What is Enlightenment?

Immanuel Kant’s essay “What is Enlightenment?” is a short yet powerful statement about the importance of reason and independent thought. Enlightenment, Kant declares, means freeing ourselves from our self-imposed immaturity by looking within for knowledge rather than blindly seeking guidance from others. “Sapere aude!” he urges us. Dare to know!

Like all of the beers in Hill Farmstead’s philosophical series, this Vermont Pale Ale was crafted in honor of a meaningful philosophical work—in this case, Kant’s essay—with the hopes that it might inspire patrons to seek the text out and engage with the words. 

“‘What is Enlightenment?’ is one of my absolute favorite works of all time,” Shaun Hill says. “I wanted people to ask ‘why the hell is this beer called this?’ and then find out.”

First released in the summer of 2012 for Hill Farmstead’s second anniversary, What is Enlightenment? is a bright and balanced pale ale that harmonizes the best characteristics of Simcoe® and Amarillo®, two of Shaun’s favorite hops. The beer was crafted as a direct homage to Duet, an IPA made by Alpine Beer Co. that uses the same hop combination. 

“Alpine was a huge inspiration to me,” Shaun says. “I remember reaching out to Pat McIlhenney [Alpine’s founder] and telling him, ‘I love Duet, and I’m going to make something for our anniversary that’s inspired by it. It’s fantastic.’”

Unlike Duet—an IPA that clocks in at around 7% abv—What is Enlightenment? is a delicate, vibrant, and highly drinkable pale that Hill Farmstead regularly releases just as the summer reaches its peak. 

Periodically, the core pale ale recipe takes alternative paths: one, a hoppier, more assertive double IPA called Society & Solitude #7 (first brewed in July 2013); and the second, a distinctive wine-barrel-aged, dry-hopped Farmstead® ale of the same name (first released in October 2017).