Beer infused premium ice cream sounds like a the merger of two polar opposite food items; in fact, my first reaction is one of disgust. The Brewer’s Cow of Old Lyme, Connecticut scoops its way into the Shark Tank this week. Steve Albert, Brewer’s Cow president and his partners, have been making their beer infused premium ice cream since “the turn of the century” and the strange frozen confection has legions of loyal fans and numerous foodie awards.
Now don’t get me wrong, I really like beer, and I like ice cream too. I just never heard of the two ingredients combined, beer infused ice cream is a novelty to me. According to the Brewer’s Cow website, they use 16% butterfat cream and premium beers in their ice cream and, in case you were wondering, “all alcohol is evaporated in the cooking process. I would not be averse to trying this stuff. I enjoy being adventurous with my palette and the stuff is supposed to be delicious.
I am sure the Brewer’s Cow guys will have samples of their beer infused ice cream for the Sharks to taste. Anyone who is pitching a food product brings samples. I’m sure we’ll know whether the Brewer’s Cow gets a deal from the moment the Sharks taste the beer infused ice cream. If they like it, there is a shot.
I am betting they don’t get funded, and it has nothing to do with the strangeness of ice cream made with beer. I always check a company’s website for these write ups and the Brewer’s Cow website is kind of clunky. There’s broken pages and it looks like it was done by the guys themselves since it is an Intuit Small Business website. That’s not a vibrant web platform for a company poised to go national (I do predict it will crash mightily on show night though). The other thing that makes me think there is no deal is a quote from the ABC Shark Tank press release: “It becomes obvious to the Sharks that three ice cream makers from Old Lyme, CT don’t have much money sense when pitching their beer infused premium ice cream.” If the sharks are questioning their numbers, they probably don’t stand a chance.
So if you want some beer infused premium ice cream, you’ll have to hop in the car and get down to Old Lyme. I don’t think you will be seeing it on store shelves soon.
I heard of it before, even tasted it, but I live in europe so that might make a difference. The taste’s okay, but the process of making it is more complex. I’m betting that means higher cost. As Kevin will say: there’s nothing proprietary about this and this company will get slaughtered by a large company if this product becomes succesful (maybe he’ll even throw in the horror story of retail for good measure).
i don’t think this will get funded, 100% agree.
I have had thier ice cream and I’m pulling for these guys. They are at Whole Foods in the Boston, Hartford, Providence areas. I hope they get a deal because we need to see this brand nationally to give us a break from the ordinary. Beer makes the world go round.
By the way they have a new website published and it looks pretty good.
Good luck guys!
Had it, loved it! Can’t wait to see them on Shark Tank.
I hope they get a deal, although it seems the sharks don’t really like food products. Food products make up about 7% of their investments. I don’t think a large company will try to do this type of ice cream the profit margin is not high enough for an established company.
Hi Rob,
Some of the ideas that get on Shark Tank don’t have a chance of getting taken. I noticed that some weeks the Shark’s are kinder than other week’s. Either way it is probably my favorite show on TV at the moment as has been for a couple of years.
Great article. I didn’t see this particular (Brewers Cow) but love the show. I can tell by your writing that you’re having fun (good too!). Thanks a lot!!
-Jim
You never know what may take off. The advantage they have is some of the established ice cream makers may not want to be associated with alcohol. They may be better served looking to a large beer distributor like Anheuser-Busch or something. I love an ice cold beer, but I don’t know that I’d ever buy beer tasting ice cream, but that by no means there isn’t a market for it. My opinion is they would have a better chance being picked up by a beer company than an established ice cream company for an investment.
As a web developer for 8 years, I have found that the biggest obstacle to a proper website is the business owner. Most of my clients want the website the way they want it, not the way that works.
You are preaching to the choir on that comment! I recently interviewed a web savvy local plumber and he is in the minority of those who “get it.”