I introduced my family to the Stage Coach brand during last week's Michigan trip. After enjoying their Bonafide BBQ sauce so much, I was really looking forward to putting their other sauces to the test. We opted to use their mustard based Carolina BBQ sauce for grilled brats.

I don't know that grilled brats were what the Stage Coach folks had in mind when they developed their Carolina BBQ sauce, but the mustard sauce was a good fit with the classic midwestern sausage. Mustard sauces are typically used in North and South Carolina for chopped pork and spare ribs. Bratwurst are rarely on the menu at Carolina cookouts.

In my Michigan circle of friends and family, bratwurst is very popular. It's typically grilled and topped with hotdog condiments like ketchup, mustard, onions and relish. We topped our brats with carmelized onions spiced with BBQ rub and this slightly sweet Carolina BBQ sauce.

As with all Stage Coach Sauces products, the Carolina BBQ sauce is all natural mustard. Though it's naturally sweetened, it's not quite as sweet as other mustard sauces (Bone Suckin & Cattleman's) that I have tried. Mustard is most definitely the dominant flavor.

I've stated in previous reviews that mustard isn't my favorite condiment. Though I liked Stage Coach Sauces' Carolina BBQ much better than a typical yellow mustard, I would have liked a bit more sweetness. As is, it's still a nice condiment for burgers, dogs and brats. However, for me to use it as an actual BBQ sauce, I'd need additional sweetness. I also think it could benefit from some heat. In my opinion, the flavor lacked the depth of a Bone Suckin Sweet Hot Mustard witch was quite a bit sweeter and included chunks of jalepenos for spice.

Overall, Carolina BBQ is still a quality product made by a quality company. I would absolutely recommend this product as an alternative to regular yellow mustard. If you're a true mustard lover, you may enjoy it as a BBQ sauce as well.

See how Stage Coach Sauces' Carolina BBQ rates compared with to other sauces. Click Here