Wisconsin Taste Test: Purple Door’s “Wisconsin Brandy Old-Fashioned” and “Beer And Pretzels” ice cream Milwaukee Record Staff February 21, 2025 In Wisconsin Taste Test, two Milwaukee Record folks share their thoughts on two new-to-them “Wisconsin-y” food or drink items. Think raw beef sandwiches, Old-Fashioneds, and those giant bags of generic candy they sell at Fleet Farm. This week: Purple Door Ice Cream’s “Wisconsin Brandy Old-Fashioned” and “Beer And Pretzels” ice cream flavors. Wisconsin Brandy Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Tyler Maas: When Purple Door Ice Cream opened in 2011, my initial gateway to the business was by way of its whiskey ice cream, which is made in collaboration with Great Lakes Distillery. Through the years, they’ve made other beverage-infused flavors, including ice creams that incorporate Anodyne coffee, Lakefront beer (more on that later), and even a polarizing one with Malört in it. Along the way, Purple Door also introduced a Wisconsin Brandy Old-Fashioned varietal to the freezers in its Walker’s Point parlor. Though I probably make it Purple Door twice a year and stock up on a couple pints annually when I’m at Outpost and the sudden cream craving strikes, I’ve miraculously never had the Wisconsin Brandy Old-Fashioned flavor. I figured it was about time to change that…while also taking advantage of the two-for-$11 pint special the business is running in February. Matt Wild: I’m a semi-regular Purple Door visitor—especially in the summer—but I usually stick to basic flavors like mint or chocolate chip cookie dough. I dunno, ice cream is such a simple, uncomplicated pleasure, it seems silly to me to get too “fancy” with it. Likewise, I keep my alcoholic drinks of choice extremely basic: Miller High Life, maybe a Riverwest Stein, the occasional bourbon on the rocks. I know the Old-Fashioned is the un(?)official drink of Wisconsin, but I’ve always been kind of cool on it. I’ll order one at a fish fry, of course (I’m not a monster!), but I never seem to remember if I like it sweet or sour, and the cherries go straight to my napkin. All of this is to say the thought of an Old-Fashioned-flavored ice cream makes me anxious, nervous, and fearful of losing my Wisconsin cred. Tyler: Opening the container, I was instantly struck with the light, fluffy, borderline whipped consistency of the ice cream. I’m used to needing to either wait five minutes for ice cream to soften on my counter and/or having to use a jackhammer to chisel away enough ice cream to fill my dish. The spoon sunk right into this. Next, I was hit with a noticeable scent of booze. However, that aroma dissipated before hitting my taste buds. Any hint of brandy immediately gave way to a very weak cherry, only a subtle presence of Bittercube Bitters, and an even lighter hint of orange. While I found a few small particles of pulp in the pint, there was nary a cherry chunk or orange piece present, which would’ve helped to back up the Old-Fashioned claim and the admittedly high price point. Matt: I know I just said I’m not much of a cherry guy, but I kind of love the subtle hint of cherry here. Ditto the cherry flakes and the brandy scent. (The label vaguely states “Brandy Alcohol 40%.”) And yeah, I dig the overall smoothness, too. I can’t say I’d ever stuff a couple scoops into a waffle cone, but I could absolutely see myself tucking into a pint while watching a three-hour recap video of the first four Stormlight Archive books before I start reading the fifth one. (Which order of Knights Radiant would most enjoy Old-Fashioned ice cream? Pancake ice cream for Lift!) Tyler: At the end of the day, we’re still talking about ice cream. Even those crappy little ice cream cups with the wooden stick/spoon are better than most other foods on the planet, and anything Purple Door does (with the possible exception of the Malört flavor) is exponentially better than that. That being said, one of the biggest shots against this flavor is that it needed something extra to effectively scratch that brandy Old-Fashioned itch. When I added a dash of Milwaukee Record Brandy to the dish, it all came together perfectly. Just up the brandy content, toss in some cherry chunks, and go much heavier on the bitters and then you’re onto something, Purple Door. Until then, I’ll be sticking with Purple Moon or something