Harveys Brewery

For the Bristol, England sherry and wine merchant, see John Harvey & Sons.
Harvey & Son (Lewes) Ltd.
Industry Brewing
Founded 1790
Founder John Harvey
Headquarters Lewes, England
Area served
 South East England
Products Beer
Number of employees
 73

Harvey's Brewery is a brewery in Lewes, East Sussex, England.

Harvey's estate includes 48 tied houses, mostly in Sussex, and several in London, Royal Oak, Southwark, The Cat's Back, Wandsworth and The Phoenix, Stockwell. It sells and distributes its main product, Sussex Best Bitter, to other pubs and social clubs in South East England.

John Harvey established the Bridge Wharf Brewery on its present site by the River Ouse, overlooking Cliffe Bridge.

History

Harvey's brewery as seen from the Cliffe Bridge in Lewes, East Sussex, July 2006

In 1880, part of the original Georgian brewery was rebuilt: the Tower and Brew House visible for example from Cliffe Bridge. This is an example of a country brewery with a facade in a rustic Neo-Gothic design of the Victorian era, a listed building at Grade II*.[1] Behind it stands another half: the Georgian fermenting room, cellars and Vat House. The fermenting room, Brew House and cellars have not changed in layout and dimensions, although reinforced and their contents have evolved. The Vat House was converted and expanded into the modern bottling process.

The current yeast strain was introduced in 1957 from the John Smith's Brewery.[2]

In 1984, a second brewing line was completed doubling production capacity from 25,000 to 50,000 barrels a year. The building for this plant has been added in front of the Tower in a similar Gothic style, such as an arched ironwork window.

In 2016, after many years of keg beers being absent from the brewery's portfolio, a limited range of them was introduced.

Also in 2016 the company made its first entry into the canned beer market with a range that included its flagship Sussex Best Bitter.

Harvey's is an independent family company: Harvey & Son (Lewes) Ltd. The seventh generation of John Harvey's descendants are among directors.

Orthography

Although Harvey's Brewery had traditionally omitted an apostrophe from its name and products, the newly designed pump badge (since 2010) for its Sussex Best Bitter included one. Subsequently individual beer badging omitted or included the apostrophe seemingly randomly. In August 2016 Harvey's launched new branding across the whole company. It was launched at the CAMRA Great British Beer Festival in that month and specifically ensured that an apostrophe was always included in every instance of the brewery's name on point of sale material, websites, glassware, advertising copy and paperwork.

At the same time a company strapline was introduced ‘We wunt be druv’ meaning 'we won't be driven'.

Beers

Harvey's brewery shop in Cliffe High Street, Lewes, May 2007.

Harvey's produces cask-conditioned, kegged, canned and bottled ales. In the case of cask-conditioned and bottled ales there is a range which is always available ("all-year"), and then a selection of "seasonal" ales.

The brewery's former depot (beside Lewes railway station) in April 2007
  • Cask-conditioned
    • "All-year" Brews (Original Gravity / Alcohol by volume)
      • Sussex Best Bitter (OG 1036°–1040° / abv 4.0%)
      • IPA (OG 1030°–1034° / abv 3.5%)
      • Armada Ale (OG 1044°–1048° / abv 4.5%)
      • Mild Ale (OG 1028°–1032° / abv 3.0%)
    • Seasonal brews (Alcohol by Volume / Availability)
      • Porter (abv 4.8% / March)
      • Knots of May Mild (abv 3% / May)
      • Copperwheat (abv 4.8% / June)
      • Tom Paine (abv 5.5% / July)
      • Southdown Harvest (abv 5.5% / September)
      • Old Ale (abv 4.3% / October 1–May 1)
      • Bonfire Boy (abv 5.8% / November)
      • Christmas Ale (abv 8.1% / December–early January)
  • Bottled
    • "All-year" brews (Alcohol by Volume)
      • Blue Label (3.6%)
      • India Pale Ale (3.2%)
      • Star of Eastbourne (6.5%) - originally a contract brew which has become regular
      • Lewes Castle Brown Ale (4.8%)
  • Kegged
    • Gold Bier (4.0%)
    • Malt Brown (4.8%)
    • Black Stout (4.8%)
    • Wharf IPA (4.8%)
  • Canned
    • Sussex Best Bitter (4.0%)
    • Gold Bier (4.0%)
    • Malt Brown (4.8%)
    • Black Stout (4.8%)

Awards

In 2005 and 2006, Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter won the Best Bitter category at the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Great British Beer Festival.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1043864)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
  2. ↑ https://www.businessinbrighton.org.uk/blog/2013/11/08/harveys-let-us-some-brewing-secrets
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