I'm always on the lookout for a kick of flavor, whether it be something unusual, or a little added heat. My favorite dill pickle remains Vlasic Zesty Dills (which I just realized I've never reviewed!), so when I saw that they've applied the Zesty formula, to their bread'n'butter pickles, it was like a moth to a flame. In looking for the Zesty Dill review, I noted that I have a fair number of sweet-and-hot varieties in there, so apparently, I've developed a taste for them.
In spite of the rather bland labeling (the Zesty Dills make it abundantly clear they're "zesty"), you immediately notice there's something different about them because the brine is a darker, yellowish color. If I had a guess, it would be due to the red pepper bits in there, or perhaps the abundance of mustard seed. With all pickles, I popped them in the refrigerator to chill them down--warm pickles just don't cut it in my book.
First bite exhibited all of the hallmark Vlasic crunch. You really have to give Vlasic credit for doing that so well. Initial flavor doesn't give you much hint that this is a "zesty", but by the time you're done munching with that first chunk, you notice there is indeed some heat in there. Great balance of sweet and vinegar, although its possible some might think they're a tad on the sweet side. After a few chunks, enjoying the sweet heat, the heat starts to accumulate. It's not "heat-sweats" type of heat like McClure's or Harrold's, just a nice simmer. I found it took about 10+ minutes for the heat to dissipate from my palate, which tells me the heat is probably from some spice or pepper source that is high in oil, as oil heat usually lingers. There weren't any visible "heat sources" in the jar, like jalapeno pepper or those little Thai "meal-enders", like I've found in the Private Selection hot/sweet varieties.
Overall, I like these for a good sweet-hot snacking pickle. The heat will build up gradually enough to put the brakes on finishing a jar, but won't singe your tongue either. Unlike Famous Dave's these aren't as vinegary, so you won't get the "pucker-up" effect either. For topping a meatloaf sandwich, they'd be pretty nice, but I think the nod would have to go to Dave's for that use, as the extra vinegar flavor would work really well. However, since Vlasic is a national brand, you shouldn't have any problems finding them in your neighborhood grocery store. You really can't go wrong with any Vlasic pickle, though...good crunch, balanced flavor and great availability.
