Dragonfire by Shepherd Neame

Type: Golden Ale
ABV: 4.5%
Brewery: Shepherd Neame

Introduction

Now and again I pop in my local Lidl to see what Beer's they have on offer. One brewery that the Supermarket giant stocks quite regularly is the Kent Brewery, Shepherd Neame. Along with their flagship beer's, Spitfire and Bishop's Finger, the odd other Shepherd Neame offering pops up from time to time. A few months back I found Dragonfire in my local Lidl's.

There's not much information regarding Dragonfire on the Internet. Even the Shepherd Neame website itself don't have any kind of product information regarding the Beer. So, all the information I'm going to give you today is from the bottle.

Firstly, the notes on the back of the bottle mention that Dragonfire is ideal for Saint George's Day. Therefore, I'm assuming that this is a seasonal brew, on sale around the March / April period.

There's a good amount of different ingredients that have gone into Dragonfire, including malted barley, oats, rye and wheat with Golding Hops to round the whole thing off. It sounds like there's going to be a lot going on when I get round to tasting this mahogany coloured Beer.

Aroma & Taste

What I liked on the nose with Dragonfire is the spice that comes through. Like the aroma, on the palette the spice factor hits quite quickly, Medium in body. Towards the middle, there's a slight dryness that finishes up with a medium bitter finish.

Overall Impressions

Fair play, Shepherd Neame have done good with Dragonfire. There's enough going on to make you sit up and take notice, while not being overpowering or harsh. Sometimes I wonder if Shepherd Neame produce too many different releases, and they all become quite similar or in the worst case, the quality just isn't there. However, in Dragonfire's case, this one's a keeper.

See: Mahogany

Smell: Spice

Taste: Roasted, Spice