17 court street faversham kent england opened 1698 key people jonathan neame annual production volume 211 000 barrels 2016 1 revenue 139.9 m 2016 2 employees 1318 3 website shepherdneame.co.uk active beers name type spitfire collection kentish ale gold & lager whitstable bay collection pale ale organic red & stout master brew kentish ale bishops finger kentish strong ale 1698 kentish strong ale seasonal beers name type early bird ale goldings ale late red red ale christmas ale ale inactive beers name type abbey ale ale shepherd neame is an english independent regional brewery founded in 1698 in faversham kent . evidence has been uncovered showing brewing has taken place continuously on the current site since at least 1573 . 4 it is the oldest brewer in great britain and has been family owned since 1864 . 5 the brewery produces a range of cask ales and filtered beers . production is around 210 000 brewers barrels a year . 6 it owns 328 pubs & hotels 7 predominantly in kent london and south east england . the company exports to more than 35 countries including sweden italy brazil and canada . contents 1 history 2 beers 2.1 production 2.2 cask 2.3 keg 2.4 bottled 2.5 lager 3 public houses 4 see also 5 references 5.1 bibliography 6 external links history edit the family of neame were relative latecomers in the overall development of the shepherd neame brewery but as substantial property owners in the district charles neame of harefield court and john neame of selling court were acknowledged to be among the most valuable hop growers in east kent . theo barker explains in the official account of the brewery that it all began with a captain richard marsh who in 1678 is recorded in the faversham wardmote books as contributing by far the largest of the brewers fines made at that date . 8 shepherd neame as such is reported as having been established in 1698 in an advertisement of the kentish gazette for 11 april 1865 . richard marsh lived until 1727 when his brewery was bequeathed to his widow and then to his daughter who sold the property on to samuel shepherd around 1741 . samuel shepherd was from deal kent . he had an interest in malting when he moved to faversham around 1730 and had established himself as a brewer of malt by 1734 . shepherd expanded on his interest through acquiring a number of public houses but it was his son julius shepherd who extended this trend still further upon his inheritance of the brewery in 1770 when the company held four such outlets . in 1789 he set about modernising the process of malt grinding and pumping which had been previously worked with the employment of horses by introducing what was reputed to be the first steam engine boulton and watt to be used for this purpose outside london and was then able to describe his business as the faversham steam brewery . the spanish galleon tavern in greenwich henry his second son born in 1780 continued the family tradition and raised his son of the same name into the business . it was this henry shepherd 1816 77 who was to be the last of the shepherds actively involved in the company . the death of henry senior at the age of eighty two occurred in 1862 and although his own son was not a businessman of the same determination the firm s expansion continued adequately with john mares who had come to the financial assistance of the shepherd brewery during the recession of the mid 1840s and continued as the impetus behind shepherd and mares until percy beale neame joined the brewery in 1864 . mares had seen the potential of the brewery s growth with the arrival of the long delayed railway service in 1858 . he pressed the firm to actively prepare for such growth . horse drawn drays were used to carry the brewery s ales throughout kent and malts were imported by barge at faversham creek at its own wharf which was also used as the means to deliver its product to london until the 1850s when steamboats were beginning to prove more expeditious to the task . the railways soon even outpaced and replaced the steamboats . mares unexpected death at the age of 45 in 1864 placed percy neame at the age of twenty eight as the stronger partner with henry shepherd and with the challenge left to him in mares successful expansion programme he brought the faversham brewery well into the neame family s dominion . shepherd neame have embraced 21st century brewing techniques for instance using pdx reactor technology for the heat treatment of wort rather than the traditional method using a calandria . this has led to a reduction in energy consumption of 50 % . 9 the brewery itself is located very near to faversham town centre and it is possible to smell the brewing processes regularly in the town and surrounding streets . beers edit this section contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . june 2016 learn how and when to remove this template message production edit shepherd neame holds the title of britain s oldest brewer and has been making beer at its historic site in the market town of faversham kent for more than 500 years . it still uses traditional methods and 100 % natural ingredients to create a portfolio of award winning classic ales contemporary beers and internationally celebrated lagers . every beer is brewed with chalk filtered mineral water from the brewery s own artesian well deep below the brewery and 93 % of the hops used in its beers are grown in kent . 