1698 Kentish Strong Ale
Shepherd Neame Ltd

1698 Kentish Strong Ale1698 Kentish Strong Ale
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From:
Shepherd Neame Ltd
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
Ranked #99
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
83
Ranked #24,220
Avg:
3.64 | pDev: 13.46%
Reviews:
47
Ratings:
111
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jan 15, 2024
Added:
May 14, 2002
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  21
Formerly Shepherd Neame 1698 Celebration Ale
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Rated: 3.75 by Dethark from England

Jan 15, 2024
 
Rated: 4.25 by dymott from England

Nov 20, 2023
 
Rated: 3.5 by BrisLoganite from Australia

Sep 18, 2023
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Reviewed by jarmby1711 from Australia

3.17/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Not sure what to expect from a Kentish Strong Ale and if that is appreciably different from what other Countries may throw into the ring
It is of a pleasant hue with a head that is happy to stay around
Fairly expected but not very excited aroma
Flavours are pleasant but somewhat in offensively bland
A hint of sharpness adds to the palate , but not much in reality
If I were to find myself in Kent I would hope that the Village pub had greater offerings but would not be disheartened if this was my pleasure for the night
Aug 23, 2023
 
Rated: 3.66 by shelby415 from Oregon

Jul 06, 2023
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Reviewed by Steve555 from Wales

3.28/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 2.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Head fades very quickly, amber body. Smell is of nail varnish. Taste has a faint turpentine quality but roasted malts come through and some slight bitterness and fruitiness so does improve on the smell. Body is surprisingly light feel is pretty light. Ends up being a pleasant strong ale that gets better as you drink it. However the very dark labelling made me think I was getting a stout at first.
May 10, 2023
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Rated by Ushouldbeworkinh from England

4.04/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
27/05/2021. Looks like I like drinks that call themselves ales.
May 27, 2021
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Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway

3.31/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Keg at The Bishop’s Arms, Göteborg. Deep golden to amber colour. Nice hoppy aroma with notes of toffee and sherry. Rich malty flavour with notes of toffee, caramel and some oak, but a little too sweet for my taste.
Mar 23, 2021
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Reviewed by BPVandenbroek from Canada (AB)

3.8/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
1698 pours into my glass crystal clear, and copper in color. Pinpoint CO2 supports a dense, cream colored head with good retention.

As I hold the beer to my nose, the first thing I notice is classic British fruit esters. Those fruit esters smell like a combination of ripe, red summer berries and an underlying note of Granny Smith apples. All this is held together by gentle notes of caramel and biscuit maltiness. The malt aromas are welcome, giving a decent base to support the more notable aromas of fresh fruit.

Taking a sip, I'm confronted by a medium bodied ale with initial smoothness, moving quickly into a spritzy carbonation. Malt flavors are more prominent here than they were in the nose, giving me more pronounced flavors of sweet caramel. Slight grainy malt blends nicely with the spritzy carbonation, helping carry flavors across my tongue. Fruit esters are notable to a lesser degree in the nose, which is fine as it allows the malt flavors to dominate. The finish is crisp, dry, and agreeably bitter.

It's a very respectable English bitter. 1698 has all the malt flavors and fruit esters you'd want from the style and they balance each other so well. The bitterness is crisp and present without being too assertive or overpowering. Overall, 1698 Kentish Strong Ale is a respectable, refreshing English bitter to have on a hot day, or indeed, at any time of the year.
Mar 23, 2021
 
Rated: 4.27 by ScrewyLoops from England

Feb 23, 2021
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Reviewed by James94 from England

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: Clear golden brown colour, not much lacing
S: Brown sugar, brown bread, slight chocolate, toffee, dark fruit, sponge cake
T: Biscuit, pepper, citrus peel
F: Well-carbonated, alcohol quite well-hidden for the ABV

O: 4
Dec 07, 2020
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Reviewed by vernardico from Mexico

4.24/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Brown coppery color, no head. Shame for that.

Nice sweet smell. Caramel toffee malts.

Very tasty if you are looking for malts. Sweet malts, caramel, a bit nutty. The bitterness in the back feels roasty, not hoppy.

The booze is present in the taste too, but i rather enjoy it.

