A flavor by any other name...

So, one of the more interesting 2011 flavors was Clusterfluff.. basically, softish chunks of peanut butter in a somewhat creamy ice cream.

During the summer, this flavor was renamed as What a Cluster, assumedly to appease those people who thought Clusterfluff was too dangerous a name.

Starting off in 2012...

So, while at the grocery store yday (the very up-to-date with flavors Shoppers Food Warehouse), what did I spot but ANOTHER limited batch flavor - Rocky Road-ish. Is the name supposed to denote that the flavor is LIKE Rocky Road, but not exactly, thus the ish? Is there another pun I'm not getting? Hmm...

It also follows an interesting trend of limited batch flavors, along with the underwhelming Schweddy Balls, the scrumptuous Snickerdoodle Cookie and the now you see it now you don't Di's Candy Drawer (amongst others).

Is this just a random flavor, or a sign that the 2012 flavors might be late or early? Wish I knew...

Big Red Circles

So over the last 2 yrs, Target has joined the ranks of B&J flavors, not that anyone would know this. Each spring, they slip out a few new pints with an eye towards altruism - I think a certain % of the profits are donated (score). This is a little confusing - is Target promising Unilever better positioning or market share? Perhaps. B&J never really promote these flavors; perhaps Target does it for them.

Blue Ribbon Year

I don't know how many other people around the country obsess over B&J flavors like I do, but I'm sure there are a number of us/them.

Still, I am one of them and that entitles me, I believe, to be able to make certain statements - one of which is that 2011 is a banner year for flavors.

2009 was so-so; 2010 was quite good and I really believe that 2011 might top them all - Red Velvet Cake, Bonnaroo Buzz, Clusterfluff, Late Night Snack, Fair Goodness Cake, Voluntiramisu, Peanut Butter World and Schweddy Balls. That's like the 1927 Yankees of ice cream offerings.

My Personal Moby

Sorry, bad pun there. So, I think/assume/believe that the ice cream hunts/searches for 2011 are officially over with the purchase of Schweddy Balls, the flavor honoring the SNL sketch with Alec Baldwin. I've never seen the sketch, but I assume it's funny enough to be repeated again and again.

Not sure when I'll try it - most likely next week. Funny how I let some of the new pints often sit around, as if I'm purposely aging them.

No Schwed

I've been looking to track down a pint of Schweddy Balls, the Alec Baldwin/SNL inspired flavor which is basically vanilla with chocolate-covered pretzel balls.
Again, this is a tough one to find, but I'm sure I'll track it down eventually.

Of course, I'm writing this before a day-long Yom Kippur fast, but it's obvious food is on the mind. Still, this is the latest in the year that I've been searching for a certain pint, which I think is cool. I might have a 2 or 3 month layoff between searching for the 2012 flavors.

At one of their scoop shops, I also saw B&J trotting out Pumpkin Pie and I ADORE their pie-related flavors.

Fair Goodness Cake

Very tricky, B&J. Trying to slip another flavor in before the summer is over. In June, I first heard of a flavor called "Fair Goodness Cake" via the Internet, which is basically German Chocolate Cake in an ice-cream format. So, I spent time every visit to the grocery store, looking in the frozen food aisle to find it. Finally, a few weeks ago, I did. And, I bought 2. Since it's a limited edition flavor, should I like it, I wanted to have one on reserve. Sadly, when my in-laws watched my daughter during our vacation, they ate it, but at least I had the first pint. This is a great, great flavor. Maybe the chocolate is a little rich, but the idea is very well realized. Not sure how I feel about the name, but it was a great summer find.