Shepherd Neame wins Taste of Britain award

September 24, 2007: Shepherd Neame 1698 bottle-conditioned strong ale has won the silver award in best UK drink / beverage category of the Daily Telegraph and Sainsbury's Taste of Britain awards.

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It's the second time in a row Shepherd Neame has won the award, with Bishops Finger Kentish strong ale winning silver in 2006's inaugural competition.

As with Bishops Finger, 1698 was the highest placed beer and adds this accolade to its current listing in the World Top 50 by the International Beer Challenge and its gold award in the British Bottlers' Institute 2006 awards.

The Taste of Britain awards recognise products of regional distinction, made from the highest quality ingredients by master craftsmen. The winners are regarded as a showcase of quintessentially British food.

Judges were especially impressed that 1698 could be laid down to mature, thanks to the presence of yeast, which allows for secondary fermentation. This helps mature the beer, allowing drinkers to age bottles to their preferred depth and complexity of flavour. The yeast and sugars interact to create a natural effervescence that adds to the fragrance, similar to a natural champagne-like fizz.

The vast majority of ales have hops added twice during brewing, a bitter variety before boiling and an aromatic variety afterwards. However, 1698 is thrice-hopped hopped, with a further addition just before fermentation, to preserve its lightness and balance and prevent it becoming too sweet.

Shepherd Neame chief executive Jonathan Neame said: "We are delighted with this award win. Making a bottle-conditioned beer is exactly the type of challenge our brewers excel at and it's the type of connoisseurs' beer we revel in brewing.

"For our beer to win a national award such as this, against other drinks categories, not only recognises the quality of our beer, but celebrates the diversity and depth of flavour it offers."

Food matching suggestion: while 1698 makes the perfect companion for dark meats and game, such as venison, beef and wild boar, the adventurous can pair it with sumptuous, rich puddings. Think sticky toffee, plum duff and chocolate brownies.

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