Gutter Palette Pairings – Shannon Chocolate Stout & Blue Bell Cookies & Cream

ShannonBlue Bell, oh how I missed thee. Your delicious ice cream has no match in this world. Your absence created a longing I did not know existed. Now that you are back, I will not take you for granted.

To prove my loyalty to Blue Bell, I figured a perfect pairing with my Blue Bell Cookies & Cream ice cream would be my new purchase of Shannon Brewing’s Chocolate Stout.

The sweetness from the ice cream is balanced perfectly with the chocolate malt flavor of the beer. The roasted cocoa flavor that is evident through the entire Shannon Chocolate Stout allows the cookies that are blended in the ice cream to be unbelievably flavorful. The beer almost tastes like a birthday cake; beer mixed with the ice cream tastes like a birthday party.

The popular thing to do today is to make a beer float. However, I wanted to taste the flavors independently and I felt this makes the beer flavor taste like roasty dark chocolate. The creamy sweetness in the ice cream allows a nice palette cleansing effect after each sip. I suggest trying this option as opposed to the float.