Spitfire Premium Kentish Ale
Shepherd Neame Ltd

Spitfire Premium Kentish AleSpitfire Premium Kentish Ale
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From:
Shepherd Neame Ltd
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
English Bitter
Ranked #94
ABV:
4.5%
Score:
81
Ranked #25,495
Avg:
3.58 | pDev: 15.08%
Reviews:
198
Ratings:
484
Status:
Active
Rated:
Sunday at 09:39 AM
Added:
Feb 21, 1998
Wants:
  19
Gots:
  91
This 4.2% Kentish ale (bottle 4.5%) was first brewed in 1990 to celebrate the Battle of Britain which was fought in the skies above Kent 50 years earlier. The beer is named after the legendary Spitfire aeroplane designed by RJ Mitchell. The versatility of the aircraft and the courage of its pilots were essential to victory and were a key symbol of the spirit of that time.
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Ratings by BeerAdvocate:
Photo of BeerAdvocate
Reviewed by BeerAdvocate from Finland

3.95/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Presentation: 12oz. clear bottle (wide w/thin neck) with a sharp looking label and foil sheaf.

Appearance: A crystal clear golden-red with a frothy, healthy head.

Smell: Hints of fresh malt and hops.

Taste: Lots of bold and traditional pale malt flavours. Clean and hoppy with high carbonation fizz. Slight sulfur flavour, as a Pils or Lager.

Notes: A classic Pale Ale and now, affordable. Most of Shepherd Neame's brews have dropped in price in order to compete with the wide varieties of U.S. beers, one would assume.
Feb 21, 1998
More User Ratings:
Photo of drmeto
Reviewed by drmeto from Germany

3.7/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
L:
-pours a clear amber with a small-to-medium,foamy,off-white head
-low carbonation visible
S:
-toffee,caramel,spicy,malty,slightly herbal
T:
-Follows the Nose + grassy,bready
-medium-to-high bitterniss
F:
-medium carbonation
-light-to-medium body
O:
A really good Example of an English ESB.Sessionable,hoppy and pretty flavorful with the typical Toffee-heavy Crystal malt Base.
Sunday at 09:39 AM
 
Rated: 3.62 by SayBoom from Ukraine

Mar 01, 2024
 
Rated: 3 by altrio

Feb 08, 2024
 
Rated: 3.5 by Mattias from Sweden

Nov 18, 2023
 
Rated: 3 by BrisLoganite from Australia

Sep 18, 2023
 
Rated: 3.5 by shelby415 from Oregon

Jun 26, 2023
Photo of Ant777uk
Reviewed by Ant777uk from England

2.38/5  rDev -33.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 2.25
It's a while since I had an English bitter (Surrey Hills is probably my favourite, but only when it's draft)...cooled to around 10 C...

I have never known an English bitter actually be good from a bottle...they need to be draft and ideally as local to the brewery as possible, in a jug, served with sea salt and malt vinegar crisps, in a countryside beer garden ; )

Beautiful deep copper colour, impressive head. Aroma of bready malt with quite subtle hops.

The hops create a subtle backbone that encompasses the whole beer, as opposed to a bitter aftertaste like in an IPA. Fairly easy drinking, the malt doesn't particularly stand out, but I like the bitterness from the hops. Definitely not much fruitiness, it's more of a dry malty bitterness. Mouth feel is quite light, with some complexity from the effervescent bitterness on the tongue. Definitely needs more hops! And the bottle needs a redesign, it looks kind of boring and simple ; )
Nov 01, 2022
Photo of KleinSchwein
Reviewed by KleinSchwein

3.32/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25
Look :- Deep red-brown . Thin light brown head , some lacing . A little flat looking .

Smell :- Caramel.

Taste :- Caramel,hops,malt and a slight bitterness.

Mouth feel :- Good carbonation,a little watery .

