Titania
Enlightenment Ales

Reviewed in August 2016. Golden yellow in color. Somewhat hazy. Apples, minerally, earthy honey and a very slight funk. Effervescent and crisp. Very short finish. Perfect beer for this extremely hot night.

Pours a slightly reddish golden color. Heather and chamomile are the most prominent components of the aroma. May be some honey too? Tastes sweet with a slight menthol herbal element. The difference flavors add an awesome level of complexity. This is a great Nordic saison from Ben and Anders.

I know this is limited in availability but I really wish more people could have it. Such an interesting beer! One of the Kissmeyer collaboration Nordic Saisons, this one with Enlightenment is the perfect blend of familiar yet unique, drinkable yet savorable. This was from Batch #2, had this one in the fridge for a while but the taste has held similar to the fresher one I had a while back (but didn't review).

It looks intentionally cloudy, hazy orange/hay, big head that drops a little but hangs around.

The smell is great - grass, salty ocean air, floral, spruce, funky.

The taste is subtle funk, bordering on a sour but never quite getting there. The honey definitely comes through, brine, wildflowers, moss. Don't know the strain of yeast they used but the tones are there in a pleasant backbone way.

Mouthfeel is full, chewy, creamy but finishes super clean.

This is super drinkable but because of the format (0.75L) and the complexity, expect for it to last a whole meal for two people. Very, very interesting to sip on and sift through. Another Boston-area brewery came short on an oyster gose this year - imagine a good version of that, a subtley funky saison, and some ancient, elemental flavors and that's pretty much this beer.

Really, really good beer, I wish that it would become a standard.

 

This is not my favorite of enlightenment's work, but still worth a try. Pours dirty blonde with a ring of bubbles. Smell is golden raisin, toasted malt and yeast, honey, herbs and lemon. Taste is more robust and bready, a tad much for me because it knocks off the balance of the feel and flavor. Almost has a rye element to it.