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Certain things just seem to make our lives more interesting. I'm talking about things like surprise birthday parties, winning lottery tickets and good hot sauce. Hopefully scientists will one day discover the means to reliably mass-produce a combination of all three. So long as such an ambition remains safely within the realm of fantasy the hard truth is that the only option we can genuinely count on any given day of the year is having a full bottle of good hot sauce ready in the kitchen. For the past several months I have been trying a relatively new brand of hot sauce known as Pete's Hydrohot. This wouldn't merit a full blown article on bilberrybrian.com if it weren't for the Scotch Bonnet and Hobanero peppers used in Pete's Hydrohot being grown hydroponically. Beyond this exciting fact it's also worth noting that Pete's Hydrohot turned out to taste great and raise my expectations of what a hot sauce should taste like.
Unfortunately finding that “good” bottle of hot sauce is easier said than done. Any reasonably sized grocery store will have no less than several dozen brands of hot sauce. This all important decision is further complicated once you factor in that many of these brands have a flavor akin to taking a tall shot of vinegar before chasing it down with a bite into a cayenne pepper. What really matters here is not which bottle looks cool or has the flashiest sticker. We want to find the bottle of hot sauce that is most capable of making good food taste great. That being said, let's take a closer look at what Pete's Hydrohot has to offer the hot sauce connoisseur.
Since everyone has their own sensitivity to the “heat” of a hot sauce and a unique palate through which they experience the flavors of the world it's important to keep in mind that my opinion is just that. What is unbearably hot to one person could be virtually unnoticeable to the next. With that said it's fortunate that Pete's Hydrohot has made available several hot sauces each varying in flavor and intensity. All together you have Hydrohot original, Mild, Northern Guy, 200% extra-strength, Hydrohot Sweet and 200% extra-strength with Agave Tequila. Additionally, I have been told there is an even stronger 300% extra-extra-strength and a Little Pancho's Green Hot Sauce in the works that could be available in the near future. So whatever your preference, there is a good chance Pete's Hydrohot has something to offer your tastes and comfort range.
Original, Agave, Sweet, Mild and 200% Extra-Strength.
Mild & Northern guy:
Essentially an identical hot sauce, mild and northern guy possess a rich and tangy pepper flavor with a reasonably mild heat. These two bottles comprise the “mild” end of the hot sauce intensity spectrum in Pete's Hydrohot line. Speaking in terms of the intensity I would find the heat comparable to a product like Frank's Red Hot. However, unlike Franks and many of the other Louisiana styled hot sauces that I tried during a side-by-side comparison, Pete's Hydrohot doesn't leave you with a dry, salty and vinegary aftertaste. This is really what separates Pete's Hydrohot from it's competition. My overall experience with these two mild sauces had been that they delivered a superior and richly tangy flavor you would expect from a quality Louisiana-style hot sauce while providing a modest heat. This effectively compromises between being “too hot” and “just hot enough” in the eyes of the average party-goer. This makes Mild and Northern Guy a great choice for entertaining friends with something like buffalo wings. If you plan to add butter with the Mild or Northern Guy during cooking remember that it only takes a small amount of butter to negate the hot taste in the Mild sauce. This is due to the casein in the milk solubilizing the capsaicinoids (substance responsible for the 'burning' sensation in hot peppers) which, for better or worse, effectively eliminates the hot taste from the sauce. That said, I went through two bottles of mild hydrohot within just a few weeks and I recommend it to friends who are apprehensive about a new bottle of hot sauce being too hot for their liking.
Original: When you are ready for something a little more powerful than mild and northern guy Pete's Hydrohot Original is the next step. My new staple when it comes to nachos and tacos, Original is definitely a healthy increase over Mild in terms of intensity. One friend who I had try Original described it as “It's kind of like Tobasco, but it actually tastes good.” Outside the increased heat there are two minor differences that can easily be overlooked. First is that Original is slightly darker in color than Mild and second being a hint of something extra that I can only describe as “smoky” in the Original that was missing from Mild. My understanding is that hot sauce is typically aged in wooden casks and this could be the source of that smoky taste. To keep things in perspective, the smoked flavor is barely noticeable and adds a bit of unique character that one could just as easily not notice if they weren't looking for it. While original may be too hot for some, it's always possible to add a bit of butter to cut down the heat. Sweet: This is by far the best tasting hot sauce I have ever tried. It's not technically a Louisiana style hot sauce since it's made with ingredients like Lemon Juice, Peaches, Caraway Seeds and Cranberry Sauce to name a few. This makes it a West Indies hot sauce I believe, but I could be wrong. Overall the flavor takes on an entirely different quality that's richer and more dynamic due to it's unique ingredients. In terms of the heat I would say it's about the same as Original, perhaps marginally hotter. The only fault I can find here is that Sweet isn't available in a gallon sized container. My five ounce bottles just don't seem to last very long. For myself, Sweet really shines on things like corn chips and breaded chicken. If you get a bottle of Sweet just remember to keep a cold beverage at arms reach, you may need it since you probably won't be able to stop yourself from putting this Hydrohot Sweet on your food! 200% Extra-Strength and Agave: This is the point where you begin to separate the people who are crazy from the remainder of the general population. Some may disagree but I would still argue that 200% Extra-Strength is really hot stuff! Extra-Strength follows in the same vein as Original and a little Extra-Strength can go a very long ways. It's too hot for me to put on something like corn chips but it works great for adding a healthy kick to heavy dish like spaghetti, chili or pizza. It also mixes well with barbecue sauce. Just be careful you don't add too much! There is also a 200% with added agave tequila available that can add an extra dimension of flavor to your cooking as well.
In conclusion Pete has a solid line of hot sauce that tastes great. This is especially true for the Sweet variety which is probably the best tasting hot sauce I have ever tried. Pete also receives a big thumbs up for doing all this with a hydroponically driven growing system and making a family run business out of his interests. If you have any interest in hot sauce I highly recommend you give Pete's Hydrohot a try. My only recommendation for improving Pete's Hydrohot doesn't have anything to do with the sauce itself but the packaging. I love the down to Earth packaging that comes with the bottles but some look so similar it wouldn't be difficult to grab the wrong bottle by mistake. Let's say you grabbed a bottle of 200% Extra-Strength and dumped it on some buffalo wings thinking its Mild, you would be in for quiet the surprise! Pete is growing his Peppers in the beautiful state of Florida at a place known as Hydro-Mountain. If you would like to learn more about Hydro-Mountain, view photographs of Pete's growing operation or order some hot sauce you can visit his website at: http://www.peteshydrohot.com  Young Pepper Plants at Hydro-Mountain. Pros – Delicious flavors, several verities, down to Earth family run company. Cons – Packaging between some bottles looks similar. Other – Hopefully a one or five gallon container of Sweet could be made available. Final Score – 5/5 Bilberries
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