Forget ‘March Madness.’ What Penn State ice cream flavor will win this year’s ‘Flavor Madness’?
Penn State men’s basketball may have missed out on “March Madness” this season but, rejoice, ice cream fans, “Flavor Madness” is still on.
In what’s become a lighthearted annual event, Penn State will again host a bracket-style tournament involving 16 different ice cream flavors from the iconic on-campus Berkey Creamery. Fans will vote for the winner of each matchup, with the “scoop champion” announced April 9.
Voting for the tournament’s first-round matchups started Monday, with the “Elite 8” set for March 22, the “Flavorful 4” on March 29 and the “Tasty 2” on April 5. Voting for each matchup will be available Monday though Friday.
“Each year, the contest grows in participation, which demonstrates how much people enjoy banking on which flavor will take this year’s trophy,” creamery sales and marketing manager Jim Brown said in a written statement.
The heavy favorite this year remains Death by Chocolate, which has taken the crown the last three years. The UCLA/Kentucky of Penn State ice cream is simply chocolate ice cream with flakes of pure chocolate, fudge pieces and a chocolate swirl blended together — but it’s a combination that other flavors have struggled topping.
Can Death by Chocolate remain cool under pressure and four-peat? That’s up to the ice cream fans to decide at creamery.psu.edu/flavor-madness.
The ice cream champ will see its online orders discounted by $1 per pint from April 12-16. There will be no in-store discounts, although everyone who enters will be eligible for a weekly drawing for a free six-pack pint shipment of ice cream.
Here is a quick look at the first-round matchups:
‘I Scream’ Region
Bittersweet Mint (mint ice cream, chocolate chips) vs. Scholar’s Chip (vanilla ice cream, vanilla bean, chocolate chips)
Alumni Swirl (vanilla ice cream, Swiss mocha chips, blueberry swirl) vs. Peachy Paterno (peach ice cream, peach slices)
‘You Scream’ Region
Raspberry Fudge Torte (vanilla ice cream, fudge pieces, red raspberry swirl) vs. Butter Pecan (butter almond ice cream, pecans)
Happy Happy Joy Joy (coconut ice cream, butter-roasted almonds, chocolate chips) vs. WPSU Coffee Break (coffee ice cream, chocolate chips)
‘We All Scream’ Region
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (cookie dough ice cream, cookie dough chunks, chocolate chips) vs. Peanut Butter Swirl (vanilla ice cream, peanut butter swirl)
THON Gold Ribbon Ripple (chocolate ice cream, golden caramel swirl, white chips) vs. Monkey Business (banana ice cream, peanut butter swirl, chocolate chips)
‘For Ice Cream’ Region
Peanut Butter Cup (chocolate ice cream, peanut butter swirl) vs. Grilled Stickies (cinnamon bun flavored ice cream with sticky bun dough pieces and a cinnamon streusel swirl)
Cookies-n-Cream (vanilla ice cream, cookie pieces) vs. Death by Chocolate (chocolate ice cream, chocolate flakes, fudge pieces, chocolate swirl)
