Cape Cod Potato Chips’ new limited-edition flavoris packaged to look like the ideal summer snack. There’s a splash of nectarine orange across the bottom of the bag, and below the company’s classic lighthouse logo, the name “Cape Cod Summer” perches in a cheerful font punctuated by a sunburst. If you flip the bag over, you’ll find that these chips represent a first for the Hyannis-based company: a collaboration with a brewery. This summer, Samuel Adams and Cape Cod Potato Chips teamed up to create a sidekick for the Boston brewer’s New England IPA.

These Limited-Edition Chips Were Made with Beer in Mind. Here’s How They Taste.

According to the Cape Cod website, the new chips were inspired by Sam Adams’ “hazy, juicy” New England IPA. “The simple elegance of the cracked pepper and lemon flavor,” the company says, “complements the citrus fruit notes of New England IPA, resulting in a delicious chip-and-beer pairing that captures the taste of summer.” Without a beer, though, how do they taste? We here at Yankee decided to find out.

First of all, what’s a New England IPA?

Samuel Adams, New England’s biggest independent craft brewer, released its New England IPA in early 2018. Touted as having “a big punch of orange and pineapple with a smooth finish,” this beer epitomizes the so-called New England–style IPAs: softer, fruitier beers that have gained popularity  as consumers have trended away from West Coast–style IPAs, which typically have extra bold, bitter, and piney flavors.

And now: Crunch time

According to the company website, the Cape Cod Summer chips are sold at Target, ShopRite, Giant Eagle, Hannaford, and Harris Teeter, and “other select retailers.” Turns out, I found them just by wandering into the tiny general store down the street from Yankee’s headquarters. After ponying up $3.79 for the 6.5-ounce bag, I headed back to the office and popped it open. Immediately, I got a strong whiff of black pepper. I peered down into the bag to look at the chips, which were yellow and dotted with specks of pepper. Pretty, I thought. 

I crunched into the first chip — which, true to its kettle-cooked heritage, was extra-crispy — and was hit by a burst of lemon. Also: salt, pepper, oil, and potato. Suddenly, I wasn’t so keen to share. Nonetheless, I poured the Cape Cod Summer chips into a bowl for the office taste test. I started with my neighbor, the assistant digital editor for The Old Farmer’s Almanac.“Hmm… refreshing!” he said. I agreed. “If a chip could be called refreshing, this would be it. Like a lemonade.” “Yes, like a shandy!” he said.During the Yankee editorial meeting, hands repeatedly reached into the chip bowl. Most of the room, myself included, was completely on board with the new flavor. (Later, our digital editor later told me she stopped to buy a bag on the way home.) As I munched away on the remainder of my bag, the saltiness began to set in. With summer just beginning and with my workday coming to a close, I found myself dreaming of that chip-and-beer pairing described on the Cape Cod website. And having tried the New England IPA in the past, I started to think that these chips would, in fact, be in perfect company. Have you tried the limited-edition Cape Cod Summer chips? Share your review in the comments below! (And if your summer plans include a visit to Cape Cod, be sure to take a free tour of the Cape Cod Potato Chips factory in Hyannis, which is one of Yankee’s “63 Reasons Why We Love the Cape and Islands.”)

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