Shepherd Neame reveals plans for new beers
Premium Blonde Lager, a 4.5% ABV beer, and Pale Ale, a 4% ABV ale are the latest Whitstable Bay beers to be rolled out. They join the original Whitstable Bay Organic Ale to create a new range for the Faversham Steam Brewery.
Shepherd Neame will also be creating a new beer for its Heritage collection – to join India Pale Ale, Bishop’s Finger, 1698, Generation, Brilliant and Double Stout – and will soon announce the launch of a Whitstable Bay Black Lager.
Head brewer Richard Frost said: "We wanted to create more beer but we had enough Kentish Ales so we created a different style – Whitstable Bay.
"Shepherd Neame has a house style – you know what you’ll get before you drink it. Whitstable Bay looks to get out of that. It uses Kentish hops, light, citrusy American hops and Czech hops to create a quite interesting flavour."
The new beers will add to the brewery’s collection of 22 ales and six lagers.
A Shepherd Neame spokesman added that the brewery does not use the term "craft" to describe its beers.
"We have nothing against the term but we don't think of it as a switch - there are degrees of craft. All our beers are made in the same brewhouse. It is for others to say whether it is craft, not for us."
Shepherd Neame also confirmed that it will be sponsoring Movember - the annual charity event to raise awareness of prostate cancer - for a third year running.
