Blue Moon Home Run Twist Ice Cream Review: A Mash-Up Worth Getting Excited About
As Memorial Day approaches and the summer sun starts shining down, finding a way to keep cool is a must. A cold, refreshing beer or a perfectly frozen scoop of ice cream are two of the tried and true methods to beat the summer heat, and this year, they're coming together for a limited time. To celebrate the unofficial start of summer, Blue Moon Brewing Company and Rawlings — the world's leading baseball manufacturer — are teaming up with alcohol-infused ice cream maker Hardscoop to create Blue Moon Home Run Twist.
The boozy ice cream looks to take the flavor of Blue Moon beer and translate it into a frozen treat worthy of America's pastime. But the fun doesn't stop there. The specialty flavor, available exclusively via online order, comes with a set of Rawlings mini helmets to be used as bowls and a pair of classic ballpark snacks for toppings.
The concept sounds like an easy win, but we want to know if all of the hype is deserved, so Mashed took a swing at Blue Moon Home Run Twist to find out if this ice cream is an All-Star or if it needs to be sent back to the minors.
It's a full concession stand in a box
"Take me out to the ballgame. Take me out with the crowd. Buy me some peanuts and caramel corn?"
That may not be quite how the song goes, but it is a perfect rundown of the toppings that are included with each pint of Home Run Twist. That's right, peanuts and caramel corn are both along for the ride in this baseball-inspired dessert. And they're not sample sizes, either; both bags are substantial enough that if you opt to enjoy them on the side rather than on top of your ice cream, there are enough salty-sweet snacks to get you through a few innings.
Food isn't the only thing in each shipment, though, as this is an ice cream experience tailor-made for social media. Two miniature Blue Moon baseball helmets are included to use as bowls. But don't be fooled by their size; these pieces of novelty headwear easily hold three healthy scoops of ice cream and all of the toppings you could desire.
Where can you get a pint?
Blue Moon Home Run Twist is available for a limited time and via special order only. Those looking to get on base will have to visit the Hardscoop website on May 17 or May 23 while supplies last. Each shipment comes with two pints of ice cream, two helmets, and a package of caramel corn and peanuts, all for $49. And while you won't want to leave the box on your front porch all day, the shipment is packaged tightly with dry ice to ensure everything remains frozen until you get it inside.
However, this treat isn't accessible everywhere. Due to the alcohol content, you must be 21 years of age or older to place an order. Local laws limiting the shipment of alcohol also prohibit sales in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Mississippi, Rhode Island, and Utah. If you live in one of those states, unfortunately, you'll have to make a trip to the ballpark to enjoy food out of a plastic helmet.
How does it compare to other boozy ice creams?
Hardscoop is no stranger to mixing ice cream and alcohol. In fact, their regular menu runs 12 flavors deep and includes options ranging from standard Chocolate and Madagascar Vanilla to more exotic offerings like Eggnog and Painkiller, a take on the classic rum-based beach drink. What sets Home Run Twist apart from the rest though, is the alcohol content. Clocking in at just 1.9% ABV, the Blue Moon ice cream is by far the company's lowest-potency offering. Most of Hardscoop's products clock in at 8% ABV, with Carolina Peach Sorbet tipping the scale at 10.5%.
From a chemistry standpoint, alcohol in ice cream is a delicate balancing act. Too much and the concoction won't freeze in a standard freezer — most home freezers are set to 0 degrees Fahrenheit — and too little simply makes it a boozy-flavored treat rather than one that packs any real punch. Hardscoop's standard 8% ABV is enough to lower the standard freezing temp of ice cream by roughly 8 to 9 degrees, so while it's possible to go higher with the alcohol content, it means the freezer would need to dip lower. With Blue Moon Home Run Twist containing just under 2% ABV, there's no need to worry about adjusting your freezer settings or dealing with a fast-melting scoop.
What's in it?
The ingredient deck for this ice cream is simple and straightforward. Beyond ice cream staples like milk and sugar, Home Run Twist also includes alcohol, orange extract, Valencia orange oil, and Madagascar vanilla bean for flavoring. Carrot concentrate is added to provide the mellow orange color. While you don't generally expect to see a vegetable in the ingredient list for an ice cream, this still isn't a health food. One serving contains 290 calories, 16 grams of fat, and 40 grams of sugar. But let's be honest, no one eats ice cream because it's good for you.
The toppings are also pretty standard. The peanuts are, well, peanuts. As for the caramel corn, each serving is a half cup and contains an even 100 calories along with 14 grams of sugar. Again, it's a dessert, so it's probably best not to get too far into the nutritional weeds, but at the very least, it's nice to see a pretty limited ingredient list across the board.
How did we like it?
Blue Moon Home Run Twist is a high-quality ice cream. The initial flavor profile is similar to orange sherbet, but it's definitely creamier. The orange flavor isn't overpowering or artificial tasting, and strong notes of vanilla keep things from getting overly fruity.
As far as the toppings go, both are welcome additions, but the caramel corn definitely stands out. The peanuts provide a wonderful texture, but they were a little too savory for our taste when combined with the orange. The caramel corn, on the other hand, was fantastic across the board. It added a lovely crunch, and the extra sweetness was a welcome addition to every bite. Combine the peanuts and the caramel corn, and you have the perfect ballpark pairing.
Finally, there's the alcohol component. Had we not known going in that the ice cream was boozy, we probably wouldn't have guessed it. That said, there is a hint of alcohol in the aftertaste. With such a low alcohol content, Blue Moon probably could have created a virgin ice cream with the same flavor profile, and we would have been just as happy, but when you're in the beer game, booze makes sense. Overall, this is an enjoyable experience not only for baseball fans but ice cream aficionados. Blue Moon Home Run Twist is proof that if you shoot for the moon, you might just knock it out of the park.
Methodology
Blue Moon reached out to Mashed, offering a free sample box of Home Run Twist for our review. The box was sent to our reviewer's house where everything was photographed and sampled in person. As a huge fan of ice cream, our reviewer feels confident that their overall assessment and description are accurate, but as with any review, taste is subjective. If you'd like to try Blue Moon Home Run Twist, visit Hardscoop.com on May 17 and May 23 for a chance to snag some for yourself.