Not happy with the Lee Kum Kee and wanting to try other brands (Flying Goose etc) instead of resorting to Huy Fong, I picked up a bottle of Trader Joe's own brand Sriracha when I saw it yesterday. As I told my husband, "We'll probably be disappointed, but it's a data point."
And yes I'm disappointed but obviously not surprised to find that it is highly Americanized. The top notes are salt and sugar and only lastly comes a chili heat that's rather unspecific and relatively mild. I immediately compared it to the Lee Kum Kee I still have on hand and it actually did an admirable job of making the Lee Kum Kee seem wonderful by comparison. The metallic flavor Brian Miller and I both noted aside, it's obvious from both flavor and texture that the LKK is mostly real chiles.
All by itself, though, the Trader Joe's would make a splendid ketchup substitute. In fact, for me, there's nothing I use ketchup for (all two things: french fries and fried shrimp) that I wouldn't like better with this.
Speaking of Trader Joe's and Sriracha, anyone else try their Sriracha Bacon Jerky?