It seems that something so colorful and deliciously delightful should also be fairly simple to describe, doesn't it? Well, there is nothing super simple about the Superman ice cream flavor. In fact, it's shrouded in mystery just like the Man of Steel.
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It is Michigan's favorite ice cream flavor and Michiganders are passionate about this unique ice cream flavor and its rich history. This odd flavor combination has mysterious origins and the flavors are hard to pinpoint. Mainly a Midwestern thing, it's starting to spread across our great nation and into Canada. I found some in my New Jersey supermarket and in a local funky ice cream parlor.
The original Michigan born Superman ice cream features swirls of blue, red, and yellow colors, just like Superman's costume. The red color usually has a strawberry flavor. The yellow is vanilla ice cream or has a mild lemon flavor, but the blue color is simply the enigma known as Blue Moon ice cream.
Depending on which brand of Superman ice cream you buy, the language and flavor of Superman ice cream can differ. The Stroh's Ice Cream brand calls their strawberry flavored red color "Red Pop" while Hudsonville's Superscoop and Meijer's grocery store brand Purple Cow's Scooperman use a black cherry flavor for the red. In Wisconsin, the Cedar Crest brand calls their version of Superman "Super Madness" with swirls of blue raspberry, cherry, and vanilla.
The History of Superman Ice Cream
When prohibition began in 1920, the Stroh's Brewing Company, like all liquor producers, had to get creative to stay within the law and stay in business. Stroh's Brewery owner, Julius Stroh, turned the Detroit factory into a hub of soda production, birch beer, malt products, and ice cream. Stroh's churned out Superman ice cream under the Alaska brand. When booze was legal again, ice cream production continued and Michigan put Superman ice cream on the map.
Decades of production continued until 2005, when the business was purchased by Dallas-based Dean Foods, which still distributes Stroh's Superman Ice Cream but renamed it Super Rainbow.
What's Blue Moon Flavor?
No one really knows exactly what goes into the flavor of Blue Moon ice cream. Obviously bright blue food coloring is used somewhere along the way. Fans of this flavor say they can taste everything ranging from marshmallows, almond extract, bubblegum, and citrus to cereals flavors like Fruit Loops, Fruity Pebbles, and Trix. Yum! The original recipe is still top secret but as the saying goes, imitation is the highest form of flattery, and Blue Moon gets a lot of flattering.
DC Comics Has Nothing To Do With This Superhero Treat
Another mysterious part to the story is that Superman ice cream was invented BEFORE the world even knew about the comic book's Man of Steel superhero. The ice cream was invented in the 1920's and Superman didn't appear in Action Comics until 1938. I smell a time travel conspiracy churning (pun intended).
DC Comics never even licensed the Superman name so it really is a bizarre mystery of the ice cream's name origin. In our lawsuit crazed society, that's why the name gets subtle changes like Super Rainbow and SuperScoop.
Road Trip to These Ice Cream Parlors
The Blue Moon Ice Cream Shop in Ovid, Michigan will happily serve you the mysterious Blue Moon ice cream alone or in the classic color blend.
If you find yourself in Ontario, Canada, visit Laura Secord Chocolates and ask for a scoop of Super Kid ice cream. The colors will look like Superman but with a very different flavor profile of blueberry, strawberry, and banana ice cream.
Stroh's Ice Cream Parlor in Bloomfield Hills Michigan and Wyandotte near the Detroit area are the best destinations to enjoy the original combination of Blue Moon, Red Pop, and lemon ice cream flavors.
House of Flavors Restaurant in Ludington serves Superman with Blue Moon, cherry, and lemon flavors.
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