Goldie’s brings back beer ice cream for Cy-Hawk week

Goldie’s Ice Cream Shoppe is preparing for the Cy-Hawk tailgates this weekend the only way it knows how.

The Prairie City restaurant, 304 W. Second St., on Sept. 6 announced its flavor of the week is beer ice cream, which will be available now until Monday, Sept. 12. Providing the beer is the award-winning craft brewery Gezellig Brewing Co., which is located 403 W. Fourth St. N. Building 17 at Legacy Plaza in Newton.

Whereas in the past Gezellig has offered a Mexican corn lager and a stout to flavor Goldie’s signature soft serve, the brewers this year are refreshing customers’ palates by supplying a tropically bright, pineapple-flavored Kölsch, suitably named “Pineapple Kölsch,” which is available on tap.

Betsy Duffy, owner of Gezellig Brewing Co., said the beer was released this past summer and was also canned for distribution. The local brewery frequently partners with other entities and causes. Whether it is for a DMACC theater show or a Dog Days of Summer event, Gezellig wants to be community oriented.

“It is really important for us to be able to give back to causes that are near and dear to our heart,” Duffy said. “Kids and animals, particularly, really hit us.”

All proceeds from the beer ice cream sales will go towards the Carson King Foundation, a nonprofit that helps children and families and coordinates fundraisers for communities. The foundation was created after 2019 when King, a Prairie City native, raised $3 million for the children’s hospital in Iowa City.

Goldie’s and Gezellig have continued their partnership for the past few years, but this year is not the first time the proceeds helped a cause in King’s name.

To support King’s viral fundraising efforts kickstarted at the Cy-Hawk Series, Goldie’s announced back then it would release a beer ice cream made of Busch Light, a nod to his “Busch Light Supply Needs Replenished” sign that caught national attention. But then the Busch Light switched to a local brew.

Brad Magg, owner of Goldie’s Ice Cream Shoppe, said a lot of beer ice cream was sold that year, which amounted to $16,650 donated to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Though not everyone is a fan of beer ice cream — it is non-alcoholic — there are loyal fans who are sure to line up for a cone.

Since it is a soft serve ice cream, it can be made into a shake or used as a base for a sundae or anything in between. Magg encourages customers to enjoy their ice cold treat any way they like, or try it plain just because. Of course there are those who will opt in just to support the cause.

“It’s fun for people to be able to create their own combination of things, whether it’s a hot fudge sundae or doing a pineapple shake or a turtle sundae. There’s a lot of fun things you can do. And it’s just a fun thing to do to honor Carson for all that he did,” Magg said. “And it just keeps the story alive.”

Magg said any donations Goldie’s receives this week will also go towards the Carson King Foundation.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com