Talk:Shepherd Neame Brewery

I'm going to edit this page fairly rigorously as it doesn't come anywhere near a NeutralPointofView. But please don't take this as negative criticism. I as much as you am a fan of real ale: please keep writing about it! sjc PS: most of the second para probably belongs in an article on real ale.sjc

the link to Old Thumper says it's brewed by Ringwood Brewery, not Shepherd Neame, is this an error or is Ringwood a subsidary of S&M, in which case this should be clarified quercus robur 23:11 Mar 30, 2003 (UTC)

Old Thumper is indeed a Ringwood beer, and as far as I know there's no relation between them and Shepherd Neame (S.Neame is Kentish, Ringwood is Hampshire or somewhere that way on). I'll take it out. --Camembert

Just storing a link in here to the annual production: 200,000 barrels claim Ojw 12:03, 29 May 2005 (UTC)

Someone probably ought to mention what I saw in the paper the other day - they're older than they thought, by something like a century. If only I could remember where and when I saw it... 86.11.124.189 17:43, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

http://www.faversham.org/pages/news_item.aspx?i_PageID=171231&i_News_CatID=1 describes research which suggests brewing in Court Street was taking place between 1550 and 1573.

With regard to the the list of beers, somebody should include Original Porter, a quite distinctive seasonal dark cask beer that has also been bottled in the past.

Ditto the IPA, which seems to have slowly disappeared since the millenium but was my personal favourite. Whilst I'm here, I'd make the comment that the whole article still feels a bit WP:ADVERTy in tone, even if there's not many specific problems. It could just do with a major copyedit. 81.109.188.161 (talk) 20:15, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

Also missing are Canterbury Jack, Faversham Hop Festival Ale, Kents Best, and 1698. All of which are sometimes available on draught TacoJim (talk) 12:24, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

History section

The whole history section needs to be referenced. Where does this info come from?Zigzig20s (talk) 10:06, 26 May 2013 (UTC)

• I suspect it all comes from Theo Barker's book, but much of it was added from a bygone era where not citing sources was less of an issue. I'd quite like to improve this article, and since the brewery is just down the road from me, I should be able to get some local books as well and get a good article (or even a good article) out of it. Ritchie333 ^{(talk) (cont)} 15:10, 29 July 2013 (UTC)

Bishop's Finger

The article says: "Bishop's Finger ... takes its name from the Kentish nickname for an ancient signpost on the Pilgrims Way pointing to Canterbury and the shrine of Thomas A Becket", which is uncited. I was under the impression that a "Bishop's Finger" was an historic term for any of the old finger board type signs: they show the right way to go, but don't go themselves – a slander on morality of bishops generally! Can anyone provide a citation either way? Martin of Sheffield (talk) 23:12, 16 February 2017 (UTC)

Request to update article to reflect Shepherd Neame as a PLC

Hi, I’ve noticed that the current article focuses heavily on the brewery aspect of Shepherd Neame, but misses its broader role as a PLC operating over 300 pubs and hotels across the South East.

Full disclosure, I dont work for Shepherd Neame but know the company very well and am passionate about its Kentish heritage. I am an independent tenant of one of their pubs the New Flying Horse. I just noticed that it might be confusing that the article which is rich in its history which is very important might be slightly confusing to readers to think it's just a brewery.

I’d like to suggest the following improvements, backed by reliable sources, to better reflect its company structure, operations, and leadership.

Intro Paragraph Shepherd Neame Ltd is an Aquis-listed British independent family brewery and hospitality company based in Faversham, Kent. While known as Britain’s oldest brewer, its operations extend far beyond brewing, although this remains at its heart. Shepherd Neame owns and operates approx 300 pubs, inns, and hotels across London and the South East, including a significant tenanted estate and a managed house division. The company remains family-influenced, with Jonathan Neame as Chief Executive, and is considered one of the cornerstones of Kentish identity.

infobox update: Replace Infobox Brewery with Infobox Company This better reflects Shepherd Neame’s current operational and financial structure. Suggested fields include:

Type: Public limited company Industry: Brewing, Hospitality Founded: 1698 Headquarters: Faversham, Kent, England Key People: Jonathan Neame (CEO) Number of employees: 1,500+ Products: Beer, Pubs, Hotels Website: https://www.shepherdneame.co.uk Listed: AQSE (Ticker: SNM)

Some sources:

• Shepherd Neame’s investor section – has up-to-date financials, reports, and results
• KentOnline article about their recent record-breaking results
• BBC News – covers the history and the ‘Britain’s oldest brewer’ bit
• The Grocer on how the company bounced back after Covid
• Companies House record – shows directors and business info
• Their listing on Aquis (ticker: SHEP) with live data
• Microsite for their history and branding story
• List of their pubs and hotels (300+ across the South East)
• Info on brewery tours and visitor stuff
• Details about Master Brew – one of their main beers
• Iron Wharf as an example pub from their estate
• Telegraph piece about rising pub sales
• LinkedIn – handy for a snapshot of company structure + leadership Why I think for like for like comparison in the articles you might consider these changes,
• For comparison: Young’s Wikipedia page structure
• Shepherd Neame on Wikidata
• Young’s on Wikidata – useful to see how their info’s structured

Many thank for your time, I am new to this but really enjoyed the exercise, started on Friday and just finished! If you have time I would love your feedback bad and good.

Kind Regards

Joe Pubagent (talk) 22:40, 23 June 2025 (UTC)