I believe Aqua-Hot (and others) will tell you to use the pink stuff, because the blow-out method won't guarantee that the fresh water coils inside the AH are totally free of water. I'm not sure I buy that, but the price of being wrong would be very high if the unit froze up.
To me, the pink stuff is cheap insurance. I've never had a problem with after-taste -- just open the low point drains, then flush and flush and flush. If you leave any pink hiding in the system (like in stub lines to washer, etc.), it will keep mixing in and showing up.