Bitter: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Salty: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Sour/Tangy: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰
Sweet: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Umami: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰
Heat: ⭐⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰
Quick Flavor Notes: Tangy, fruity, rich, smoke
Recommended: Yes
Texture: Medium with a small bit of texture
Ingredients: Red jalapeno, organic white vinegar, maple wood smoked onion, roasted butternut squash, salt.
Guster is an alternative rock band that formed back in 1991 in Somerville, MA where the members met at Tufts University. The band has been active in numerous activism campaigns most notably working with environmental causes including founding an organization to help musical tours more environmentally friendly. They’ve released nine albums including their most recent, Ooh La La, the namesake of this hot sauce. This isn’t the first time Butterfly Bakery of Vermont has teamed up with the band. The first product I tried from their collaboration was their Gustard – A Guster Mustard which is absolutely delicious and highly recommended. Having become a fan of the band and obviously a fan of Butterfly Bakery of Vermont hot sauces I was excited to give this one a try.
Butterfly Bakery of Vermont mentioned that their recent Hot Ones entry Smoked Serrano Squash Reaper X was partially inspired by this sauce. In fact we see the butternut squash used in this sauce, but Ooh La La is obviously quite a bit milder when it comes to the other ingredients. With a base of red jalapenos this sauce also features their organic white vinegar and maple wood smoked onions. I’ve always loved their red jalapeno sauces with the Rum Barrel Fermented Smoked Jalapeno Hot Sauce still possibly my favorite hot sauce of all time. The Maple Wood Smoked Onions have also been showing up in more and more sauces, no wonder as they’re the basis of what is the company’s best-selling sauce. With only five ingredients every one has to be high quality, something Butterfly Bakery of Vermont has always excelled at. This sauce sits closer to a smooth puree than chunky in texture but there are some small bits of pepper or vegetables noticeable in the sauce. The aroma is tangy and vinegar-forward but also sweet with hints of those red jalapenos and roasted squash.
Ooh La La presents super tangy up front along with the sweet fruity flavor of the red jalapenos. The organic distilled vinegar gives that sauce a strong vinegar flavor but without the harshness that can be typical of cheap distilled vinegar (like that gallon jug of Heinz you can buy for a few dollars and is more suitable for a cleaning tool than for use in sauces). The smoky flavor from the maple wood smoked onions is subtle in this sauce. The smoked onions give a bit of extra sweetness and a touch of bitterness and combine with the roasted squash to add some umami to the sauce. That butternut squash also adds some sweet background notes but also gives Ooh La La’s texture more body and contributes to a richer mouthfeel. Even with the smoked onions and butternut squash this sauces doesn’t read as sweet however, there’s just enough there to balance out the tang of the vinegar. Overall it’s jalapeno-forward with the flavor of those locally-grown ripe red jalapenos being the dominant flavor along with the vinegar and the smoked onions and butternut squash playing backup filling out the flavor profile and adding nuance and texture. For a jalapeno based sauce this one also has a bit more heat than you’d expect. It’s still absolutely on the milder side, but hotter than your basic Louisiana style cayenne sauces.
On the bottle recommends pairing this sauce with grilled vegetables, grilled pineapple, and live music. While I didn’t grill vegetables or pineapple during my time with this sauce I did find it to be a great pairing with some corn and chicken chowder while watching Guster’s live NPR Tiny Desk performance. The tanginess and subtle sweetness was perfect for the creamy chowder and Guster’s performance of Empire State with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC was amazing. I also found this sauce to go extremely well with a BLT. Again that tanginess cuts through the rich mayo and fatty bacon beautifully and the silky texture combined with the squash and onion made a perfect pair with the tomato. This is also a great breakfast hot sauce. The heat level is perfect for the morning and it’s equally at home with a breakfast burrito as it is with a plate of scrapple and eggs.
