HP Hood has been putting out some seasonal eggnog flavors, all of which I
enjoyed, one way or another. Here are further details on how my taste buds
reacted:
Vanilla: Reminded me of melted vanilla ice cream, but I furthermore
could not detect a distinct eggnog taste. Pumpkin: Nice pumpkin taste, reminding me of the pancakes I had made
in the recent past by combining Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle
Mix with Hood Light EggNog. Sugar Cookie: Mild, sweet eggnog taste. Cinnamon: Very similar to regular-flavored eggnog. Gingerbread: Nice gingerbread taste, although I likely could not
easily detect a distinct eggnog taste.
Hood's Golden EggNog is its regular version. I personally prefer the Light
EggNog, which has too little, if any, taste difference (at least that's
my own reaction), compared to the full-fat version.
I enjoy eggnog enough to wish for its year-round availability (it's the
light version I really want), but I have had to settle mainly for the
Christmas season. In 2009, I spotted it in a Market Basket store shortly
after mid-October, picked up a quart of the Light EggNog, and quickly made
up an eggnog pie—now that's a treat with a trick (due to this
eggnog treat already being enjoyed before Halloween)! I also like
Hood's ultra-pasteurization of its eggnog line because of my wishes to take
advantage of the longer shelf life. Unfortunately, I have seen this only for
Hood's quart-sized packages (its more economical half-gallons are only
"regular"-pasteurized, according to my 2009 observations).