Shepherd Neame water

The water used for brewing beer is often referred to as ‘liquor’ and Shepherd Neame draw theirs from an artesian well deep beneath their brewery in Faversham, Kent.

Faversham sits on a layer of chalk which acts as a natural filter for rainfall. It takes years for that water to filter into the aquifer beneath the town.

This certified mineral water is then drawn into their historic brew house where it is heated and combined with crushed malted barley at the start of the brewing process.

One of the end products is Spitfire Gold. And, The Retreat regulars are loving it.

Barley is one of the building blocks of any great beer, there is no compromise when Shepherd Neame maltsters select the finest British barley for use in their beers.

Barley corns are germinated before being gently kilned to develop the spectrum of colours and flavours specified by our master brewers.

Delivered to their brewery daily, the malt is then crushed to grist in their historic mill which works around the clock.

>>> see all the real ales we sell

Other beers

The Retreat is proud to have Spitfire Gold as a guest cask ale. We have six real ales on sale at any one time. We also have a range of carefully selected keg beers. The Retreat is not tied to selling beers from just one brewery.

If you want to try something a little different, we have a wide range of bottled beers and ciders as well.

Strangely, not everyone is a beer drinker. Odd, but true. Therefore we keep a range of wines as well. Additionally, we have spirits: gin, whisky, vodka, brandy etc.

Pop into The Retreat soon and see what’s new. We look forward to welcoming you.