Le Moyne, Meier’s Creek Brewing introduce Le Moyne-themed craft beer for fundraiser

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Le Moyne College and Meier’s Creek Brewing Company (MCBC) on Tuesday announced Dolphy Day IPA, a Le Moyne-themed craft beer that will be onthe market by the beginning of March.

The brew will be available at Meier’s Creek locations in Cazenovia and the Syracuse Inner Harbor and at retail stores throughout the region, according to the announcement.

Under the agreement with MCBC, Le Moyne will receive 20 percent of all sales, and the proceeds will benefit the Le Moyne College Fund and “specifically target” the college’s wellness initiatives and student scholarship to help offset the cost of attendance.

Those of legal drinking age can place pre-orders for the craft beer on the Meier’s Creek website starting Feb. 19, with pre-reservations open until Feb. 23 at 5 p.m.

The name Dolphy Day IPA is a “nod to one of Le Moyne’s most revered traditions,”the college said in its announcement. Dolphy Day is a Le Moyne tradition dating back to 1971 where students spend the first warm day of spring outside enjoying the weather, hanging out, and blowing off some steam before final exams start.

The announcement of the new craft beer is the culmination of a months-long process between MCBC and Le Moyne, the college said. Le Moyne’s student marketing firm Heights Global Marketing (HGM) “took the lead in several areas” related to developing the Le Moyne-themed beer.

Its efforts included conducting market research, creating and executing a survey sent to Le Moyne alumni, and leading focus groups.

HGM sought to gather data from alumni about the preferred type and name of the beer.Once those were selected, HGM students worked on the design of the label, the school said. Those involved have also designed a number of swag items to help with the promotion of the beer, Le Moyne noted.

The development of Dolphy Day IPA is in line with a recent trend of universities launching themed beer. Some examples include Indiana University’s Hoosier Gameday Lager, East Carolina University’s Pirates Brew, Florida State University’s Legacy Lager,and Marquette University’s ‘77 Golden Ale.