Inferno
We’ve made it another week and it’s time to talk about one of the wildest pieces of art we have in use for our labels. Since the development of the branding for The Lost Abbey, Inferno was always a beer name that I knew we would produce. There are numerous reasons for this but mostly it starts with my love for the Belgian Golden Strong Ale known as Duvel.
It’s a complicatedly simple beer with deceptive outward leanings that make it incredibly adept at belying the senses while triggering an insatiable sense of “drink more.” That’s a very fancy set of wordsmithing to say it drinks real nice and gets you lubricated in a hurry. Crisp and highly carbonic, it’s not The Champagne of Beers but it most assuredly is full of life and energy. Releasing a cork finished bottle brings Joy and the celebrations reserved for French Bubbles to the universe.
There are many stories in the bible about how the Devil made me do it. (See last week’s post on Serpent’s Stout). There are also numerous stories in classic literature which bring the story of good and evil to life in a rich tapestry of characters and life decisions. So Inferno really needed to lean in quite heavily when it came time to produce the beer.
I have often told the story that our beer/bottling/branding is a 3 part act if you will for delivering the art of the beer. Act 1 is found in the original label art (and connective story told through the image). Act 2 is the verbiage on the back of the label leading the exploration of the art direction and the third act is revealed while consuming the beer and engaging the entirety of the art impression. They are not always seamless. But to a man/woman I have always loved the way Inferno captures the essence of these three pieces.
Original Inferno Art by Sean Dominguez
The Art- Oh man, where do we even begin on this one? First the label is a stunning sense of red/ orange/ yellow and black hues . We see the Devil very prominently featured in the middle of his lair. There is a meandering conveyance starting from the top of the label leading through the right side. We eventually see that the meat hooks in hell have souls strung on them and they are being sent through the fire of despair searing them off completely before rendering them to the pile of bones. All the while, the Overlord is watching the consumption no doubt enamored with the view.
It’s clearly one of the most disturbing images we are using. But if you believe in Hell, we cannot treat this as anything but a horrific place of rest. The depths of a fiery hell are a ringed by a cauldron of Fire and the Infernos contained beneath the earth. While I find the image of souls being conveyed on Meat Hooks into hell eerily dark and disturbing, there is also something very consistent in the image. I think it does a fantastic job of being macabre and almost classical in the rendering. I’m quite certain Sean really enjoyed working on this piece. His wife o the other hand…Let’s just say she was happiest when it was delivered here.
The Label Verbiage- 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 than 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.
Your roommate is an ax murder. 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.
Overall Impression-I think I have written about 95% of the back labels for our beers. This one always cracks me up. I have no earthly idea what it would be like to wake up in Hell. But if you think about, there really shouldn’t be anything to fear. Lord knows you can’t call out “Do Over” and expect to be sent to another more virtuous place.
Cork Finished 750 ml Inferno Bottle
The Beer Itself- The beer is actually quite straightforward. It’s two malts, two hops, one very special yeast and a boatload of fermentable sugars (to help dry the beer out). It’s the only beer we don’t serve on draft as the elevated levels of carbonation make it nearly impossible to serve as a draft beer. It has a very crisp palate that leans to a lightly fruity nose with some white grape skins in the finish. It is a smashingly easy beer to get lost drinking.
As an Homage to the great Duvel, I have included some links to stories that others have shared about their moments with Duvel. Hopefully you find these to be a fun read and I look forward to you sharing with us your experiences.
