Got egg nog?

The arrival of a refrigerated package caused quite the stir at the Central Penn Parent office. We tore open the package to find Turkey Hill’s Light Vanilla Egg Nog.

On the half-gallon jug, Turkey Hill claims that the egg nog "tastes like a vanilla milkshake" rather than their traditional rum-flavored version, and contains less fat and calories than the customary drink.

Many of us at Journal Multimedia couldn’t wait to try this new take on a holiday tradition.

Here’s what we found:

"The eggnog offered a rich, yet not-too-sweet taste. Adding a sprinkle of nutmeg or cinnamon would properly dress up this beverage for the holidays," said tester Amy Spangler. "Though not as thick as frothy as a traditional recipe, it does boast an appealing, lower calorie count."

"It looks and tastes like runny custard, so it’s nice and sweet, but I’m not quite sure what to make of it," said Erica Streisfeld. "I think it needs some nutmeg or spice to make it more nog-like. While I appreciate that it is ‘light,’ a half cup has 150 calories and 4.5 grams of fat. Yikes!"

"It tasted good—kind of like melted vanilla ice cream," said Thrifty Mom Larissa Newton. "It doesn’t actually have much of a traditional eggnog flavor, which to some could be a good thing. I am scared, though, that for it being light it still has so many calories."

"It was ok," said Jason Scott. "It tasted different than regular eggnog and reminded me more of a coffee creamer product. I might buy a small container for that purpose, but not to drink by the glass."

Others agreed it was the vanilla flavoring that was off-putting.

"The concept of a light eggnog appeals to me. That specific flavor did not," said Brian Hodge.

"I liked it; it tasted exactly like melted ice cream, which nobody can deny is delicious. I don’t know that I’d buy it though. If I want eggnog flavor, I’ll buy real eggnog," said Central Penn Parent Intern Natosha Kreamer.

Central Penn Parent’s Assistant Editor/Web, Kurt Bopp, stuck to his guns for the traditional holiday treat, "I prefer regular eggnog. I don’t like vanilla ice cream or vanilla milkshakes, and that’s exactly what this tasted like," he noted. "It’s not really even light either. I’ll take the extra calories and enjoy real eggnog."

Our staff agreed that if you’re out to buy some eggnog for the holidays with an authentic eggnog flavor, the light vanilla Turkey Hill version probably won’t please your crowd. But if you’re out for a sweet treat, it’s definitely worth trying.

Natosha Kreamer is an intern at Central Penn Parent and a senior at Lebanon Valley College studying English Communications with a minor in Art and Art History.