Ben and Jerry's Limited Batch: New Belgium Salted Caramel Brown-ie Ale ice cream!

It's been a while since we've been able to get our hands on a limited batch Ben & Jerry's. So long, in fact that when I saw this one in the freezer section I plucked it out so fast that I hadn't even really registered what it was. "SALTED CARAMEL BROWNIE....Wait...BROWN-IE...ALE?" Yep. This is the latest from those insane flavor wizards in Vermont and this just might be THE weirdest flavor they have ever done. But is it good weird, or bad weird? Let's find out. Ladies and Gents, I give you, The Ben and Jerry's New Belgium Salted Caramel Brown-ie Ale ice cream! 

There's a lot going on with this label. Soak it all in. BEER ICE CREAM. 

The idea of beer flavored ice cream is not one that excited me at first. I just couldn't imagine a way that it could be good. I've never taken a sip of a beer and said to myself, "Damn, imagine if there was ice cream flavored like this?" It's just unnatural. But I guess that's what makes ol' Ben and Jerry special because they know how to think outside the box. So they teamed up with Colorado based New Belgium Brewing and created one of the weirdest ice creams ever. This has New Belgium Brown Ale ice cream with fudge brownies and salted caramel swirls. There's a lot going on here and I have to tell you...it's pretty damn good. 

Irwin was unsure about it, but in the end he wanted to taste that caramel swirl. 

 When you first taste the ice cream you really don't taste much of the beer flavor. But a few moments later it hits you as a pleasant aftertaste. Seriously, it's great. Just tasting the ice cream part, it's basically what I would imagine a beer ice cream float would be like. I know people do this, but I have not had a chance to try it so this is a foreign concept to me. Right off the bat I was sold on at least the ice cream itself. Like sweet beer you eat with a spoon! I think this was a great way to do this ice cream because I think beer lovers will enjoy the flavor, but I don't think it's so strong that if you don't enjoy the flavor of beer, you might still REALLY like it.

 The Brownie chunks are nothing special. They are those weird, fake, tiny brownie rectangles that you can find in other Ben and Jerry's ice creams.  More like little chewy blobs. But the real star of this show is the Salted Caramel Swirls. Notice that it's "Swirls", plural. Because this ice cream is LOADED with gooey liquid caramel with that noticeable salty tang. Some parts had such massive deposits of it that I had to put some back otherwise entire spoonfuls would have been just that.  Yup, this isn't one of those ice creams that hold back on the ingredients, there's a bounty of brownie chunks and salted caramel to be found in here!

FYI: That caramel goes alllll the way down. 

I gotta say, every time I doubt Ben & Jerry's, they somehow blow my mind. I would have liked to have other pictures to go along with this review, but to be honest, I was so into it that the second time I sat down with this pint I finished it off and never looked back. It's that's good! That's why I'm giving it an A! I was weirdest out at the thought of it, but it ends up being a very complex, multi flavored medley that works on every level. I bow to the greater wisdom of the Ben and Jerry's flavor wizards.

Now for those of you who ARE into beer, don't forget the flip side of this! New Belgium actually made the beer version!

This team up between the two companies was to help raise awareness of climate change among the snow sports community through an organization called Protect Our Winters. Sounds like a worthy cause and just shows how awesome both of these companies are. Trying to make the world a better place while taking our taste buds on one hell of a ride. You can bet that the second I spot New Belgium Salted Caramel Brownie Brown Ale, I'll be picking up a six pack. How could I not?

To keep an eye on what Ben & Jerry have going on, check out their: website: http://www.benjerry.com/
And for you beer fans, don't forget to visit New Belgium online: http://www.newbelgium.com/

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REVIEW BY RICH!