Overall :- Not bad , a bit sweet for what I was expecting and the bitterness is really very little . Caramel taste is nice . Could use more hops .
Sep 29, 2022
 
Rated: 3.48 by burnaby391 from Canada (ON)

Jul 24, 2022
Photo of Offa
Reviewed by Offa from California

4.24/5  rDev +18.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Cask at the Cock and Woolpack, London.
Copper amber. Medium off white head soon thins to foamy ring and wisps. Foamy lace.
Aroma fruit and mineral.
Taste maltiness is lean but characterful and bright. Moderate sweetness with hints of toffee. Spicy zesty hop bitterness almost takes over but backs down. Tinge of sour fruits just starting to turn. Very nice but less complex than the best.
Jul 23, 2022
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.64/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
tasty stuff here, i assume better on cask than in the clear bottle, although i only had it on the engine. its high shine, light amber to bronze in color, and holds a lovely cask inch of white cream on top, a glowing and radiant pint. the nose is a little muted, not real exciting, simple english malt with just a little richness to it, a toasted warmth, but also seems maybe a bit thin, classic but unexciting, less hoppy than some others, and even the yeast seems kind of tame, mellow sweetness. the flavor is more expressive than the nose, i get the minerals in the water underlying the whole thing, just a touch metallic as it warms, but it makes this feel hearty too. the malt is autumnal and warming to me, even though the beer is light, english crystal leading the way it seems, a light honey note, and then the drying bready ale yeast, simple stuff but it comes together well, and was a nice companion to some fried potatoes, seems build for that sort of food, starchy and greasy and a bit plain. very drinkable with the lighter body, excellent smoothness from the cask conditioning, and overall an easy drinker in this space, not overly distinctive but fully serviceable.
May 25, 2022
 
Rated: 3.91 by I3eer from Massachusetts

Jan 07, 2022
Photo of LanceBiggums
Reviewed by LanceBiggums from Canada (AB)

3.72/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Crystal clear, light orange amber, with two fingers of off-white head that fades slowly and leaves foamy lacing. The main note on the nose reminds me of orange peel. There's not a whole lot else I can detect honestly; the aroma is somewhat muted. On the tongue is a suggestion of caramel malt, followed by pleasantly strong English hops bitterness, and more of that orange peel flavour. The balance is certainly towards the bitter side. The body is on the thin side of medium. Overall a decent English bitter ale, but not quite as complex or flavourful as it could be
Dec 12, 2021
 
Rated: 3.74 by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

Nov 10, 2021
Photo of JamFuel
Reviewed by JamFuel from Sweden

3.93/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a clear amber with fine head.

Smell is malty and a bit roasted with notes of caramel, citrus and some spiceiness.

Taste is malty, roasted and a bit sweet. Notes of caramel, citrus, dried fruit, toffee and some spice on the finish.

Mouthfeel is medium and well carbonated.

Overall, a very drinkable beer, not outstanding in any way, but solid.
Nov 06, 2021
Photo of Tony787
Reviewed by Tony787 from Canada (ON)

3.69/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I bought a can at the LCBO in Ontario 500ml at 4.2% poured a 2finger head into glass .
Overall I like this beer a little sweet and malty but very well balanced leaving a nice lace to the end .
Cheers.
Good beer from England
Oct 05, 2021
 
Rated: 3.28 by bad_poetry from England

Aug 23, 2021
Photo of Beaconheath
Reviewed by Beaconheath from South Dakota

4.97/5  rDev +38.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
Bottle calls itself an Amber Ale. Poured translucent copper with pale beige head. My lot tended to lose its foam after a few minutes, had to be regenerated several times by swirling. Seamless blend of sweet, caramel malts, fruity yeast, and just enough hoppy bitterness to linger on the palate and create a thirst for another sip. Well judged proportions of flavor components. Excellent accompaniment to breaded chicken breast and potato, I can also imagine it with British fish&chips.
Aug 15, 2021
Photo of Sigmund
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.85/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Cask conditioned this is just an excellent ale. Enough said. Rerate May 14 2002: Had this one again today from can + bottle (bottle slightly better) in Norway, not nearly as good as cask conditioned, but still a very drinkable ale. Could use a little more aromatic hops. Rerate 2: I take back what I said about can vs. bottle. I found a retailer who stores the cans cold, and they’re a helluva lot better than the frequently skunky (clear!) bottles, which are stored warm at my other retailer’s. Well kept, I just love the nutty freshness of this ale.
Mar 23, 2021
Spitfire Premium Kentish Ale from Shepherd Neame Ltd
Beer rating: 81 out of 100 with 484 ratings