You could be boring (again) and ring in the new year with a glass of cheap bubbly . . . or you could impress your friends with something new: a locally brewed Bière de Champagne.Enlightenment Ales in Lowell is one of the only breweries in the US that's crafting a beer using the traditional méthode champenoise, wherein multiple yeast strains, bottle refermentation, slow maturation, riddling (turning the bottles to consolidate yeast), and disgorging (removing yeast from the bottle) are employed to create a beer style like no other. Ben Howe, former assistant brewer at Cambridge Brewing Company, does all of this by hand, as well as packaging the beer in 750 ml corked and caged magnums.
What to expect? An 11 percent alcohol by volume Belgian-like golden ale with all of the subtle crispness, zest, and refreshing character of a Champagne, bound by the complexity of a beer — a/k/a the perfect complement to your NYE festivities.
Enlightenment Brut will set you back around $20 at stores. For a list of bars, restaurants, and stores that carry it, check out enlightenmentales.com.
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Topics:
Liquid
, Beer, champagne, Liquid
