NATIONAL ACCLAIM FOR BRITAIN’S OLDEST BREWER

Faversham-based brewer Shepherd Neame’s Strong Pale Ale has been Highly Commended in this year’s Great British Food Awards.
 
It is the seventh year of the awards, launched to celebrate the very best of British artisanal produce in the food and drink industry.
 
The judging panel comprises some of the most acclaimed chefs, food critics and influencers in the country, with the Beer and Lager category judged by multi award-winning drinks expert and TV personality Olly Smith, who appears regularly on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.
 
Shepherd Neame first brewed Strong Pale Ale (5.5% ABV), part of its Classic Collection, in the early 19th century. Historically the recipe was formulated with 100% pale malt and bittered by the brewery’s signature East Kent Goldings hops, resulting in a golden, brilliantly bright, hoppy ale. It has been rejuvenated in recent years with the modern hop variety Cascade, while staying true to the original spirit of the beer.
 
Explaining his decision to award the beer as one of two Highly Commended in the category, Olly said: “Turbo-charged with delightful flavours, this is as powerful as it is precise. I love its uncompromising use of delicious hops surging with tangy vibrancy, and it has a wonderful sense of quenching refreshment underpinning its sumptuousness.”
 
It is the latest in a series of accolades for Shepherd Neame’s beers, with other recent wins including 1698 being named the Best Pale Bitter over 5.5%ABV in the World Beer Awards, and its Bear Island East Coast Pale Ale and Bear Island Triple Hopped Lager taking gold awards in the British Bottlers’ Institute Competition.