To many in Sussex the name Harvey is synonymous with beer. I should say that despite my name, I have no connection with this Harvey! The best bitter, although by no means the only brew, is particularly appreciated. Tours of the brewery in Lewes are very much in demand and fill up quickly. Tours have now closed for 2025 as the brewery prepares for its busy winter season. They will resume in April 2026.
As part of the Heritage Open Days weekend, Harvey’s opened its doors on 14th September for a free tour. This is always very popular and requires booking. I was online at 9.00am on 21st August when booking opened and managed to secure two tickets – the maximum allowed. By 12 noon the strictly limited allocation was snapped up.
Our tour was conducted by Miles Jenner, who is not only joint Managing Director but also the Head Brewer and has been for 45 years. There could be no one better to explain the history and processes that produce beer sold in over 40 pubs in the south east and in some 600 outlets throughout the country.
The tour began in the yard where he described why the water, drawn from a well sixty feet below the brewery, is so important. Even if the same recipe was used elsewhere, the taste would not be the same – the well water makes it unique. Having the well ensures the brewery is not dependent on the vagaries of the mains water supply.
Also in the yard, we were told about the extension built in 1985. As can be seen from the picture above, this is entirely in keeping with the older building. The sign Harvey’s Holt and the railway station porch were donated by Sheffield Park Station – there were never actual railway lines in the yard.
Inside, we were shown the mark of where the flood water reached in 2000. Miles Jenner explained that despite £2m of damage, the brewery was somehow operational again in nine days. The resulting abandoned best bitter was salvaged and bottled as ‘Ouse Booze’. This name was originally intended as a joke, but was so popular that it stuck.
This flood was not the first to hit the brewery. In November 1960 Cliffe High Street was underwater for a week and brewing was interrupted. In 1996 it was fire that disrupted operations and many historical documents were lost. In honour of the firefighters who dealt with the blaze, a special brew ‘Bonfire Boy’ was produced.
The building has been adapted as necessary but retains many original features. This means access can be tricky but we were shown the various rooms, stages and equipment needed for the process. Malting the barley, crushing, grinding and mashing continues in its present form as it has done for centuries. The yeast is a sixty-year-old strain exclusive to Harvey’s. The hops, which are locally sourced from Kent, Surrey and Sussex impart their own particular characteristic to the different brews. Hoads Farm near Burwash has been supplying them since 1900.
During COVID the brewery maintained its contracts with the hop producers to ensure production could continue when brewing returned. Mr Jenner explained that nothing is wasted. The spent barley and hop residues are sent to Plumpton Agricultural College and Barcombe Nurseries.
Harvey’s has managed to hold its own against the big boys and came through the 1970s era of Watneys Red Barrel etc, ready for the rise of CAMRA to reignite the desire for proper beer. Although in 2016 Harvey’s introduced its own keg it still maintains a rare tradition. Returnable glass bottles are washed and refilled on site.
The tour concluded with a generous tasting. Mr Jenner explained our choices and several members of the tour took the opportunity to try a second or even a third brew.
The intricacies of the process, along with more of the history, can be found on www.harveys.org.uk. I will remember the words: grist, mash, liquor and wort, hopefully they are in the right order.
There is a saying in Sussex (that I was not previously aware of – but then I am from London) ‘We wunt be druv’. It means ‘We cannot be driven.’ This appears on Harvey’s website. They intend to remain an independent, family-owned business continuing along their own path for many generations to come.
Keep an eye on the website for when the tours are booking again. They fill up pretty fast.
