A perfectly crispy crisp with a great cheddar taste

Appealing packaging

Light doesn't shine through

Some things were meant to be: fish and chips, strawberries and cream, eggs and bacon, and another in my opinion is a bag or crisps with a pint of beer. One of my favourite combinations has to be cheese and onion crisps accompanied by a bottle of Spitfire. And top of the list for crisps has to be Kent Crisps, which I only learnt about a couple of months ago. What great packaging - bright and fresh, conjuring up a picture of the Kentish countryside.

Perfect match

These are crisps as they are meant to be: a good strong cheesy aroma, deeply golden and thickly layered in appearance, an exceptional cheesy flavour which literally explodes onto the taste buds, and above all a very satisfying hard crunch. Just listen!

Using the local Kent Ashmore cheese helps to make this an authentic Kent Crisp, and one that perfectly matches the malty notes and hoppy freshness of the Spitfire beer.  Not many things get better than this. (Love the new Spitfire livery to celebrate the Jubilee).

Pubs and the movies

Jackdaw's starring role in Battle of Britain movie

The Jackdaw, Denton Canterbury
The charm of the Jackdaw is that it can cater for a large crowd just as well as it can for a couple looking for a cosy corner for a drink, or meal. This well turned out country Inn made its fame in the 1964 MGM movie "Battle of Britain" and there are framed pictures of the scenes taken with two of the stars, Susannah York and Christopher Plummer on the walls adjacent to the hop-laden bar. The attached film clip shows the role that the Jackdaw Inn played. In keeping with its World War 11 history, the Inn has a commemorative Spitfire bar which features WW11 RAF memorabilia and caters for groups up to 12. Of course, Spitfire cask-condidtioned ale (4.2% ABV) takes pride of place behind the bar.

Featuring the Jackdaw, in the Battle of Britain film (move to 6.52 for first sighting)

Chrisopher Plummer at the bar of the Jackdaw

Susannah York and Christopher Plummer in the Jackdaw

This entire area is rich in Spitfire history, as previously mentioned in my earlier post about Spitfire Ale. See all the links in here for some ideas of where to visit, and other fine pubs that serve Spitfire Ale.  

Spitfire - a great beer with rich Kent history

Spitfire ABV 4.5%

My favourite of the Shepherd Neame beers is Spitfire with its big and bold malty, hoppy taste. It looks good with a decent foam and has a lovely long linger in the mouth.  A cask conditioned ale it has an ABV of 4.2%. It is naturally at home in this historical corner of Kent, where Spitfire planes and their fighter pilots soared over the White Cliffs of Dover. A replica Spitfire plane is to be seen at the National Memorial to the Few cared for by the charity The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust at the top of the Dover Cliffs at Capel le Ferne. Other Spitfire planes can be seen at a truly remarkable and comprehensive exhibition of the lives of fighter pilots: the planes, the missions, the letters and the stories of those fighting in WW1 and WW2 at the volunteer-run  Kent Battle of Britain Museum in Hawkinge.

Bright lights at The King's Head, Deal

Daffodils about to bloom

Recently Spitfire has made a splash with its tongue in cheek advertising which can be found throughout Shepherd Neame pubs, and published in a small booklet, a copy of which was kindly given to me by Graham Stiles of the family run King's Head in Deal. This is a very special pub indeed, with great hospitality, good food, a real love and commitment to Deal, and of course some very fine Spitfire ale. It looks great throughout the year, from Spring until the dark Winter months it is festooned with flowers, and from December through until the end of February it clads its ceilings in thousands of fairy lights, which certainly helps to dispel the Winter gloom. During the Summer it gets together with the nearby Dunkerley Hotel and the Port Arms, to provide music in the sea-facing outside courtyard. It's well worth a visit, and with the Channel View guest house attached, it's worth booking in for a night or two.

A Master Brewer's view of Spitfire bottled beer

As a family of Brewer's it is suitably apt that we have a Master Brewer amongst our ranks. As the former Head of Sensory at the BRI Brewing Research International, which carries out scientific and technical support to the brewing industry worldwide, my sister-in-law knows a thing or two about beer and cider. Armed with a couple of Shepherd Neame beers, we met for an introductory Masterclass in what to look for in a bottled beer. The criteria that we judged against was:

Spitifire 4.5% ABV

• Appearance
• Aroma
• Flavour
• Linger

First up, was one of my favourites, Spitfire 4.5% ABV (alcohol by value). Immediately this was descibed as a "session beer", a beer which has an ABV less than 5% and is the drink of choice over a period of time.

We first looked at the colour which was described as a rich, orangy/amber. The effervescence (or bubbles and coating that these give to the sides of the glass) was descibed as 'lacy', with a mild 'lag' on the sides and a thin foam on top.

Next was the aroma which was toffee-ish and malty. The hops had a very pleasant resonance, clean, with no off-notes or cheesiness (a descriptor given to hops that have started to go off).

Thirdly (and maybe the best bit) is the taste (combining flavour and linger) which you do by sipping and swallowing. I was expertly informed that the taste detectors, or receptors that taste 'bitter" are placed at the back of the throat so unlike wine, beer has to be swallowed to be analysed and diagnosed. The biscuity, malty taste is well balanced and refreshing, with a long linger (the taste stays in the mouth for a long time)

To sum up, our Master Brewer said Spitfire is:

"well balanced, refreshing, has a good flavour with no off-notes. A very pleasant beer". 

And, I have to agree.

Some top tips:

• Always check that the bottled beers are well within the sell by date
• Beers should be served at cell temperature, so cool but not too cold
• Start with the lightest beers and travel through to the darker beer
• When tasting, use unflavoured crackers and water to clean the palate before each new taste
• Did you know that without bread we wouldn't have beer? it was through making bread that people began to understand the action of yeast and sugar.

The next beer to come under the spotlight will be Bishop's Finger. Come back to see what our Master Brewer thought of this and what food compliments it beautifully.