What does San Francisco taste like?

Ben & Jerry's is creating a unique San Francisco themed flavor. Courtesy of Ben & Jerry's — Ben & Jerry's is creating a unique San Francisco-themed flavor. Courtesy of Ben & Jerry's

If Ben & Jerry's has anything to say about it, you can find out this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at Ocean Beach. The Vermont-based ice cream company will unveil its San Francisco-themed flavor and hand out free scoops for just this weekend. There's just one catch: You have to volunteer to help clean up the beach first.

UPDATE: The Ben & Jerry's truck will also be parked outside TCHO Chocolate at Pier 17 on Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. and will be handing out scoops as part of a "block party."

The City Churned tour, in which Ben & Jerry's creates city-inspired flavors in San Francisco, New York, Portland, Seattle and D.C., started with a monthlong creative voting campaign to narrow down the ingredients.

Checking into one of the city's startups on Foursquare counted as a vote for local partner TCHO's chocolate, while checking into a food truck was a vote for peppermint. The coffee vs. cinnamon debate was settled by the number of fixed-gear vs. freewheel bikes riding through the Mission. And tear-off flyers posted around the city asked people which was better: pretzels or marshmallows?

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-LHAR7wzF5Q

After all the voting, the winning ingredients are:

ice cream (instead of Greek yogurt)
vanilla
coffee
cookie dough
caramel
Kika's treats
TCHO chocolate
marshmallows

Yum?

Those ingredients will be mixed into a special flavor, handed out as part of a community service event July 13 at Ocean Beach and on July 12 at TCHO Chocolate. The volunteer cleanup is being co-sponsored by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Meet at 9 a.m. at Ocean Beach, Stairwell 21, located just south of the Beach Chalet Restaurant near Lincoln Way and the Great Highway. You can find directions, more information and register for the cleanup at the Conservancy's website. Or, RSVP for the Friday afternoon block party.

The new flavor still needs a name, too. Make your suggestions on Ben & Jerry's Facebook page or on the company's website for the event. Ideas so far include Fog City Cream, Golden Great, and a few impassioned pleas not to call it Frisco.

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Taste Ben & Jerry's San Francisco Flavor For One Weekend Only