10 centuries of brewing experience have been passed down to the current team of brewers who still use many traditional methods including handcrafting beer in the uk s last remaining unlined solid oak mash tuns . cask edit core collection spitfire premium kentish ale cask 4.2 % abv bottle 4.5 % abv is shepherd neame s biggest selling cask conditioned ale . . an infusion of three aromatic kentish hops adorns this blood orange tinted bitter first brewed in 1990 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the battle of britain in 1990 . 11 the beer is named after the legendary supermarine spitfire aircraft designed by r. j. mitchell . winner of a gold medal and best strong cask conditioned beer of the world at the brewing industry international awards spitfire has protected geographical indication the same regional produce protection afforded to champagne and parma ham . bishops finger . shepherd neame cask ales . bishop s finger cask 5 % abv bottle 5.4 % abv is a fine english ale that takes its name from the kentish nickname for an ancient signpost on the pilgrims way pointing to canterbury and the shrine of thomas a becket . the rich ruby coloured classic is one of the oldest names in british beer brewed since 1958 . malt had been strictly rationed during the second world war and bishops finger was introduced as a celebration to the end of the postwar years of austerity . it has protected geographical indication master brew cask 3.7 % abv bottle 4 % abv is the shepherd neame s flagship beer . it is a distinctive amber bitter ale with a hoppy aroma . it has protected geographical indication classic collection a collection of renowned beer styles recreated from historic recipes in shepherd neame s archive . brilliant ale cask 4 % abv bottle 5.6 % abv was first brewed between 1825 and 1855 and is believed to have been inspired by the early morning sun sending golden shafts of light through the brewhouse window on to the oak mash tun . brewers decided to create a beer that echoed these hues and used 100 % pale malt and the east kent goldings hops to create a golden brilliantly bright hoppy ale . while staying true to the spirit of the popular pale ale the modern incarnation has been rejuvenated by using the modern hop variety cascade . india pale ale cask 4.5 % abv bottle 6.1 % abv hails from the tradition of 18th century ipas which relied on generous hopping to protect exports during arduous journeys . this modern incarnation retains the strength body and strong hop character which is synonymous with this beer s provenance . a glorious showcase of the distinct heavily hopped beers for which shepherd neame is famed india pale ale delivers potent bitterness offset with generous amounts of pale ale malt to deliver a balanced yet uncompromising brew . double stout cask 4.0 % abv bottle 5.2 % abv is a black creamy brew with a velvety smooth palate of dry burnt flavours complemented by roast cocoa and coffee notes . mild cask 3.5 % abv is a dark beer with a complex aroma of dark chocolate mocha coffee vanilla and a smokiness reminiscent of autumn bonfires . the smooth rich blend of chocolate and coffee is complemented by subtle hoppy fruit flavours . christmas ale cask 5 % abv bottle 7 % abv is available during december . it is a full bodied warming winter ale featuring a warming combination of fruits and spices . it combines pale and crystal malts with target and challenger hops for bitterness and goldings hops for aroma . seasonal ales amber ale cask 4.5 % abv is available from january to march . a golden brown beer perfect for winter amber ale boasts a fruity aroma and a full malty palate . it combines pale crystal and brown malts bittered by english challenger hops with american cascade hops added for aroma . early bird spring hop cask 4.3 % abv bottle 4.5 % abv is available from march to may . a pale golden beer with floral aroma early bird is full bodied and takes its name from the early bird variety of east kent goldings hops grown in hop gardens near the brewery . it has been brewed by shepherd neame since the mid 1990s . goldings ale cask 4.1 % abv bottle 4.5 % abv is available from june to september . the soft golden ale is made from kentish first gold and german hersbrukker hops dry hopped with kentish goldings grown in gardens close to the faversham based brewery . these citrusy hops are melded with the nutty wholemeal character of crystal and ale malt to create a tangy fresh finish . queen court harvest ale cask 4.5 % abv is available from august to september . it is brewed every year to celebrate the start of the harvest across kent s hop gardens . it is named after queen court farm at ospringe near faversham the brewery s former hop farm which houses the national hop collection dedicated to the preservation of the uk s hop growing heritage and containing hundreds of rare varieties . the ale features pale and crystal malts and a mix of hops from across the globe to reflect the huge range of varieties available to modern brewers . it is bittered with kentish first gold before german hersbrucker is added as a late copper hop and a blend of uk cascade and us centennial are added as dry hops in cask . late red autumn hop ale cask 4.5 % abv is available from september to december . the crimson copper coloured seasonal ale is a complex full flavoured brew forging the perfect balance between rich dark malt flavours and a citrussy hop finish . it blends pale ale malt and gently kilned crystal malt with uk cascade and goldings hops . to enhance its taste and aroma the brew is triple hopped with