Angry Goat Pepper Co – Hot Cock

Bitter: ⭐⭐⭐✰✰

Salty: ⭐✰✰✰✰

Sour: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Sweet: ⭐⭐✰✰✰

Umami: ⭐✰✰✰✰

Heat: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐✰✰✰✰✰

Quick Flavor Notes: Floral, Fruity, Astringent

Texture: Medium-Thin with some pepper bits

Recommended: Yes

Ingredients: Yellow 7 Pot Pepper Mash (7 Pot Peppers, Distilled Vinegar), Lime Juice, Yellow Scotch Bonnet Pepper Mash (Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Distilled Vinegar), Habanero Peppers, Peaches, Agave Nectar, Water, Yellow Bell Peppers, Lemon Drop Peppers, Apple Cider Vinegar, Yellow Bhut Pepper (Ghost), Sea Salt

Based out of Bradford, VT, and under 30 miles away from one of my favorite hot sauce companies, Butterfly Bakery of Vermont, Angry Goat Pepper Company started as a way for founder Jason Parker to escape the corporate world. Originally starting out selling vegetables, eggs, and goat meat he pivoted to hot sauces after trying some pepper jellies at a local street fair and remembering how much he loved hot sauces back in college. The company is now under a greater umbrella known as Parker Family Foods which includes Angry Goat Pepper Co’s hot sauce sister company Vermont Epicurean as well as Parker Gourmet mustards. I’ve previously reviews an Angry Goat Pepper Co sauce, their Pumpkin & Habanero Hot Sauce, and remembered enjoying it so I was excited to try more.

The front of the bottle proudly proclaims that this is the Yellow 7-Pot Pepper Edition, and looking things up it appears that Hot Cock used to be made with scorpion peppers instead of the 7-pot peppers, but this new version seems to have completely replaced the older one. The sauce is is based on a blend of a number of yellow chiles including the aforementioned yellow 7-pot peppers, yellow scotch bonnets, yellow habaneros, lemon drop peppers, and yellow ghost peppers. A lineup consisting of two super-hots and plenty of other quite spicy peppers is balanced out by peaches (also fits the yellow theme), agave nectar, and yellow bell peppers. Of special interest is the lemon drop pepper, also known as aji limon, it’s a Peruvian pepper of similar heat to the serrano but known for having an especially citrusy flavor. Hot Cock is medium-thin in consistency with some small bits of peppers and other ingredients in the sauce. The super-hot chiles assert themselves in the aroma but there’s also an undertone of sweetness with the peach scent coming through.

Hot Cock explodes in your mouth with super-hot chile flavor. This sauce has an immediate full mouth type of heat that hits the back of your throat at the same time as your tongue and lips. Despite that quick and full-range heat however the heat level of this sauce isn’t overpowering. Hot, but the majority of the heat fades quickly and lets the other flavors of the sauce bloom. Yellow 7-pot peppers are known to be especially fruity as are scotch bonnets and the lemon drops, with habaneros being no slouches in that fruity department either. The astringency and aggressive floral notes of the super hots fade to that fruitiness which is amplified by the juicy sweetness and tartness of the peaches. The sweetness of the peaches and agave nectar is thankfully very subdued and there’s more than enough heat to balance it all out so this sauce doesn’t taste sweet overall. The yellow ghosts do add a tiny bit of smoky and earthy flavors in the background as well which adds some foundation to the fruity flavors from the other peppers. While the initial heat level hits hard and then dissipates quickly there is a medium level lingering heat. Acidity is well balanced in this sauce – it’s vibrant and a little tangy but the vinegar doesn’t ever overpower the pepper flavors.

Since the dominant flavors of Angry Goat Pepper Co. Hot Cock are chile peppers this sauce is very flexible. I had to try it out on some chicken since that’s what’s on the label, and it’s amazing on both fried chicken and wings. With the peaches it also works very well on pork and I also found it a great pairing on tacos. The bottle suggests fish and ice cream as pairings as well, and though I haven’t cooked fish while I’ve had this bottle open, I did try it on ice cream and it mostly works, though I find I prefer sweeter sauces when it comes to dessert pairings – the intense super hot chile flavor wasn’t my favorite flavor combination in conjunction with ice cream. My last meal with it was in a bowl of white bean soup that I prepared and I found that to be a great pairing as well, the bright, fruity, and super-hot chile flavors of the sauce really waking up the soup and blending well with the creamy beans.

Angry Goat Pepper Co. Hot Cock gets my high recommendation. Not only is this sauce a great blend of heat and flavor it’s also very creative in its use of the yellow versions of a lot of peppers that aren’t commonly seen together. It has enough heat to be interesting without ever being overpowering and is very flexible. This sauce is also all natural with no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or thickeners.