Bishops Finger
(has 2 batches)
Shepherd Neame in Faversham, Kent, England 🏴
Bitter - ESB / Strong Bitter Regular|
Score
6.35
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First brewed in 1958, Bishops Finger was the first strong ale created by Shepherd Neame after 20 years of malt rationing came to an end.
The beer was named after an ancient Kentish signpost found on the Pilgrim’s Way pointing to Canterbury and the shrine of Thomas à Becket in the city’s world-famous Cathedral.
A rich and fruity ruby ale, it has won numerous awards, including World’s Best Bitter in the 2024 World Beer Awards, and also holds EU Protected Geographical Indication, recognising its unique provenance as a Kentish Strong Ale. Uniquely, it is brewed to a charter which states it can only be brewed by the head brewer on a Friday and must use 100% natural ingredients - Kentish hops and barley - and the brewery's own artesian mineral water.
Flavour profile
Fashioned on a firm, fruity foundation of Crystal malt, this rich, ruby-coloured Kent classic belies its burly appearance with a complexity of flavour. Mouth-filling fruit, prunes, plums and dried apricot spiked with palate-prickling pepper, cinnamon and a soft bitter blood-orange finish.
The beer was named after an ancient Kentish signpost found on the Pilgrim’s Way pointing to Canterbury and the shrine of Thomas à Becket in the city’s world-famous Cathedral.
A rich and fruity ruby ale, it has won numerous awards, including World’s Best Bitter in the 2024 World Beer Awards, and also holds EU Protected Geographical Indication, recognising its unique provenance as a Kentish Strong Ale. Uniquely, it is brewed to a charter which states it can only be brewed by the head brewer on a Friday and must use 100% natural ingredients - Kentish hops and barley - and the brewery's own artesian mineral water.
Flavour profile
Fashioned on a firm, fruity foundation of Crystal malt, this rich, ruby-coloured Kent classic belies its burly appearance with a complexity of flavour. Mouth-filling fruit, prunes, plums and dried apricot spiked with palate-prickling pepper, cinnamon and a soft bitter blood-orange finish.
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7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Pint of cask in the Bishops Finger in Smithfield. An appealing dark brown in the glass and a minimal head, but plenty of lacing. The taste was big malt, bitter hops and a kick of alcohol; everything that you would expect in an English ESB. It was perfectly kept and gorgeous to drink and was so good that we had another one. An ideal beer for the time of year and to toast the season with my brother.
Tried
from Cask
on 15 Dec 2017
at 02:58
5.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 4
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Cask at The Star Inn, Guildford. Low key fruity aroma. Dark brown. Decent creamy off-white head. Sweet with a touch of berry sourness. However pretty bland. Thin-medium bodied. Soft bodied and carbonated. Abrupt finish. Slips down easily enough but a bit of a non-event.
Tried
from Cask
on 17 Nov 2017
at 06:17
7.5/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 6
A deep dark brown in the tankard and a light foam head. The taste was well balanced malt and bitter hops, with a very light sweetness lurking quiety in the background. The mouthfeel was smooth because of all the malt and the alcohol was quite forward. Overall a well balanced ESB. So many are too sweet for my liking, but this had a welcome bitterness from the hops.
Tried
on 12 Oct 2017
at 03:19
6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Clear bottle: A brownish color with an off white head. Aroma is malty. Taste is a mix of malts and bitter. Very to style. Light metallic in finish, but it was also shipped to Qatar so that could explain that.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Sep 2017
at 23:42