Que Fuego
The Bronx Brewery

Clear, golden color. Big, white head. Aroma of tropical fruits, malt, and pineapple. Crisp taste with moderate bitterness and light peppery notes. Spicy finish and aftertaste

 

*Poured into a Teku glass from a 16oz can*

This had about a two finger thick white fluffy head which had a moderate amount of retention. Had a murky yellow color to it that reminded me of pineapples.

The aroma on this was predictably hop-forward, presenting a nice citrusy and tropical aroma which were made up of pineapples, mandarin oranges, and mangoes. I did notice a bit of spice in the back-aroma of this beer, but it wasn't overpowering to the point of being unbearable; you can definitely feel the spiciness in the nose.

I found that notes of pineapple and mangoes were prominent in the front, but they fade pretty quickly into notes of malty biscuit in the middle and end. I thought that the spiciness from the Carolina Reapers complimented the tropical fruit notes that I got from the hops and pineapples well which gave me a nice mango habanero kind of vibe to this IPL. The spice on the taste is definitely more noticeable, but I only ever found this spicy in the throat and stomach after a while of drinking this.

Like any good lager, this felt clean and crisp but dry in the finish. I found that this was definitely very drink-able for the ABV. You wouldn't find any of the alcohol in the taste, but it definitely catches up to you because this was super easy to drink. There was a slight hop bitterness in the back-end but it wasn't lingering at all. What I kind of didn't like about this was how the peppers made me eventually feel in my stomach. I felt like my stomach was churning the more I drank this.

Overall, the taste on this was really nice, tropical and spicy. But I wasn't a big fan of how this beer made my stomach feel afterwards, but otherwise this was really nice tasting and smelling IPL.

 

16 Oz can bought from Tavour.
Interesting. But you gotta have mildly spicy food with it.
This is now my 4th chile beer (I'm surprised I've had that many.) But at any rate, I'm not qualified to register the first review.

That said, how does Que Fuego's Look compare to its competitors? Yo no se. But, it Looks more wit-ty without the foam. Smells also are not lager-ly clean, quite fruity and pineapple nice. (So, I'm starting to doubt the label's claim of being an "India Pale Lager.") Tastes are balanced; not too spicy and not too sweet. Chiles are not powerful, subtle really. Comfortable, even calming, in the mouth. And a very decent pairing with cheese tortillas and medium-spiced salsa from Frontera Foods. I like how Bronx Brewery made Que Fuego their first in the Up N' Coming series of rising chefs in which they pair four recipes with the beer.

I also like the Brewery's role in reviving a waterfront warehouse district isolated by a roadway overpass next door. The Bronx is widely regarded as the City's most deteriorated borough... and it wasn't just caused by the highways cutting through but not stopping. For the brewery, highway noise and pollution did not discourage them from opening a beer patio. New Yorkers seem to like this huge space running along the freeway. It is a music venue and community center for the Bronx. And for all this, I give them great OA Hugs.