{"id":4819,"date":"2013-12-15T23:30:08","date_gmt":"2013-12-16T05:30:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/?p=4819"},"modified":"2016-06-07T15:27:38","modified_gmt":"2016-06-07T21:27:38","slug":"12-beers-of-christmas-2-troegs-the-mad-elf-ale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/lifestyle\/4819\/12-beers-of-christmas-2-troegs-the-mad-elf-ale","title":{"rendered":"12 Beers of Christmas 2: Tro\u00ebg\u2019s The Mad Elf Ale"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Mad<\/a>

The Mad Elf<\/p><\/div>\n

Tried my first Mad Elf a few nights ago and immediately reported to the social media: Couple of those Tro\u00ebg\u2019s Mad Elf beers and they can go ahead and cut the bullet out of you.<\/p>\n

Seriously, unless stretched out over hours, two of these in a night and you\u2019re finished; call a cab. But the temptation is clear, since this is a delicious concoction. It has twice the potency of yesterday\u2019s pick, and perhaps double the pleasure. It\u2019s going to be a new seasonal staple for me\u2014if I can find it.<\/p>\n

The character on the label of Tro\u00ebg\u2019s Mad Elf Ale is outfitted in Christmas attire with what on first glance looks like a sack of toys slung over his shoulder, but on closer inspection are a few giant cherries. The Mad Elf isn\u2019t angry, but he does look a little crazed, a cross between Alfred E. Newman, the grinning funny face from Coney Island\u2019s Steeplechase Park, or S. Clay Wilson\u2019s The Checkered Demon.<\/p>\n

The brewers were clearly having a free-for-all in coming up with the recipe for this one\u2014adding honey and sweet and sour cherries to the boatload of malts and hops, along with a hybrid Belgian yeast. Still, the effect of the beer is less likely to be stimulative than narcotic.<\/p>\n

It would seem that the brewery frequently has fun in its regular six year-round beer lineup, five seasonals and frequent one-offs. Tro\u00ebg\u2019s revved up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1996, but moved to larger quarters in Hershey in 2011. (No chocolate beer in the offing yet, though there are chocolate malts in this one.)<\/p>\n\"troegs<\/a>\n

The name\u2014\u201cpronounced with a long O, not uh or uh-e (as the umlaut would imply)”\u2014is a play on the family name of founders Chris and John Trogner and the Flemish word for pub, Kroeg<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Though I\u2019ve run across the brewery\u2019s Trogenator double bock now and again, the beers aren\u2019t distributed in Vermont. Luckily, I ran into the Mad Elf last week when south of the border in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no vintage dating on the bottle, but this is a beer that could clearly survive a few cellar years. Once it\u2019s open, taking your time with it is worthwhile, as the beer will change character as it warms. The initial sensation is pretty sensational; though it may all be a matter of suggestion or the obvious ruby tinge to the brew, but both the cherries and honey seem evident in the nose and swirling in the sweet depths of the palate, along with spicy notes and a nice biting finish.<\/p>\n

\"Mad<\/a>

Yes, Virginia, there is a Mad Elf Christmas tree ornament<\/p><\/div>\n

Let it sit for an hour or so and the carbonation will die out and the beer becomes a velvety dram, fit for a snifter, a syrupy, warming bowl of contentment.<\/p>\n

That roseate glow on your cheeks? Don\u2019t worry, it goes with the beer, and is seasonally appropriate.<\/p>\n

[Dec. 15, 2013]<\/em><\/p>\n

Name: The Mad Elf Ale
\nBrewer: Tro\u00ebg\u2019s Brewing Company, Hershey, Pennsylvania
\nStyle: Strong Fruit Ale
\nABV: 11%
\nAvailability: Mid-October-December in PA, NJ, NY, MD, DE, OH, MA, VA and D.C.
\nFor More Information: http:\/\/www.troegs.com<\/p>\n

< 12 Beers of Christmas 1: Anchor Our Special Ale 2013<\/a>
\n12 Beers of Christmas 3: Victory’s Winter Cheers ><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tried my first Mad Elf a few nights ago and immediately reported to the social media: Couple of those Tro\u00ebg\u2019s… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":4823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[627,939,18],"tags":[2734,975743,975744,975745,975746,948,2241],"class_list":["post-4819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tap-beer-of-the-week","category-beer-on-tap","category-lifestyle","tag-hershey","tag-troegs","tag-mad-elf-ale","tag-chris-trogner","tag-john-trogner","tag-pennsylvania","tag-fruit-beer"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2013\/12\/troegs-logo.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4819"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6681,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4819\/revisions\/6681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}