chocolatey instead. Matt: I’m a big fan of this one and I’m taking the pint (and a bottle of our brandy) home. Cheers! Tyler rating: “Yeah, sure.” (Okay) Matt rating: “Oh, ya!” (Good) Beer And Pretzels Ice Cream Tyler: As noted above, I respect Purple Door’s willingness to include beverage partners in their flavors. I especially love that most of the collaborations are with local companies. Such is the case with its aptly named Beer And Pretzels ice cream, which features Lakefront beer and pieces of crushed up pretzels. I’m not ashamed to say I’ve enjoyed a beer float a few times in my life. Okay, maybe I’m a little ashamed to say that, but here we are! So anyway, the idea of having ice cream with some Lakefront beer in it gave me no sense of apprehension. In fact, I was excited to try it. Matt: I’ve just been told by the Vice President of the United States that a “broken culture” is oppressing my natural masculine urge to enjoy beer and pretzels, so I unfortunately can’t taste test this flavor. JUST KIDDING. No one’s telling you you can’t be a normal dude, you knob. Enjoy beer and pretzels! Enjoy whatever! Just don’t be an asshole! I know pushing back against these basic-ass trolls who basic-ass-trolled their way into power is useless and self-defeating, but come on. Just be normal! It’s so easy! It’s as easy as, say, eating a scoop of Purple Door’s Beer And Pretzels ice cream and thinking to yourself, “Huh! This is okay!” And yup, this is okay! Tyler: More specifically on the “beer” end of things, this intriguing creation features Lakefront’s East Side Dark. It’s not only one of the brewery’s oldest and most iconic beers, but also one of my absolute favorite beers that Lakefront makes. And it works extremely well in this ice cream. I’m so glad they fought the urge to shoehorn their flagship Riverwest Stein—arguably an even better beer, but a questionable fit in an ice cream—into the mix. The malty, dark lager played well with the vanilla ice cream base, and capably countered the grainy, semi-salted flavor of the pretzel pieces that were abundant in each bite. It also smelled exactly like when you walk into Lakefront Brewery, which I think is another point in its favor. Matt: Sorry about that last bit. Anyway, you know that feeling you get when you eat a Jelly Belly and it tastes unnervingly like the thing it’s supposed to taste like? I’m getting that feeling here. This is beer and pretzels in ice cream form, full stop. It’s maybe not as potent and scarily accurate as a popcorn-flavored Jelly Belly, but it’s close. Tyler: I have two criticisms to register against the Beer And Pretzels ice cream. I’ll start with the one that’s probably out of Purple Door’s control: the consistency of the pretzels. Being immersed in cold, moist ice cream for however long it was on the store’s shelves made the pretzel texture a little off-putting. They were mushy outside and brittle inside. The flavor held (and was quite pleasing), but the mouthfeel might be a bridge too far for some folks. Now onto the controllable critique: PUT DARK CHOCOLATE IN THERE. The sweet milk chocolate works against the beer, whereas the inclusion of the decidedly more bitter dark chocolate would really help give the namesake beer the nudge it needed to really stand out. To be honest, I would not buy this again just to have at home. I would buy it for a relative or out-of-towner as a nice localized gift. And just to be clear, if someone offered me a dish of Purple Door’s Beer And Pretzels, I would absolutely be happy to eat it. I just feel the Walker’s Point parlor has better flavors to offer, even if they’re less innovative. Matt: I’m with you on the dark chocolate suggestion. Oh, and I’m also with you on the localized gift suggestion. Beyond the Walker’s Point location, you can find Purple Door ice cream in oodles of places in and around Milwaukee. You can’t order pints online, but you can order an in-store gift card! What better way to say “I love you” than with the gift of a spatula local ice cream! Tyler rating: A light “Oh, yah!” (Pretty Good) Matt rating: “Yeah, sure.” (Okay) Want more Milwaukee Record? Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter and/or support us on Patreon. RELATED ARTICLES • Wisconsin Taste Test: Red Hot Pickled Eggs and Mild Polish Sausage from Bay View Packing Company (Patreon exclusive)
