United Dairy Farmers isn’t exactly the first place you’d pick for an edgy ice cream adventure. It’s generally awesome for milkshakes or something on the lines of Mint Chocolate Chip and Strawberry Sherbet. Typically, the most adventurous thing you’re going to find at the counter is some kiddie cookie-dough flavor infused with blue dye. But this summer . . . this summer, the convenience store partnered with Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati to bring us: Tropical Truth. It uses the brewery’s Truth IPA and some extra fruity elements to come up with a concoction that is already pretty dang popular.
And by popular, I mean that the flavor released in May already has a significant following. The UDF staffer was happy to share information on the different concoctions people were making with the ice cream. Although not on the house menu, beer shakes and floats are the official thing for the creative carryout crowd. According to their independent consumer research, boozy root beer and Henry’s Hard Orange Soda come as highly recommended pairings for Tropical Truth.
As an ice cream purist, the stuff is good straight-up too. Having graduated from cups and cones some time ago, big eaters can score a hand-packed pint container that’s cutely shaped like a Chinese carryout box. Clearly, this implies it’s a serving for one. The online literature on the ice cream mentions malt flavors, mango and grapefruit. In the actual eating (binging) experience, you get the traditional soothing richness of ice cream, with just a tinge of interesting fermented flavor that gives it a mellow edge. In terms of fruity swirls, the mango is more dominant, and it marries nicely with the base.
It’s safe and legal for the under-21 crowd, too, in case you were curious.
Columbus is home to lots of edgy ice cream options. Pretty much everything at Jeni’s has an angle, and Mardi Gras and Diamonds on the north end offer interesting international options. But give your neighborhood UDF a try too, it has a new little edge of its own.