Mason's Sonder Brewing has once again teamed up with Kings Island for a boozy collab, this time featuring one of Cincy's most nostalgic sweet treats.
Blue Ice Cream Ale, inspired by the amusement park's signature blueberry- and vanilla-flavored "blue ice cream," will be available starting May 15 at Kings Island and May 17 at the brewery.
"This project was rewarding and exciting, both from a personal and a business perspective," says Justin Neff, CEO and president of Sonder Brewing, in a release. "As a kid, my family vacationed to Kings Island multiple times a year and Blue Ice Cream was always a treat we enjoyed. After more than a year of planning this beer and now seeing and tasting the finished product, the beer truly captures that nostalgia.”
It was important for the team to develop an authentic flavor and color to the brew that was void of artificial ingredients, the release says.
"We did a lot of research and testing to find a natural product to get the color. Both balancing the ice cream flavor without being overly sweet and achieving the fun blue color were definitely the main challenges,” says Chase Legler, Sonder Brewing's chief operations officer, in the same release. "The use of honey malt helped sweeten up the beer without making it overly sweet."
Last year, the park and brewery collaborated on a Giga Coaster Lager to celebrate the opening of the park's new Orion coaster, the seventh giga coaster in the world.
The Blue Ice Cream Ale can be found at eight locations throughout the park beginning May 15. Starting May 17, the Sonder Brewing taproom will have it on tap and in canned 4-packs for $12.99. The 4-packs are limited to one per person.
Kings Island opens to the public on May 15. For more info, head to visitkingsisland.com.
