Ben and Jerry's has expanded their dairy-free line, created "topped" flavors, "core" flavors, store-exclusive flavors, Netflix tie-ins...and while I did enjoy their (very under appreciated)Punch Line flavor, nothing announced gave me that "I gotta run out to the store to find that"-feeling.
Punch Line was such a success for me, not for the novelties and branding, but because of the actual flavors. Almond and cherry are a classic combination, which seems boring compared to sugar-cookie-dough cores and fudge meteors, but at the end of the day I want an ice cream that tastes worth the calories, and leaves me wanting more after I've finished the pint. That said, this Target-specific flavor is not trendy or complicated, but it sounds pretty solid. Coffee and chocolate, another classic pairing, but is it well executed?
Food and flavors are subjective. I know that, you know that, but we all love to hop online and compare tastebuds with strangers. (Hi!) Why do we do it?
Whether it's to find out if a product is worth your money (which is my main goal), or for validation in your opinions, or just to see how your taste-buds compare to others. We feel compelled to try new and potentially gross food, then turn to our friends and say, "You gotta' try this!" It's just human nature. But, in doing so, we fall victim to the hype of new-ness and extra-ness.
I've been blogging for a long time, I think 7 years (I keep forgetting how long exactly) and from what I can tell, I'm an oddball.
I know this is a tie-in with Netflix's Space Force, but I haven't watched it. Should I? (Let me know what you thought of it in the comments.) These days I've been watching The Boys, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Lovecraft Country, and New Girl, because I am dark and spooky, but also fighting off depression because... *motions vaguely at everything.*
Originally I wasn't going to pick this up because I thought it sounded too sweet. I know, "ice cream? Too sweet?!" Hear me out, this is a milk chocolate ice cream, with fudge cows, toffee meteors and a sugar cookie dough core. Not a spot of dark chocolate or sea salt to contrast anything in sight.
I thought I wouldn't want to finish the whole pint in one sitting. Turns out...I was wrong.
Aldi's line of premium ice cream pints has two new flavors! They've added Swirling Strawberry (strawberry cheesecake), and this new peanut butter one. Just like the three original Aldi offerings: Make Fudge Not War, Brookie Dough, and Thank You Cherry Much, these new flavors are dupes for popular Ben & Jerry's flavors (Peanut Butter Cup & Strawberry Cheesecake) only these cost half as much.
I'm happy to see this line expanding, but I personally wasn't excited by these two new flavors. They aren't as globally appealing as the other three, but for two bucks? I'll check 'em out anyway!
A photo posted by M. Smith (@poison_and_antidote) on
I keep meaning to write up a formal review for this ice cream but I don't think that's ever going to happen, so this will have to do.
Maybe my "adult taste-buds" still haven't come in yet or something, because I'm nearly 30 years old and I still hate beer. I try all the new beers my friends bring over, everything from peanut butter to creme brûlée brew, and nothing has won me over yet. I take a sip, then I react like those babies on YouTube trying a lemon for the first time. Once at a BBQ I even spat it out right into the grass! Not my classiest moment, but I still gave that beer a try.
I think it's safe to say I'm a beer-hater, but when I saw all the rave reviews this boozy flavor of Ben & Jerry's was getting, I decided to give it the benefit of a doubt. (Plus my boyfriend likes beer, and brownies, so I figured it wouldn't go to waste if I ended up hating it.)
The beer-part of this ice cream IS the actual ice cream. This off-white creamy base is flavored like Belgium brown ale, and then there are caramel swirls and bits of brownie blended in. I'm totally on board with the caramel and brownie, but that ale-base had me pretty nervous. It makes up the majority of this little container, and if I hate beer then that could be a problem for me and my baby-taste-buds.
I took a bite, and surprisingly, it's pretty good! The ice cream has this salty, yeasty flavoring to it, mixed with vanilla, and I know it's meant to mimic a brown ale, but in my mind it kind of tastes like a soft South Philly pretzel! When you mix that slightly salty and savory base with sweet caramel and little chunks of brownie the end result is pretty darn good! As a non-beer lover, I think of this is a salted chocolate pretzel ice cream, and I really dig it! If any of you are the kind of person who dips their french fries in a Wendy's Frosty, this is the ice cream for you. It's salty, kind of savory, but sweet all at the same time.
I baked up some brownies and served a big scoop of this stuff to my boyfriend and he really enjoyed it. (But he's a sucker for a warm chewy brownie.)
I bought this thinking that it was going to be a foodie gift for him, but it ended up being something I really enjoyed too! (I might even like it more than him!) I'm glad I got it, and I might even buy it again. Does Ben & Jerry's make beer? If so, I might have to give that a try.
