Gindo’s Hip Hip Churray hot sauce, a collaboration with the Foreign Exchange Brewing Co., is probably the darkest hued Gindo’s sauce I’ve had. It makes sense—it’s made with beer and cocoa. Beer is usually a turn off for me so I was skeptical of this hot sauce, but the cocoa aspect was enticing. I was hoping it’d be conceptually like a mole sauce or something.

Apologies for the pictures—I realized I forgot to take pictures of it before I started using it, so…that’s why the bottle is almost done, haha. Let that also be an indication of my feelings on this hot sauce!

This Gindo’s hot sauce is more warming than intense. Spicy, sure, but it’s not like a bold hit of it, it’s like a smooth spice that warms your mouth and settles there. An enjoyable heat that does not overwhelm. The flavor does not either. The Hip Hip Churray has a thick body and a comforting savory flavor. Its unctuous body worked extremely well in a bowl of grits—it elevated it to a delightfully warming and rich meal.

So—I definitely recommend Gindo’s Hip Hip Churray hot sauce. It exceeded my expectations and the beer aspect of it didn’t come through for me at all in any discernible way. It’s a robust hot sauce that’s warming and tasty. Grits are my favorite pairing with it and recommend it for that alone. I used most of the bottle on grits!