Serving Acousticamp 2026

A firsthand look at Acousticamp 2026 from Ravi Patel, Training & Events Specialist.

During the week of July 13, 2026, a small Madcap team consisting of Trevor Corlett (Founder & CEO), Myke Leon (Coffee Service Technician), and Ravi Patel (Training & Events Specialist) journeyed east to bring Madcap’s renowned coffee service to Chris Thile’s Acousticamp 2026. Situated in the beautiful rolling hills of New York’s Hudson Valley, Acousticamp brought together musicians from a variety of backgrounds to explore the bounds of acoustic music while experiencing world-class beverages and hospitality. Madcap fueled the camp’s morning creativity, while Abigail Gullo’s cocktails kept everyone jamming late into the night.

This marked Madcap’s fourth consecutive year providing coffee service at Chris Thile’s Acousticamp, with each year growing bigger and better. Building on 2025’s signature drink, the spicy and refreshing Howie Bling, Madcap introduced a new exclusive signature beverage: Pat O’Brien. A nod to the New Orleans bar that created the Hurricane cocktail, Pat O’Brien combines the familiar structure of an iced cappuccino with the tropical brightness of passionfruit, all topped with a creamy, complex herbal cold foam.

Like Madcap baristas do every day, the team woke before sunrise each morning to dial in every coffee they served and prepare the coffee bar for the busy rush ahead. The team brought the full diversity of Madcap’s coffee menu: Eureka for milk beverages, Summer Solstice on batch brew from the Breville Precision Brewer to match the vibrant energy in the air, Placebo for those looking to avoid overindulgence, and the heavy-hitting single origins Alirio Muñoz Ortega and Juliana Guevara.

As the sun broke the horizon, artists and attendees slowly made their way toward the mini Madcap cafe, hoping to kickstart their mornings after long nights of jamming. Word of Madcap’s presence spread quickly. The handful of guests gathered around the coffee bar soon turned into a sea of excited coffee lovers. Wave after wave of eager guests arrived, each bringing engaging conversation and effortless connection. Whether reconnecting with returning attendees already familiar with Madcap or introducing first-time visitors to the brand, the team shared what makes Madcap special. By the end of the week, the team had made fans out of nearly everyone, and those fans understood why Chris Thile continues to bring Madcap to Acousticamp year after year, no matter where it's held. Many of these new Madcap converts promised to make the trip to Michigan to experience one of our cafes firsthand.

With service wrapping up around lunchtime, the team shifted its focus to the afternoon coffee education class. This year's topic: minerals. Since brewed coffee is primarily water, the quality and mineral composition of that water play a pivotal role in coffee's flavor expression and texture. Apax Lab creates mineral concentrates that are added after brewing, rather than focusing on water composition before brewing, as is common throughout the industry. Madcap’s educational session highlighted the impact these mineral concentrates have on a single coffee, allowing students to taste the differences side by side. Needless to say, Madcap blew a few minds with the flavor-shaping power of Apax Lab’s mineral concentrates.

After the daily grind of morning service and afternoon classes, the team had a few hours to get off their feet for some R&R. In this case, R&R meant high-energy World Cup watch parties and cocktail history classes with Abigail Gullo. Once everyone had eaten, the team had the privilege of attending the evening concert sessions. Watching these virtuoso musicians perform on such a grand stage, it was easy to draw parallels between the worlds of coffee and acoustic music: the constant pursuit of excellence, elevating everyday experiences, inspiring awe, fostering connection—the list goes on.

Another year in the books, and onward to Acousticamp 2027!

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