These are very much like Bratwurst ( Meat) but NOT!! If you're critical you can tell for sure...but it's not that bad at all. We dress them with Sauerkraut and Mustard or chili and cheese, and caramelized onions ...and toasted hot dog buns. We're so happy to have found this addition to our Veggie-lifestyle! Both are good (Hot and Brats) but we prefer the HOT!

I like that this tastes just like bratwursts and cooks well in the oven. The price is a little expensive compared to local stores.

Sometimes I can buy these at a local discount grocer for $5.00 a package. But, due to COVID-19 this is a convenient and safer way to get groceries.

First, the only con... They are overpriced.

The pros... every non-vegan that tried one of these liked them! They are all regular brat eaters as we live in Wisconsin!

Unfortunately, I had COVID a little over three months ago and I haven't been able to smell or taste anything since. But, the fact that non-vegan Wisconsin brat eaters like them says a lot!

I use this as you would sausage and it's been delicious. The biggest hits were two different breakfast recipes: a breakfast casserole and breakfast sliders (both modified to be made vegan using beyond sausage, Just Egg, and Follow Your Heart Cheese). I doctor the sausage to make it breakfast-y by cutting it out of the casing and mixing in a little sage and sometimes a dash of maple syrup. For the sliders, I spread it in a rectangular casserole dish and baked it in the oven, per the recipe. I was never a fan of sausage anyway, but even the omni (meat sausage eaters) loved the casserole and sliders.

I grew up in Wisconsin in the 80's, I'm a meat and potatoes and dairy guy. Brats and Italian Sausages were a big part of my childhood meals. Since going vegan, I've tried some of the various offerings, but none really captured the experience I remembered as a kid. And then Beyond Meat came along. Since we've been eating their burger regularly since it came out, I was really looking forward to trying all three of the new offerings. As soon as I heard they were released, I was lucky enough to get 2 packs of Brats, 2 packs of Sweet Italian, and 1 pack of Hot Italian (I've not seen the Brats or the Sweet Italian come back into stock yet, but there have been Hot Italian available recently). Since I was able to order and try all three, I'm writing one review that I will post in each offering.

Hot Italian-
This was the last of the 3 that I tasted when I cooked up one of each for sampling. I don't eat spicy things often, so I have a pretty low tolerance. I was worried that these would be unenjoyable for me. I was wrong! The texture and mouth feel was the same as the other two. The Italian Sausage flavoring is mild, and is the heat of the spice. You definitely know it's there, but it doesn't leave you reaching for the nearest beverage. My husband felt it could have been a bit spicier. We since repurchased these and have used them in pasta and sandwiches. At some point, I'm going to remove the casing and fry up with some Beyond Burger to add to lasagna.

Sweet Italian-
This was the second of the three that I tasted when I cooked up one of each for sampling. It's been a couple of years since I've had a Sweet Italian, so my base line was a little fuzzy. Overall, I was really impressed. The texture and mouth feel was the same as the other two. Like how the Hot isn't overly hot, the Sweet isn't overly sweet. Just enough to get the point across. I'm a fennel lover, so I would have liked a little bit more pronounced fennel flavor. We wound up making 1 to sample, and then made sandwiches with the remaining 3. Cooked on a stovetop grill, served in a bun with Marina and vegan mozzarella and/or parm.

Brat-
This was the first of the three that I tasted when I cooked up one of each for sampling. It was the one I had the biggest hopes and expectations for, which could have led to the biggest disappointed. I'm delighted to say my high hopes were met and exceeded. If I've tried any other vegan Brat alternative, I don't recall. I just always *knew* it wouldn't be close to what I loved and remembered. So when Beyond Meat announced they were coming out with Brats, I did a happy, happy, happy dance. I ordered these on Fresh, and was able to get same day delivery (YAY for instant Brat gratification!). I didn't waste any time cooking up one of each. I used the cast iron griddle/grill that came with our gas stove to cook them (I'll talk more about that in a bit). For my first sampling of the brat, I was blown away by how much it feels and taste like a real brat. It is my favorite of the three. For the remaining brats, I boiled them and some onions in a can of Rainier beer for a Seattle Beer Brat. Finish the brats off on the griddle, and it was like being back in Wisconsin in the summer.

My mom happened to be visiting from Wisconsin when I got these, so she was in on eating them. She's not a vegan, nor does she want to be and isn't super aware of what eating vegan is like (for context of her opinion). She thought all three of them were really good and resemble the meat versions (of which she has had recently).

Texture/Mouth feel/Cooking-
Out of the package they do feel like what I remember brats/sausages feeling like. I don't think the casing is as firm though. When cooking, they have a great sizzle, and give off some 'greasiness' and a great aroma. They cook up pretty quickly and easily. Even though the casing isn't as firm, it still gives a nice bite experience (maybe even a better one since you don't have to bite as hard) and the texture to me was pretty spot on. It really is sort of unnerving at first, how close to the real thing these are. I put myself in the mindset that it's the textures and seasonings that I am enjoying (along with recreating and veganizing some childhood memories).

Overall, I'd say these are amazing. This is the future of food, here now. I am excited to see what else Beyond Meats is coming up with next.