Tuesday 25 November 2008

Master Brew by Shepherd Neame - Fancy a cuppa?

My previous experience with Shepherd Neame brews didn't inspire me but I felt I should give them another shot. After all, they seem to have a decent pedigree, a good range of product and I have heard others speak highly of them.
Master Brew appealed to me as perhaps a nice hoppy beer. Perhaps it was the name playing with images of Kent and a brewer with a cloth cap dosing a brew with a summer ripened crop of hops. Wonderful.
The reality was different. A strange brew.
It looked good when poured but when I took a good sniff a got nothing. The taste took me by surprise, it reminded me of cold tea with a dash of lemon. I also tasted raisins and butterscotch  or burnt fudge. The light carbonation helped the flavours bounce around my mouth but as I say, very strange brew.
In one way it reminded me of a beer you would have with a dessert. Perhaps a fudge cake or apple and toffee crumble.
Nothing wrong with it really. I think.
The Verdict
I really can't make my mind up on this one. It was unlike anything I've had before.
Master Brew - 50cl - 4% alcohol - England

3 comments:

Alistair Reece said...

I have not had the Master Brew yet, although I am a fan of both Spitfire and Bishop's Finger. Hope to find a good real ale pub in Ashford at Christmas so I can get them on draught.

The Beer Nut said...

Yeah, there's not much to it. I think it's intended as a pint for quaffing from the cask and it loses a lot of the relevant qualities when it becomes a speciality imported bottled beer, and in clear glass at that.

Not a beer for sipping and sampling, I reckon.

Liam said...

Ye. As I've said I've been a bit disapointed by Shepherd Neame so far. I will plug on though! TBC....