patrick Dowd, city Bike Coordinator Stephen Patchan, Venture Outdoors' bike tour coordinator Seth Gernot, and we hope a pack of others. Suggested donation for is $5 per rider, all of which goes to Bike Pittsburgh and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. For more, visit eastendbrewing.com. And, at the end, Scott has promised the first tastes of his cold-weather seasonal, Snow Melt Winter Ale.

Critics Andrew Druckenbrod and Scott Mervis talk about music on "The Beat," available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.