I got the pleasure of staying with Devil Duck (aka Lynn Duck) and his wife while I was in New Mexico after the Fiery Foods Show this year. Lynn grows his own peppers to make his blend of homemade hot sauces, Nuclear Scurvy and Barnacle Remover every year. I was able to trade him some of Dave’s Zesty Blend to get my hands of these little gems for review. I’ll be doing this as a two part review and this time around I’ll be reviewing his Barnacle Remover.

Devil Duck: Barnacle Remover Ingredients: Serrano and Habanero Peppers, Distilled White Vinegar, Samuel Adams Boston Lager, Onion, Garlic, Spices, Olive Oil, Kosher Salt.

The first thing I’ve got to comment on is the color. I think it is safe to say I have never seen a sauce remotely near the almost neon orange color that this one has. Once Lynn goes national with this sauce, the color alone will make people buy it. Since he hasn’t gone professional yet, I’ll refrain from deducting points for the label (which is a ink jet printout taped to the bottle. Although, even my Zesty Blend doesn’t have a label yet so he should actually be receiving points for having one).

The liquid contained within the 5 ounce woozy is extremely viscous. But when I placed some on a plate I did notice microscopic chunks of the ingredients, giving the sauce an extra sparkle of color. After doing my usual finger taste test I will definitely state that this thing WILL take even the toughest barnacle off your boat. It has a quick blast of flavors and then a huge bite which then turns back around into the flavors.

The initial taste is a combination of sweet and pepper. The fruity flavor of the habanero mixes well with the slightly smoky taste of the Serrano and there is something also sweet that I just can’t put my finger on (could be the onion) hanging in the background. The huge bite that follows is a result of the heat of the peppers mixed in with the bitter flavor of Samuel Adams Boston Lager. I’ve never been a fan of Sam Adams but the flavor of that beer is actually a perfect compliment to the sauce. I wonder just how many types of beer Lynn had to “research” to find the perfect match?

After the bite dies back a bit, one is left with the lingering bitterness of the beer (which is not very noticeable) and a few new flavors. It has been my experience that garlic always has a staying power and this sauce is no exception. While the flavor isn’t overwhelming, it is noticeable. The last flavor that appears is the one that I feel needs to be tweaked slightly; salt. Salt should generally be used in small quantities to bring out the subtle flavors of the ingredients and not be noticed. In this sauce, however, it really jumps out and says, “Hi! I’m salt! How are you? Did you enjoy the sauce? I like fire trucks!” Well, ok, it’s doesn’t say the bit about fire trucks, but come on, who doesn’t like fire trucks? They are big, red, and always clean, but I digress.

Heat wise, this sauce kicks! A few seconds after tasting the flavors, the heat just jumps right in. It has a quick drop off when used in small quantities. Not being the type of person to use hot sauces in small quantities, I doused a whole breakfast burrito with 1/4 the bottle. Half way through it, the endorphin rush kicked in. This sauce leaves one with a runny nose and tears in the eyes. Since Serranos and Habaneros are listed first, I really expected this to be high on the heat scale and the sauce delivered everything I expected. Two thumbs up Lynn!

Taste: 8.1417624, Heat: 8

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