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Locally owned Walrus Ice Cream is considered a Fort Collins staple, having been around since 1987, but it shouldn’t be. I had high hopes for a renowned ice cream shop, and they did not live up to that.

Unfortunately, I have been let down by Walrus too many times, and I would much rather spend my $5 on a pint of Blue Bell or Häagen-Dazs than one scoop I don’t want to finish. 

I do appreciate and admire that Walrus is a local business. They make their ice cream in house, and The Foundry at Colorado State University serves a local product. I’m also not one to turn my nose at a good ghost story. But ultimately, all these great aspects don’t mean as much when I’ve had their products many times and haven’t liked it once.

What’s not to like? It’s ice cream, right? Not exactly. Ice cream is traditionally made with milk and cream to give it a smooth and creamy texture, plus some kind of sweetener and often stabilizers of some kind. Many types of ice cream also contain eggs, as a custard-based ice cream is one of the most popular types. Eggs aren’t required, though; higher milk fat content can create a creamy texture without any eggs, which typically results in Philadelphia-style ice cream.

“As someone who hails from America’s Dairyland, I’ve had my fair share of frozen desserts, and I’ve had amazing ice cream from local businesses.”

The biggest issue I have with Walrus is that the texture is not creamy. Every time I have Walrus Ice Cream, I wonder if it has been freezer burned. But after trying it so many times — I’d say at least 10 — it lends itself as an issue with the ice cream itself, not how it is stored. It is not a pleasant experience, and I have particular issues with textures of foods.

In terms of flavors, I’ve tried many, but only a handful stick out to me for various reasons: vanilla, for being the most flavorless ice cream I’ve ever had; a couple chocolate variations had a rich, complex flavor, but the texture ruined it; chai was OK, but the flavor was there for a moment and then disappeared; and Blue Moon was sad — it just didn’t taste right.

Blue Moon is a Wisconsin creation, and no one really knows what the flavor is exactly — but I do know that Walrus’ wasn’t it. Vanilla is a flavor I love in most foods and drinks, whether that be a cake or coffee creamer, and ice cream is no exception. Many people label it as simple and boring, but good vanilla is anything but. Vanilla is an incredibly finicky plant and deserves better recognition for the complexity and layers it adds.

That being said, Walrus vanilla ice cream had no flavor. I would consider myself a consumer of many vanilla ice creams, and my favorite thus far is Blue Bell, which you can get at most any grocery store. I’m still on the hunt for a good vanilla from a local business but haven’t yet found one. Considering vanilla is a base flavor for many ice cream variations with add-ins or other flavors, it shouldn’t be difficult to have a good vanilla ice cream. However, Walrus has apparently found that difficult. I had high hopes, and they were dashed very quickly.

As someone who hails from America’s Dairyland, I’ve had my fair share of frozen desserts, and I’ve had amazing ice cream from local businesses. I feel like my 11 years in Wisconsin give me some ground to stand on in the ice cream world.

Furthermore, I don’t want to come off as a hater or negative person – I like to think I’m anything but. Through my experiences with Walrus, I’ve learned that I simply have higher ice cream standards, at a detriment to some businesses as well as my wallet. 

I really wanted to like Walrus; I love finding a new favorite spot to visit, especially one with one of my favorite desserts, nestled in Old Town. However, I have been disappointed every time, and I say this all because I want it to be better.

I’ve heard Walrus used to be very good and has declined in recent years. If that is true, I have hopes for the quality and experience of Walrus to be better.

Reach Aubree Miller at letters@collegian.com or on Instagram @aubree.miller07.