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#studentfarmer
BOTTOMS UP! The history of the British pint goes back centuries. We’re wired to love the stuff (once we turn 18, of course) writes Jim McKeane
DEStINATION: KENT-ISH
WHAT’S ON DRAUGHT?
When Shepherd Neame kindly agreed to produce a beer for us, there was a flurry of selflessness at #studentfarmer mission control. Everyone was happy to be involved and help out as much as possible. The generosity really was remarkable. Anyway, the day finally arrived and the lucky team involved followed the yellow-brick road (M25) to Kent, circumnavigating London in the luxury of a champagne gold Fiat 500L. After a good deal of dubious music choices and questionable automotive interior design, the freeway-flying was at an end.
We are led tantalisingly through the on-site pub, into the courtyard. Its red bricks are thoroughly scarred. In the olden days, the draymen delivery drivers would typically slake their thirst at each of the fourteen inns on their round. With the driver asleep at the reins, the designated draft horses would heave home, taking a rather blinkered view of parallel parking!
BEER STREET Getting into town, we followed our noses as the warm, bready, mashy aromas guided us to Court Street, the location of Britain’s oldest brewer. The natural, chalk-filtered mineral water drew brewers here long before their beer drew us, and the first recorded brewery dates back to 1327. Shepherd Neame itself has been a constant fixture since 1698, and now makes 1.6m pints each week. There are always 4m pints of beer being made at any one time.
LET’S HAVE A BREW Trundling up a spiral staircase we kick off the brewing process where it all starts, with just four ingredients: water, barley, hops and yeast. The barley is first malted, dried, then left until sprouting is possible. The seeds are then placed in water. The result is then dried again after which varying degrees of kiln-heating make different kinds of malts, from chocolatey ones to lighter sorts. This is all mixed with hot water to make a mash. The hot water releases the sugars from the malt and makes what’s called the wort. Once cool, yeast is added, which consumes the sugars, producing alcohol. Carbon dioxide is a by-product of the process and