The Inferno

Corruption, greed and lust.  They're all represented on the hooks today.  Tomorrow, they'll be stringing Gluttony, Desire and Sloth.  Go ahead.  Tell yourself you're better then all of them.  But you can't.  Hell can be funny like that.  Down here it's all just sin.  Everyone here is screwed just like you.  They don't care who you sliced, diced or cheated.  No one is escaping this heinous place.

Those are the words on the label.  Well, most of the words.  The label continues:

Your roommate is an ax murderer.  Eerily, he's not threatening. How can he be? Here, the Fallen Angel owns your body, mind and soul.  As such, no one can take your life.  It's already been taken.  Or was it given?  Neither matters.  Did you seriously think you were living a virtuous life.  At least, Satan serves beer in Hell.  He brews it himself right there in that flame stoked cauldron.  Rumor has it the beer is straw yellow, bone dry and simply labeled Inferno. 

That is the introduction to the Inferno Ale, a beer that is brewed and bottled by Port Brewing Company in San Marcos, California.  The brewers produced this beer in the style of a Belgian Strong Ale, with an ABV of 8.5%. This is one of their year-round beers, and, it has the distinction of being the most carbonated of the beers, which becomes very apparent one you begin to pour it into a glass. 

The beer pours a cloudy, straw yellow in color, with a very large, puffy foam that takes a very long time to recede.  The aromatic elements of this beer draw present the picture of a field, with hints of straw, grass, and floral tones, tied together with scents of the yeast used in the brewing of the beer. 

As for the taste of the beer, it is truly bone dry, one of the driest beers that I have tasted in a long time.  The aromas of grass and flowers are present in the flavor of the beer, as well as a little .  There is a little of muskiness in the beer, but it is not overwhelming or off-putting.  In fact, I sort of expected it from having tasting a wide range of Belgian beers. 

The brewers at Lost Abbey suggest that this is a stand-alone beer.  In other words, it is meant to be enjoyed by itself, without food.  This beer was given to me as a gift, so I don't know how much it costs.  I also have to say that I have not seen Lost Abbey beers in the Mid-Atlantic region, although I have seen them at beer stores in Chicago. 

ENJOY!