After the debacle that was the famous Dave’s spicy pickles I needed something to raise my spirits. I took a gamble and reached for another new jar of spicy pickles. A risky move, but I was desperate.

Claussen did not fail me.

They are in every way a superior pickle to the Dave’s. No sweet tasting garbage here, we get a classic Claussen crisp spear. The spice level is more than I suspected from a big company. It’s the building kind, you can still taste it up front and it sticks with you for minutes after. They do not have the jerks in the marketing department that Famous Dave’s did, they know that customers that buy spicy pickles want spicy damn pickles.

My only complaint is that the spicyness doesn’t seem to have absorbed into the spear very much, they kind of just taste like regular pickles soaking in spicy brine… which is what they all are… Maybe since they’re a new product they haven’t had time to mature yet. But the overall level of spice redeems the whole package and its kind of a good combination of fresh pickle and spice.

I don’t know if they’re better than my all time favorite Mt Olive Jalepeno Dill Spears, but since the only store in the area that sold those went out of business, these will be a good replacement.

4 out of 5 Schus.