Yuengling's Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

[New for 2016] I don't remember the last time I said it, but I think that you can get a good sense for a company by trying their take on the classic flavor combo of cookies & cream. It's a flavor that is simple in construction, easy to do well, and yet still easy to mess up. Thankfully my local Stop & Shop (Giant) has increased their shelf space for Yuengling pints so I can try....

Yuengling's Cookies & Cream Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream with Old Fashioned Dark Chocolate Cookie Pieces

(There is a covering under the lid to seal the pint)

Uh oh, those crystal patterns on the top make me think someone let this pint melt at some point. Well that and the fact that pretty much every pint had ice cream drips on the side (but that could have been a little spill over from when it was manufactured). So there was a texture issue on this pint. It's not horrible, but it did feel off throughout my "serving", and by "serving" I mean half the pint. Oh how I devour cookies & cream flavored things. So yeah, I sat outside and inhaled half the pint. While it's not gummy, it's not super dense either so it was very easy to just keep scooping.

It's a nice looking flavor right? This is just the beginning and there were more cookie pieces as I went. They don't go with cream filled cookies like many other flavors out there, but that's never been a necessity for me. What matters is how well the cookie wafer bits spread out and they spread out nicely here. I've mentioned on several occasions how Yuengling's has a good knack for dialing things in to a nice middle of the road state. There is a good amount of C&C flavor here without going overboard on any cocoa or wafer darkness or dryness. There's just a nice complexity to the flavor that I always look for in a flavor like this (and is evident by the greyish color of the ice cream). I woulnd't personally mind if the flavor was a little stronger, but compared to some other C&C letdowns out there, I am fine with it.

So yeah, besides a bit of (freezerburn?) grit, I enjoyed my afternoon snack. I was just thinking how the cookie wafers never make a huge textural impact. The C&C flavor is present in every bite, but you are never jarred from the experience by biting into a huge cookie piece which I think will be a let down to fans of big chunks. That said, this is pretty much what I expected from them and that's not a bad thing. Not every product needs to be mind blowing, but it does need to be good.

On Second Scoop: Ok, the second half of this pint just became my lunch and I don't have any serious complaints. I'm still sticking by my point that this is pretty much the flavor I expected from them. If you've had their other flavors, this one is their style. That said, something is missing and I can't quite place my finger on it. Did I get a pint with bad texture or is there also something different about their choice of cookies. My house is full of Oreo and Back to Nature and Whole Foods branded cookies and I realize they are all different, so I wonder if that's part of this. Did they use a wafer that gives a flavor profile that is just a bit more wheat and a little less cocoa maybe? If you dig C&C flavors, give it a try for yourself and let us all know how it goes.

Verdict?  pleasant enough
Buy Again?  at some point