Spitfire Beer and the Battle of Britain

To honour the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 1990 and to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund Shepherd Neame's, Britain’s oldest brewery, decided to create a commemorative ale and launched Spitfire Beer with an initial brewing volume of 500 barrels per month.

Within three months high demand led to the capacity being doubled and the brew soon became Shepherd Neame’s best selling cask conditioned ale.

It is a Kentish Ale that is brewed using pure spring water from the brewery’s artesian well and the highest quality English malt and Kentish hops. It has strength of 4.5% and really does manage to capture a certain “blitz” spirit with its excellent packaging matching that complements the high quality of the beer.

The brew is not short of fans and was recognised at the Brewing Industry International Awards as one of Britain's fastest–growing premium ales, duly being awarded a Gold Medal for being “The Best Strong Cask–Conditioned Beer in the World”.

One beer reviewer, Andrew Jefford, summed up the beer far better than I could explaining that, "Deep amber in colour, generous aromas of tangy malt..spicy hops follow through to provide a complex finish"

Spitfire has to be the most patriotic beer available in Britain and has a well deserved following.