Drinkable, not thick. Very english. Not my favorite english bitter , but definitely would drink this again.
Sep 09, 2020
Photo of JonnoWillsteed
Reviewed by JonnoWillsteed from England

3.57/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle conditioned, store/pour with care depending on how you feel about haze.
L- Pale chestnut, clear, pours with 3mm white head.
S- I get very little Smell from this at all. Just the mildest hint of stewed stone-fruit?
T- Better than the lack of smell. Puddingy (Xmas pudding), quite deep and moderately rich+roasty. That it's 6.5% is clear - amazing what say a move from say 5 > 6.5% ABV can help to underpin in a beer.
M- Puddingy, ideal for Xmas and winter. It comes over as a higher-ABV% beer; this is one for slow sipping as it slowly warms and opens up.
O- Very nice and I'd happily buy this again. Zero out of place. It's a shame the info on the beer's rear lable is printed so tiny, as I'm unable to read much of it, even with specs on and under a good light.
500ml bottle BB: 06-2020 (laser etched @ neck).
Nov 04, 2019
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Reviewed by shambeano from Australia

3.86/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
500ml bottle, best before 04/2020. Poured into a tulip glass at a little under room temperature.
Look: Pours a clear copper amber, with about 1.5 cm of fluffy white head. The head hangs around for a little white, slowly subsiding. Little bit of lacing. Looks pretty good.
Smell: Malty, a little caramel, a touch bit of biscuit. There is a touch of something floral in there towards the end, but nothing specific I can name.
Taste: Malty like the nose, toffee/caramel, an ANZAC biscuit/flapjack kind of flavour (golden syrup and cereal malt). There is also a little fruitiness, maybe stewed apple with a touch of spice. Touch of bitterness rounds it all.
Feel: a little lighter bodied than I had expected. Some tingly carbonation, but its a bit light on. A touch dry at the end.
Overall: Pretty good. Particularly if you are in the mood for something malt driven.
Aug 16, 2019
 
Rated: 3.93 by arzt from Germany

Apr 21, 2019
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Reviewed by KooVee from Finland

4/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
50cl bottle, bb in 8m.

Colour of clear tea, off-white dense but transient head that leaves a nice lace.

Drive-by is over-ripe pear. Interesting.

Nose is first sweetened dark berries covered with caramel, and becomes an ever more intense vanilla as the beer warms up. In general this beer (of course) benefits from being let to reach the natural serving temperature for the style. Fridge-cold, the genre is thin and dull which I think shows in many reviews.

Taste brings in syrup-derived restrained brown sugar flavour, and a layer of earthy bitterness that brings to mind tea, autumn leaves, a bit of faintly peppery spice. Dark fruit too, some would probably say.. to me it is the glucose judiciously portioned. Mouthfeel is medium for the style. Not big and chewy as some seem to expect. Alleviated by sugar as it should be.The tea/earthy notes I would guess to come from Fuggles or some similar classic earthy English hop.

Overall one has to let the beer warm up and not expect fireworks what comes to taste. The aim is to be drinkable with subtle complexity. This is not the most memorable expression of the idea, but for a Neame beer I am impressed. Usually they are one-dimensional.
Apr 06, 2019
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Rated by Captain68 from Russian Federation

3.7/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
87
Mar 04, 2019
 
Rated: 3.76 by Beer_Rabbit66 from England

Mar 01, 2019
 
Rated: 3.65 by lhwjanssen from Netherlands

Feb 02, 2019
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Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.66/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
500ml bottle - once again, it's not often that we see new offerings from the UK around here.

This beer pours a clear, bright medium bronzed amber colour, with three fingers of puffy, rocky, and somewhat fizzy ecru head, which leaves some random splotchy and sudsy lace around the glass as things quickly evaporate.

It smells of grainy and biscuity caramel malt, a lesser toffee sweetness, some indistinct bruised pome fruitiness, and plain earthy, musty, and floral green hop bitters. The taste is bready and crackery cereal malt, biscuity toffee, baked red apples, overripe pears, a bit of black peppercorn spice, some faint minerality, and more understated leafy, herbal, and dead floral hoppiness.

The carbonation is adequate in its palate-coddling frothiness, the body a so-so middleweight, and mostly smooth, with just a touch of coy hop astringency maybe not following the social norms at this point in the game. It finishes off-dry, the biscuity malt directing the lingering revue.

Overall - this comes across as an affable enough version of the style, very English in its bearing (duh). At any rate, it's quite flavourful, and easy to put back, with zero sign of the extra (in North America, anyways) one and a half points of the ol' wowee sauce. Give it a shot, is my two cents' worth.
Nov 07, 2018
1698 Kentish Strong Ale from Shepherd Neame Ltd
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 111 ratings