Both the band Guster and Guster’s Ooh La La get my high recommendation. If you like tangy sauces with great jalapeno flavor and a subtly smoky butternut background you should check this out. If you like acoustically driven and often witty and poignant music then give Guster a go as well. This sauce is all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.
by MagnusAlbusPater
1 Comment
Bitter: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Salty: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Sour/Tangy: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✰
Sweet: ⭐⭐✰✰✰
Umami: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰
Heat: ⭐⭐✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰
Quick Flavor Notes: Tangy, fruity, rich, smoke
Recommended: Yes
Texture: Medium with a small bit of texture
Ingredients: Red jalapeno, organic white vinegar, maple wood smoked onion, roasted butternut squash, salt.
Guster is an alternative rock band that formed back in 1991 in Somerville, MA where the members met at Tufts University. The band has been active in numerous activism campaigns most notably working with environmental causes including founding an organization to help musical tours more environmentally friendly. They’ve released nine albums including their most recent, Ooh La La, the namesake of this hot sauce. This isn’t the first time Butterfly Bakery of Vermont has teamed up with the band. The first product I tried from their collaboration was their Gustard – A Guster Mustard which is absolutely delicious and highly recommended. Having become a fan of the band and obviously a fan of Butterfly Bakery of Vermont hot sauces I was excited to give this one a try.
Butterfly Bakery of Vermont mentioned that their recent Hot Ones entry Smoked Serrano Squash Reaper X was partially inspired by this sauce. In fact we see the butternut squash used in this sauce, but Ooh La La is obviously quite a bit milder when it comes to the other ingredients. With a base of red jalapenos this sauce also features their organic white vinegar and maple wood smoked onions. I’ve always loved their red jalapeno sauces with the Rum Barrel Fermented Smoked Jalapeno Hot Sauce still possibly my favorite hot sauce of all time. The Maple Wood Smoked Onions have also been showing up in more and more sauces, no wonder as they’re the basis of what is the company’s best-selling sauce. With only five ingredients every one has to be high quality, something Butterfly Bakery of Vermont has always excelled at. This sauce sits closer to a smooth puree than chunky in texture but there are some small bits of pepper or vegetables noticeable in the sauce. The aroma is tangy and vinegar-forward but also sweet with hints of those red jalapenos and roasted squash.
Ooh La La presents super tangy up front along with the sweet fruity flavor of the red jalapenos. The organic distilled vinegar gives that sauce a strong vinegar flavor but without the harshness that can be typical of cheap distilled vinegar (like that gallon jug of Heinz you can buy for a few dollars and is more suitable for a cleaning tool than for use in sauces). The smoky flavor from the maple wood smoked onions is subtle in this sauce. The smoked onions give a bit of extra sweetness and a touch of bitterness and combine with the roasted squash to add some umami to the sauce. That butternut squash also adds some sweet background notes but also gives Ooh La La’s texture more body and contributes to a richer mouthfeel. Even with the smoked onions and butternut squash this sauces doesn’t read as sweet however, there’s just enough there to balance out the tang of the vinegar. Overall it’s jalapeno-forward with the flavor of those locally-grown ripe red jalapenos being the dominant flavor along with the vinegar and the smoked onions and butternut squash playing backup filling out the flavor profile and adding nuance and texture. For a jalapeno based sauce this one also has a bit more heat than you’d expect. It’s still absolutely on the milder side, but hotter than your basic Louisiana style cayenne sauces.
On the bottle recommends pairing this sauce with grilled vegetables, grilled pineapple, and live music. While I didn’t grill vegetables or pineapple during my time with this sauce I did find it to be a great pairing with some corn and chicken chowder while watching Guster’s live NPR Tiny Desk performance. The tanginess and subtle sweetness was perfect for the creamy chowder and Guster’s performance of Empire State with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC was amazing. I also found this sauce to go extremely well with a BLT. Again that tanginess cuts through the rich mayo and fatty bacon beautifully and the silky texture combined with the squash and onion made a perfect pair with the tomato. This is also a great breakfast hot sauce. The heat level is perfect for the morning and it’s equally at home with a breakfast burrito as it is with a plate of scrapple and eggs.
Both the band Guster and Guster’s Ooh La La get my high recommendation. If you like tangy sauces with great jalapeno flavor and a subtly smoky butternut background you should check this out. If you like acoustically driven and often witty and poignant music then give Guster a go as well. This sauce is all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.