Tröegs Mad Elf Returning For 2025-2026

Today I have some exciting holiday news coming from Tröegs Independent Brewing in Hershey, Pennsylvania:

HERSHEY, Pennsylvania – Tröegs Independent Brewing announces the release of its beloved once-a-year holiday ale, Mad Elf.  
 
First released in 2002, this iconic beer was instrumental in putting the independent, family-owned brewery on the craft beer map. 
 
“Mad Elf captures so many things about the season for so many people,” says Tröegs co-founding brother Chris Trogner. “And not just beer lovers. A lot of people who typically don’t drink beer have a special connection with Mad Elf.” 
 
The essence of Mad Elf is born from five varieties of tree-ripened cherries. Bing, Lambert, Van, and Royal Ann contribute a bright and juicy sweetness, while Montmorency adds a touch of tartness. The cherries also provide another hallmark of the beer – its lovely ruby red glow.  
 
The other key ingredient of Mad Elf is Pennsylvania honey. Each year, the Tröegs sources 25,000 pounds of local wildflower honey from The Happy Beekeeper in nearby Carlisle, PA.  
 
Whether it’s the beer’s festive nature, nostalgia, decadence, flavors or whimsy, many fans feel that Mad Elf represents the essence of the season in a glass. 
 
“It’s a beer that’s found a place in people’s annual traditions and has become synonymous with the season,” adds Trogner. “We like to say that it’s not the holidays until you’ve had your first Mad Elf.” 
 
Mad Elf is available in 12-oz. bottles and cans at the brewery and across its entire distribution footprint, with draft to follow in the coming weeks.  
 
To learn more about Mad Elf, including its origins and brewing process, please visit the Tröegs blog.  
 
Joining the celebration again this year is Mad Elf Grand Cru, a beer Tröegs describes as the “director’s cut” of Mad Elf. Brewed exclusively with tart Balaton cherries, this limited beer is available in 4-packs of 375mL cork & cage bottles.  
 
Like its counterpart, Mad Elf Grand Cru starts with chocolate, Munich, and pilsner malts and features a large addition of local Pennsylvania wildflower honey. It is fermented with the same spicy Belgian yeast strain as Mad Elf, which lends flavors of cinnamon, clove, and allspice. 
 
Beer drinkers can find these and other beers near them using the Tröegs Brew Finder. 


Welcome back, little buddy

That’s right… our beloved Mad Elf has returned to bring the mischief! Brewed with five varieties of tree-ripened cherries and 25,000 pounds of Pennsylvania wildflower honey, this ruby-red creation is bursting with notes of sweet and sour cherries, raw honey, cocoa and cinnamon. Use our Brew Finder to snatch up some bottles or cans right now all across our home state of Pennsylvania. Watch for it everywhere else our beer is sold in the coming weeks and stay tuned for draft release details!


Look who’s come out of hiding

It’s Elf season here in Hershey as we welcome back our adored ruby-red cherry sensation, Mad Elf. Come get your share of this festive, one-of-a-kind Belgian-style ale, now available in 12-oz. bottles and cans through the General Store!

zzubreebym

About Tröegs Independent Brewing:

Tröegs Independent Brewing is a family-owned brewery in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The brewery was founded in 1996 by brothers John and Chris Trogner. Tröegs is known for its award-winning tours, local ingredients, and experimental beers.

Known for:
Perpetual IPA: Pennsylvania’s best-selling IPA
Tröegenator: A dark, malty, and crisp beer
Scratch Series: Hundreds of experimental beers
Tours: Award-winning tours that include smelling grains, tasting new beers, and sampling seasonal food

Local ingredients:
Tröegs uses local ingredients like grain, honey, and fruit.
They buy more than 225,000 pounds of local ingredients each year.
They bake their own bread, ferment local vegetables, and dry and cure meats.

Community collaborations:
Tröegs partners with local organizations to improve the community, such as bike rides that fund local trails.
They also brew beers to help preserve land along PA’s Kittatinny Ridge.

Tours:
Tröegs offers guided production tours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Tours are $12 per person (21+ only) and last one hour.
You can call the Tour Desk at (717) 534-1297 x 104 with questions.
We’re a bunch of family, friends and kindred spirits who share a love of great beer. Together, we make Tröegs.

Founded in Pennsylvania in 1997 by brothers John and Chris Trogner, Tröegs is driven by a sense of adventure and curiosity.

You might know our Perpetual IPA, the best-selling IPA in Pennsylvania. Or the dark, malty and crisp Tröegenator. Maybe you’ve tried one of the hundreds of experimental Scratch Series beers we’ve brewed. Or taken the “Best Brewery Tour in America” here at our Hershey home.

Whether you’re already a member of our extended family or you’re just getting to know Tröegs, there’s always something new to discover. Crack a Perpetual and stay awhile.

Family-owned. Independently crafted.
In the past 25 years, Tröegs has grown from two brothers to 250 people, but we’re still very much a family business. Because we stay true to our core values of independence and family ownership, we’ve kept the small-brewery DNA we all hold dear.

Perpetual exploration
Our small-batch Scratch Series and 3-barrel Scratch Lab are where we do the work needed to understand the “why” at the intersection of ingredients, technique and flavor.

Local ingredients
We live and brew in fertile central PA, and we’re proud to support our local farmers. Every year, we buy more than 225,000 pounds of local grain, honey and fruit to use in our beer.

Community
From bike rides that fund local trails to new beers that help preserve critical forests, our partnerships improve the places where we live, work and play.