• by P.J. Bednarski  @pjbtweet, November 16, 2020

Bud LIght Chelada, a beer made with Clamato Tomato Cocktail juice, came out in 2008, mostly in California and Texas. By 2012, it was available -- but hardly common —throughout the United States.

It’s Anheuser Busch’s take on an old Mexican style of mixing beer with clam juice. Chelada is short for the Spanish word Michelada, which is derived from the phrase “mi chela helada” or  “a cold beer.”

A Bud Light Chelada beer, say people who have sipped one, is like a bloody Mary.

But not a very hot bloody Mary. Until now. Bud Light, Tapatio hot sauce  and Clamato are joining up for the Bud Light Chelada Fuego.

This is not only a blend of all those products, but a mix of three logos on one can, making the packaging reminiscent of a well-sponsored stock car.

Tapatio was started in California about 50 years ago, but the word Tapatio is a colloquialism for someone who is from downtown Guadalajara, where Jose-Luis Saavedra, Sr., the founder, was born.  

Bud Light Chelada, as is, comes in its original flavor, extra lime and mango. The addition of Tapatio should add to the novelty, and possibly shelf space.

Desiree Sanchis, senior brand manager, says,  “We are always pushing to innovate and provide consumers what they didn’t know they needed but always wanted.” There is no advertising planned except for the customary social media buzz.

At Tapatio, Luis Saavedra says, “Our team likes to have fun, and that’s what Bud Light is all about, too.”

Just last week, an Instacart rep told the website Eat This Not That that Tapatiio ranks fifth most popular among all the hot sauces it delivers. In order, Cholula is tops, followed by Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, Hoy Fong Foods Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce and Tabasco. The hot sauce category is  a $1.6 billion business that has grown at a rate of 4.2% a year since 2015.

That’s pretty hot. In the business, the taste of hotness is measured in units called Scovilles, and Tapatio rates a 3,000. Cholula is 3,600, but Frank’s Red Hot is just at 450.

There’s hot and there’s hot. A sauce called Mad Dog 357 No. 9 Plutonium gets 9 million Scoville units, reported The Daily Meal last year. That’s as hot as it gets.