Scoville units measure the spiciness or heat of chilie peppers. Developed by scientist Wilbur Scoville in 1912, the unit quantifies the amount of capsaicin, the chemical responsible for the chilie's heat. It乌鸦传媒 what fuels the fire at Beyond Hot, the shop that celebrates all things spicy in Penticton.
Owned and operated by Dylan Lowry and Barb Bisang, the shop 鈥 the largest in Western Canada 鈥 opened last October to much fanfare. It乌鸦传媒 the second location for the couple, who also own an outlet in Lethbridge, Alberta.
Beyond Hot is home to over 1300 tongue-tingling hot sauces, all small-batch, sourced from Canada 鈥 with over 15 made in BC, the US and as far away as South Africa. It also encompasses bbq sauces and dry rubs, along with wood pellets, charcoal and wood 鈥 from peach, apple, oak and hickory. In short, everything for the barbecue aficionado, the chilie head, or the chilie curious. Many of the sauces bear clever names such as 'slap ya mama', 'Lucifer乌鸦传媒 last blast' and 鈥榖ear spray鈥, and sport dazzling label designs to entice the customer.
Lowry, a larger-than-life character and self-proclaimed chilie head, is behind the counter seven days a week. He乌鸦传媒 an engaging storyteller, ex-military and ex-hockey player, and can regale you about the intricacies of every sauce on the shelves, including who made it, how to use it, and the Scoville scale behind it. And that includes the couple's own line of 65 different Beyond Hot sauces. While their Garlic Ghost Ranch and Habanero Ranch sauces are going concerns, it乌鸦传媒 their Nashville North, a proprietary blend of cayenne and Dragon乌鸦传媒 Breath chilies, Ontario maple syrup and ghee, that has taken four golds and three silvers in various hot sauce competitions. 鈥淚t乌鸦传媒 great on grilled chicken,鈥 Lowry says, 鈥渆verything from wings to breasts, or on pizza. It乌鸦传媒 hot and sweet, a good all-round sauce. There乌鸦传媒 not much I wouldn鈥檛 put it on,鈥 he admits, adding, 鈥渢he only limitation is what you think. Cooking should be exciting and fun!鈥 I concur.
There乌鸦传媒 a lot to take in when entering Beyond Hot, including Lowry乌鸦传媒 personal mementos and hot sauce collectibles. For example: a bottle of the notorious Blair乌鸦传媒 Ultimate Death Sauce is kept under glass.
While the hot sauce world has an undertow of the sinister and the extreme, the theme here is 鈥渕ore gourmet, less gimmicky鈥. Think more artisanal, 鈥渓ike craft beer.鈥 All the sauces are divided into sections: Cajun, Hot Honey & Maple Syrup, Maritime Madness, etc., and with a nod to Penticton, there乌鸦传媒 even a Peach section.
鈥淗ot sauce is my passion,鈥 says Lowry, who started making his Beyond Hot line of sauces, commercially, five years ago. Personal tragedies 鈥 the sudden death of his father, followed by the death of his daughter from a fentanyl overdose 鈥 drove him to 鈥減ut all his energy in this business.鈥 He also gives back to the community by holding a free barbecue every month, and helping in chilie pepper events, including the upcoming Similkameen Sizzle 鈥 Canada乌鸦传媒 only hot pepper festival 鈥 in Keremeos on September 20th. Lowry will be there to judge the People乌鸦传媒 Choice awards and to organize a kid乌鸦传媒 challenge 鈥 which won鈥檛 involve hot peppers!
For the undecided, Beyond Hot offers a tasting bar of 120 sauces 鈥 from hot to mild 鈥 where Lowry or Bisang can steer you wise, depending on a person乌鸦传媒 cooking needs. For me, I like heat but I also like to taste the fruit of the pepper without negating my taste buds. Lowry had me taste the Pepper Ninja, a peach-habanero sauce. Beneath the habanero乌鸦传媒 heat, the fruit is very apricot-y in flavour, and that, along with the peach notes, really shone in the sauce followed by a warm even heat. It乌鸦传媒 hard not to get swept up in the excitement of the sauces. Could it be the endorphins and dopamine euphoria one gets from consuming hot foods? All I know is I came away with Beyond Hot乌鸦传媒 signature Nashville North for everything grilled; a Poblano Morita sauce from Savir Foods out of Austin, Texas, that has a lovely HP Sauce quality to it making it perfect on eggs; and a Dill Pickle Serrano sauce from Ontario乌鸦传媒 Heartbeat Hot Sauce Co., that is killer in potato salad and burgers. Oh, and duck fat in a spray can 鈥 because why not?
Beyond Hot also offers a loyalty program for customers to keep track of their purchases, and gift cards for the undecided. And you can well imagine how busy this place is at Christmas. I can鈥檛 think of a better gift. I look forward to exploring the dry rub section soon, a whole other world of spice intricacy, as well as the mayo and small-batch ketchups on offer. Lowry and Bisang are here to help. 鈥淲e鈥檙e here to laugh everyday,鈥 says Lowry, 鈥渁nd learn something new everyday.鈥 I concur.
Beyond Hot, 288 Westminster Ave., 250-460-6551, .
With fork and pen in hand, and a passion for culinary adventure, Shelora Sheldan, writer, cook and curious traveller, goes in search of the delectable.