Production Today

Production at Harveys has doubled over the past twenty-five years and the installation of our second brewing line in 1985, at a time of declining beer sales, has been vindicated. The increased flexibility afforded by this and subsequent works has enabled the brewery to produce an additional premium bitter throughout the year and a range of twelve seasonal brews, each available for one month only. In 1990 we were the first brewery to publish a 'seasonal brew programme' having taken the decision to brew Tom Paine each July.

What makes these beers distinctive? We believe that this is achieved by selecting the finest raw materials and combining them with unique 'local' conditions within a traditional brewhouse.

Malt

We brew with Maris Otter malted barley, the product of a long programme of cross selection dating back to the early 1900s and much prized by cask ale brewers. One of its ancestors is a descendant of the original two rowed types grown in the British Isles at least as early as the sixteenth century.

Hops

Local whole hops from Sussex, Kent and Surrey comprising such long established varieties as Fuggles, Goldings, Progress and Bramling Cross combine to produce a distinctive hop character: Some of these varieties date back to the 1870s.

Spring Water

Rainfall which has filtered through the chalk downs over decades is drawn from our artesian well some sixty feet below the brewery.

Yeast

For over half a century we have fermented our beers using a yeast which is now unique to us. The crop from each week's brewing is re-pitched into the following week's. Countless generations of yeast cells from our original consignment have thus passed through our fermenting room.

Consistency

This is the goal of our brewing team. We firmly believe that we are as good as our last pint and constant vigilance is the order of the day.