643: Harveys | Lewes Castle Brown

The brewery: “Harvey's Brewery is the oldest independent brewery in Sussex. A family business, the brewery has been in the guardianship of seven generations of John Harvey's descendants since 1790, with five family members from the seventh and eighth generations currently working here. Still a privately-owned limited company, Harvey's has no shares marketed for external investment.”

The beer: “A traditional brown ale. Brewed with roasted malt and dark sugars, it has a sweet, malty palate and a bittersweet finish derived from Fuggle and Progress aroma hops. There is a lush fullness, offset by a hint of burnt sugars. Sweet palate with notes of coffee and liquorice.”

A tad on the sweet side for me but an enjoyable lockdown quaff nonetheless. Another quality ale from Harveys. 4.8% A.B.V. May 2020. Related entries

642: Harveys | Star of Eastbourne

The brewery: “Harvey's Brewery is the oldest independent brewery in Sussex. A family business, the brewery has been in the guardianship of seven generations of John Harvey's descendants since 1790, with five family members from the seventh and eighth generations currently working here. Still a privately-owned limited company, Harvey's has no shares marketed for external investment.

The beer: “First brewed to mark the Eastbourne Beer Festival in October 2004. A strong, old style India Pale Ale reminiscent of the beers exported across the globe by British breweries during the early nineteenth century. This golden IPA exudes a full hop aroma, with subtle hints of marmalade. The crisp bitterness lingers on the palate giving a dry finish.”

Another new one to pass my lips during lockdown and what a cracker. It reminded me a bit of Abbot Ale though perhaps a bit lighter taste wise. Similar strength at 5.5% A.B.V and like Abbot, very appealing to my taste buds. May 2020. Related entries

641: Hepworth | Iron Horse

The brewery: “Andy Hepworth started brewing in Reading almost directly after University. He moved to Horsham in 1980 and within five years became the youngest Head Brewer in the country, winning many awards.The long-standing tradition of brewing in Horsham came to an abrupt halt in 2000 with the sale of its last brewery and so Andy, determined to maintain that tradition, joined up with the key members of the brewing team in order to create Hepworths, an independent brewery aiming to build its own range of quality brands, while maintaining flexibility for contract work.”

The beer: “Iron Horse is a premium bitter brewed with Sussex hops. This wonderful Pale Ale is handcrafted from a complex grist of roasted malts and Sussex grown hops delivering full flavour ale with a traditional Sussex hoppy nose to the finish.The result is an authentic craft beer, gluten free, traditionally brewed, with no compromise on quality, taste or strength. Densely flavoured and very satisfying at 4.8% abv.

Another enjoyable ale from Hepworths. Densely flavoured yes and definitely maltier than the recently sample Pullman but not too ‘syrupy’. A tasty beer, no doubt. 4.8% A.B.V.

April 2020. Related entries

640: Hepworth | Pullman

The brewery: “Andy Hepworth started brewing in Reading almost directly after University. He moved to Horsham in 1980 and within five years became the youngest Head Brewer in the country, winning many awards.The long-standing tradition of brewing in Horsham came to an abrupt halt in 2000 with the sale of its last brewery and so Andy, determined to maintain that tradition, joined up with the key members of the brewing team in order to create Hepworths, an independent brewery aiming to build its own range of quality brands, while maintaining flexibility for contract work.”

The beer: “Pullman is a First Class Best Bitter from first class brewers. Using our traditional brewing expertise along with finest Sussex grown malt and Admiral and Golding hops, Pullman delivers a first class fresh crisp bite, long on flavour with a silky finish.”

The first new beer to be added to the Archive during ‘lockdown’. The ale shelves were empty at my local shop the weekend before lockdown was announced and I made a decision to try and source local beers - i.e. from Sussex - to enjoy at home.

I stuck to the larger breweries, not least because, ordering in quantity I knew what I’d be getting, so much of what I ordered I’d sampled before, however that brought with it the chance to try some of their other brews too.

Very crisp this one, a very strong bitter flavour but not too hoppy at all. More full bodied than it’s stable mate ‘Sussex’ and would be my choice out of the two.

April 2020. Related entries

639: Wimbeldon | Common Pale Ale

The Brewery: “Wimbledon has a long and illustrious brewing history. The new brewery is based on the site of Merton Priory which was brewing throughout the Middle Ages until its dissolution in 1538. One William Watney ran the Wheatsheaf Brewery in the Crooked Billet area of Wimbledon in the 18th century. His direct descendants went on to establish the famous Watney brewing empire…..”

The Beer: “Named after Wimbledon’s historic Common, this pale ale is burnished gold in colour with a bright sparkle. The aroma has spicy orange notes with a light malt fruitiness. The middle palate is clean with the Maris Otter malt character coming through with orange fruits making a re-appearance, merging with the final refreshing bite of bitterness.”

Well I didn’t cop too much of the orange flavour thankfully. Not my favourite style of ale as I’ve said many times but on what was quite a long night it was good to start with something lighter. Another one I’d say that , served a little colder, would be very enjoyable on a warm summers’ night. 3.7% A.B.V.

The Lyric, Soho, London. February 2020.

638: Torrside Brewing | Candlewick

The Brewery: “ We've been brewing in New Mills since 2015, based at the Marina and opposite the famous Swizzels factory. Our name comes from the other major landmark of the town, the Torrs - a park set in the 70-foot-deep gorge cut by the Rivers Goyt & Sett, that the town stands above and around, where many of the town's mills used to stand……Torrside is a democratic set-up between 3  long-practicing homebrewers,  Chris, Nick, and Peter  -  with a lot of support from our long-suffering partners.   We'd each been brewing for several years, excited by the sheer range of beer from the new UK brewers, US imports and even more from Europe - and it felt time to do something with all that beer obsession. “

No official description or tasting notes from the brewery. Pleasant but a little lifeless carbonation wise, quite smooth but I felt lacked the body that some stouts have at a similar A.B.V. Would happily drink again though. 4.0% A.B.V.

Westow House, Crystal Palace, London. October 2019

637: Church Farm | Harry’s Heifer

The Brewery: “Church Farm Brewery is a family run craft brewery located on the family farm on the outskirts of Warwick. In November 2012 we sold our herd of dairy cattle and converted the milking equipment into a microbrewery, we’ve never looked back since….We use water from the farm’s well, locally sourced malt and hops and just add time and dedication to create a cracking pint.”

The Beer: “Quaffable session ale with a hoppy aroma. Brewed with a blend of Marris Otter, Vienna and Crystal Malts, with Centennial and Cascade Hops.”

COLOUR: LIGHT, AMBER
SMELL: FLORAL. CITRUS, HOPPY
TASTE: CITRUS, BITTER, SWEET

This followed the tasty Yer’ Bard which I preferred to be honest. Would happily drink it again though. 4.2% A.B.V.

The Old Coffee Tavern, Warwick. January 2020