According to 67 Burger's executive chef Jeff Maslanka, the idea of combining beer and ice cream predates anyone who orders the beer milkshake off of his menu by about 240 years. It was Ben Franklin, he said, who came up with it - somewhere between inventing the public library and discovering electricity.
It's fitting, then, that 67 Burger makes its surprisingly subtle milkshake with Sam Adams, indirectly paying homage to the founding fathers without whom the icy, odd delicacy could never be enjoyed in Fort Greene today.
...Mr. Maslanka originally thought to make the shake with a rich, chocolaty stout, but a few underwhelming experiments left him with a concoction that started out deliciously, but - after two or three sips - turned bitter. Mr. Maslanka realized that the hops in the stout played beautifully against the vanilla: the mixture just needed to lighten up. After more tinkering, and by the time 67 Burger opened its doors to customers, the vanilla-Sam Adams beer shake was ready for its debut.
...Ultimately, 67's beer shake is more likely to please ice cream lovers more than beer lovers with its malty, nutty twist on the regular sweet vanilla. Mr. Maslanka's marriage of hops and vanilla is a smart one, as is the pleasant dash of carbonation that the brew provides, making it slightly reminiscent of a classic egg cream or root beer float...