Shepherd Neame superfan Jace Dempster has set himself a target of visiting all of the brewer’s Kent pubs in one year. But now he can also tick off spending a day making beer at the brewery.
Jace Dempster gets down to brewing with brewing manager Rupert Hodgkins, then enjoys a pint in the Shepherd Neame visitor centre. Photographs: Shepherd Neame
Jace, from Hythe, started the pub challange at the end of January, as a tribute to the Faversham-based brewery and his personal love of the beer it brews.
With help from his partner, Vanessa, family and friends, he has ticked off 75 so far as he heads towards his target of all 189 by the end of January 2023.
To celebrate his achievement, Jace was invited to Shepherd Neame’s brewery on Wednesday to get some hands-on experience of helping to brew his favourite beer.
He was treated to a full tour of the brewery by brewing manager Rupert Hodgkins, which included joining the team in their work. He learnt about the history of the brewery, and enjoyed an all-important tasting session in the visitor centre to round off his visit. He was also presented with a limited edition Shepherd Neame Tercentary bone china plate, painted by Malcolm D Johnson.
Rupert said: “We talked through the brewing process, where our hops come from and what the malt does, and some of the differences between the brews. After a crash course in malting, milling, and mashing, Jace mashed in a batch of Spitfire Gold. He did very well and we enjoyed showing him what we do and how we do it!”
A family affair
Jace said: “Vanessa and I had a great day. Rupert was a great host, really informative, and seemed to have a real passion for his job. There was so much information to take in.”
Of his pubs challenge, he added: “I’m really enjoying doing it. It has been great, too, as we have seen far more of Kent, and been to places we might not have gone to before. Recently, we went up to the Botany Bay, and visited Joss Bay. We’d heard of it, but had never been there before and had no idea how nice it was. And the same with Minnis Bay.”
He has trips planned with friends and family to Deal and Sheerness and Sittingbourne, and an overnight stay in Whitstable with Vanessa, where they plan to tick off a number of pubs in one weekend.
While in Faversham, they were able to tick off five Shepherd Neame pubs, including the Sun Inn. Jace has been keeping a journal of his journey, scoring each pub out of ten as he goes, and drinking a minimum of half a pint at each.
Some of his visits have also been family affairs with Vanessa, baby son Cody, daughter Issy, and even dog Patch, coming along.
