The Mad Elf Gets a Facelift : Tröegs Brewing Mad Elf Changes His Looks

The Mad Elf Gets a Facelift

As the above picture shows, there’s been a change to our little festive mischievous elf friend over the years. Working from left to right, Tröegs Mad Elf first hit the scene in 2002, and has been the beverage of choice at Christmas (and Thanksgiving) ever since in the greater Central PA area. This marks the second update to the artwork for the Mad Elf, the last time being 2015.

PennLive article originally published in November 2015: Troegs Company Unveils New Label Designs.

Troegs and Art Work

Troegs has a long history of being very interested and engaged in artwork and artists. As is evidenced by the addition of the mural to the outside of their brewery this year. As well as their art gallery inside by the foeders. They’ve done a lot of work with local artists as well as pulling in artists from different neighborhoods and backgrounds over the years, including their work for the Fresh Fest and help with the Harris Brewery and their Imperial Pilsner.

Mad Elf Over the Years

If you go into their brewery (on HersheyPark Drive, Hershey, Pennsylvania), near where you pick up your food, you’ll see a chart giving a bit of a history of the Troegs brewery, and you will see the evolution of the brewery and their progress. On this timeline, you can see the progression and changes to the brewery, from moving to Harrisburg to Hershey, from growing in size, etc. You can see moments like when Mad Elf was mentioned by name in Playboy magazine – which at the time was a very big deal.

Likewise the Mad Elf himself has changed over the years. From a crazy skinny looking drunkard, to a weird, stout, looking drunk elf, almost with cartoon like ‘suds bubbles’ floating above him, like you’d expect to see in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, and now, back to an elf reminiscent of the old (original) elf.

For the 19 some years of its production, its interesting to see the progression and growth of the artwork and character, as well as the beer’s production, recipe, and changes. And it has certainly changed over the years. From the can and bottle labels, to the recipe, to the production, and to the size.

The Mad Elf Gets a Festive New Look

It was time for the Mad Elf to get a new, more festive look. …Partly due to how most people did not like the newest iteration of the elf. Many in the local beer community preferred the old Mad Elf design rather than the newest incarnation. So it seemed like it was long overdue for a new change to our beloved little drunk elf friend.

“When it came to reimagining Mad Elf, there was definitely some pressure,” says illustrator Joshua Noom, who also helped us create the new Troegenator. “But working with the Tröegs team again was great. We wanted an Elf that was friendly, fun and welcoming. I like to picture him walking around the brewery, and he knows everybody’s name. I’m really happy with how it turned out, and I hope Mad Elf fans love it, too.” Read more at blog.troegs.com. #Troegs #MadElf #PAbeer

Troegs Facebook announcement of the art change.

From the Troeg’s blog, on the Art of Mad Elf:

Mad Elf is here, and this year he has a festive new look.

Mad Elf’s new art – created in collaboration with Florida illustrator Joshua Noom – is the fourth iteration since 2002. The art takes cues from the past while moving him mischievously into the future.

“We have a history of reimagining the Elf,” says Tröegs brother Chris Trogner. “Mad Elf is a beer that really captures the holidays for so many people. And not just beer lovers. A lot of people who don’t regularly drink beer have a special connection with Mad Elf. This new art really captures what people love about it – it’s festive, nostalgic, and a whole lot of fun.”

Troegs Beer Blog – Art of Mad Elf

Mad Elf – The Beer

If you are in the greater Central PA area, or even just in Pennsylvania, or Ohio, or New York, or New Jersey…. or anywhere in the area really…. you already know all about Mad Elf, and its release every year. Probably with the date circled already on your calendar.

The essence of this once-a-year holiday ale, along with its ruby red glow, is born from five varieties of tree-ripened cherries. Bing, Lambert, Van and Royal contribute a bright and juicy sweetness, and Montmorency adds a touch of tartness.

Local wildflower honey sweetens the celebration. Every year, when it’s time to brew Mad Elf, we source 25,000 pounds of honey from a neighbor in Carlisle, PA, called The Happy Beekeeper.

“When you taste honey, you’re getting a slice of nature,” says the beekeeper’s daughter. “And it’s best to get that pure, local source.”

Troegs Beer Blog

Today marks the annual release of Mad Elf in the brewhouse at Troegs Brewery (October 18th, 2021). It will soon be finding its way to bars and other breweries in the next few days (if not today itself), and then on to distributors large and small starting the end of the week. Troegs has a brewfinder on their site to help you find where Mad Elf might be located, you can check that out here: troegs.com/brewfinder.

Beer Thrillers Troegs Links

For other Troegs related links here on our blog, you can check out the following list. After that, will be a list of various other news articles to get more information as well.

• Beer Review: Mad Elf (and other Scratches) (Troegs Brewing)
• Beer Review: Naked Elf (and other Scratches) (Troegs Brewing)
• Beer Review: Double Nugget Nectar (Troegs Brewing)
• Beer Review: Grand Cacao (Troegs Brewing)
• Beer Review: Haze Charmer (Troegs Brewing)
• Beer Review: Fuzzy Nudge (Troegs Brewing)
• Multiple Beer Review – Brewery Flight (Troegs) – Beers – Scratch #379 – Krausened Keller Pilsner, Scratch #378 – DIPA, Scratch #377 – Oat IPA, and Scratch #376 – Passionfruit & Guava Tart Ale
• Beer Review: Scratch 375 – Coco-Nator (Troegs Brewing)
• Mad Elf on the Shelf Fundraiser
• Support Small and Local Businesses
• What Makes a Good Quarantine Brewery?
• Hoppy Easter IPAs
• Breweries From Around the Outskirts of Harrisburg (9.6.19)
• Beer Review: Scratch 417 (Troegs Brewing)
• Beer Review: Scratch 400 (Pre Prohibition Beer) (Troegs Brewing)
• Beer Review: Fresh Fest (Troegs Brewing)
• Beer Review: Trail Day Pale Ale (Troegs Brewing)
• Multiple Beer Reviews: Fest Lager, Scratch 385 – Krausened Dunkel Lager, and Scratch 386 – Tangerine Passionfruit Guava Tart Ale (Troegs Independent Craft Brewery)

Other Links and More Information

• Billy Penn: Holidays in Philly: Pennsylvania’s crazy popular Mad Elf beer literally started with a boom (December 16th, 2005)
• Penn Live: Troegs Brewing Company unveils new label designs for its beers, merchandise (Published – November 9th, 2015 and updated January 5th, 2019)
• Troegs – Beer Blog – Art of Mad Elf
• Troeg’s Wikipedia

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(Post note: All photos presented here are courtesy of Troegs’ Social Media pages.)