I'm not going to lie - this has the smell of beer as soon as you open the bottle. It's that vaguely beer smell of wort, hops, and brewing equipment that you get when you walk into a brewery; there's nothing particularly overt about it, but it doesn't smell like BBQ sauce would normally smell. I wonder if the bitterness from the IPA will cut into the traditionally sweet taste of BBQ sauce. From the looks, it is straight BBQ sauce; brown with a little red and somewhat viscous.
It's not so spicy that it burns the tongue as soon as you start to eat, but the heat is there, and it is not ashamed of it. Sweet and tart meet in the middle with what is undeniably citrus and tropical resin. It reminds me of the way that beer comes out in beer-based bratwurst or even beer-batter fish. The soul of the beer is gone, but echoes let you know that something great once trotted here.
As I eat the rest of the plate, the sweetness combining with the resin starts to become a bit much to the point that any smokiness or tanginess that is the hallmark of a good BBQ sauce is just beaten out of the flavor. The finish seems to overstay its welcome and even a half hour after eating the chicken, I can still taste the resin residue resolutely.
Bottom Line: I'll likely go back to my Nashville Hot chicken sauce.
2.0/5