MadTree Dreamsicle: The Power Of Marketing Or The Community?

I am a huge fan of marketing; especially when it applies to craft beer. It’s interesting how a brewery can use marketing to move craft beer into the minds of more and more people. Marketing helps change mindsets and influences decisions. That is what makes the story of MadTree Dreamsicle so compelling.

Check out the story of how a beer called Dreamsicle became so popular that the brewery was nearly forced to can it.

Backstory

I’ve written about MadTree a handful of times (Grand Opening, Entropic Theory, Giving Back) and I am always left with the mindset that they are one of the premier breweries in Cincinnati. They make great beer, actively promote the community and do a great job keeping themselves front of mind. Search my site for MadTree to see other articles about them.

One of MadTree’s core beers is Lift, a light Kolsch style ale. It is a very “approachable” beer that you can find year round on tap and in cans. One thing brewers like to do is experiment so they added orange and vanilla to Lift and called it Dreamsicle. Taproom visitors have been loving this beer ever since and it is routinely a top seller.

Then on April Fool’s Day 2016, the MadTree marketing team released a rendering of the beer in can form onto their social media channels.

The can was a soft orange color and featured an octopus holding an ice cream cone.

Cincinnati craft beer fans went insane with excitement.

Then they found out it was a joke and they lost their minds with rage. It turned out people really wanted MadTreed Dreamsicle in cans but MadTree wasn’t in a place to do make that happen. They were in the middle of building their new location and they didn’t have the capacity to brew it on a large scale or can it. But that all changed when they opened their new brewing facility earlier this year. Now Dreamsicle in cans will become a reality.

MadTree Dreamsicle: Brilliant Marketing Or Community Demand?

I have to wonder how much of the demand for Dreamsicle was great marketing compared to community demand. Which one really created the momentum needed to get this beer into cans?

Yes, this beer was one of their most popular taproom offerings for quite a while before the April Fool’s Day joke.

But, it was the can artwork design that I think really got people excited for this beer.

So did MadTree know they would eventually can this beer once their production capacity increase? I don’t have the answer to that question but I have a strong feeling it was at least on their radar.

Maybe the April Fool’s joke gave them a chance to see if there was real demand for this beer outside of their taproom? Or maybe they were just having fun and it took on a life of it’s own?

Either way the community responded and were relentless in their desire to see this beer get canned. They made it clear that they wanted MadTree Dreamsicle in cans, on shelves and in their homes.

Dreams(icle) Do Come True

So after a year of receiving phone calls, emails, DMs on social media, petitions (yes, an online petition was created) and having it named one of the “50 Must-Try Craft Beers of Ohio”; MadTree decided it was time to can Dreamsicle.

MadTree Dreamsicle is getting its own release party on August 31st from 4 PM – 8 PM in their taproom at 3301 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, Ohio 45209.

Limit of once case per person at a cost of $10.50 per six-pack including tax.

And come hungry because Catch-A-Fire Cafe will have their full menu available as well as a few special items.

Can and draft distribution to restaurants, bars, and retailers will begin Friday, September 1, in most markets that MadTree serves.

I am excited for the launch of this beer as it shows how a brewery can have a lot of fun with their customers while providing them the exact beer they want. All breweries should embrace listening to customer requests more often; it’s a great way to understand the market and stay connected to the customer.

Will You Be At The MadTree Dreamsicle Release Party?