Fan of Britain’s oldest brewer vows to have a pint in every one of their pubs

There are many honourable goals in life – but one man may have topped all our ambitions by vowing to get a beer in more than 300 of Britain’s oldest brewer’s pubs.

Jace Dempster, 35, is embarking on a quest to visit all 190 Shepherd Neame venues in Kent within a year.

If successful, the 35-year-old will move on to even bigger things in 2023 – by this we obviously mean he’ll hit the company’s other venues in London, Essex, Surrey and Sussex.

He’ll have to visit one pub every other day to hit his target.

But the beer lover knew he had to take on the mammoth task after ticking off eight watering holes in Herne Bay over one weekend.

Since then, he has enjoyed at least a half pint in 35 venues – and rates every one out of 10.

Shepherd Neame is best known for traditional Kentish ales such as Spitfire, Master Brew and Bishops Finger.

‘I am very proud that we have Britain’s oldest brewer in our county and am a lover of Shepherd Neame beer’, Jace said.

‘Although I’ve always been an admirer of Shepherd Neame, it wasn’t until I did the tour of the brewery in Faversham that I really became a true fan.’

Of course, any drinker this dedicated to the cause requires a designated driver – and this comes in the form of Jace’s partner Vanessa Newton.

Vanessa was bribed into the role with the promise of lunch, while their baby son Cody, daughter Issy, 12, and family dog Patch also sometimes come along on the trips.

Jace’s favourite pub so far is the Bonny Cravat in Woodchurch, near Ashford, which has a tunnel believed to date back to the Reformation era in the cellar.

‘It has been great to get out and about, not only to see the different pubs but also explore new places’, the dad-of-two said. ‘What is great about Shepherd Neame pubs is that there is such a variety.

‘Some of them are really traditional, some are more contemporary, some more like restaurants, and all in a huge range of locations.’

He added: ‘I loved the history and feel of the Bonny Cravat – all the tunnels underneath going to the church are amazing. It’s a really interesting place to visit.’

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