How do Stewart’s ice cream flavors get their names?

Brownie Cookie Sundae renamed ‘Wolf Tracks,’ joining other frozen treats that have new monikers

By H. Rose Schneider, Times Union Staff Writer

ALBANY — Brownie Cookie Sundae by any other name would taste just as sweet.

In fact, the popular Stewart’s Shops ice cream flavor has been a bit of a chameleon concerning its appellation over the years.

The flavor has undergone its most recent rebrand to honor Albany’s box lacrosse team, the FireWolves. “Wolf Tracks” ice cream will be available at Stewart’s Shops in Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties while supplies last through mid-April, the duration of the National Lacrosse League team’s 2025 season, Stewart’s spokesman Robin Cooper said.

The lacrosse team posted about the flavor on Facebook Monday, encouraging fans to “#GetFiredUp.”

The ice cream, featuring brownie bites, soft cookie dough pieces and a fudge swirl, has previously been renamed. In 2023 it was called “Sundae Runday” in honor of the Utica Boilermaker, the city’s popular 15-kilometer road race. In 2021 it was deemed “Sweet Return to Normal,” a nod to 14 months of COVID-19 restrictions easing up.

It’s not the only flavor that’s gotten a new name. Cooper said Mint Cookie Crumble has repeatedly been renamed “Siena Mint Madness” in honor of the college’s NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball teams. Cookies ‘N Cream became “Cookies N’ Cannons” to mark the 70th anniversary of the Fort William Henry Museum last summer and Fireworks became “Quantum Freeze” for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s bicentennial last January. It’s not clear if any have seen a three-peat like Brownie Cookie Sundae, however.

“It’s a very popular flavor,” Cooper said.

There’s also a more practical explanation. Cooper said it helps to choose a flavor without many allergens (unlike, say, Peanut Butter Pandemonium), ensuring more people can enjoy it.