tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post8676994140691539036..comments2024-03-29T08:01:51.705+00:00Comments on The Pub Curmudgeon: Cream of the cropCurmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-27015659854934825812019-09-13T23:31:46.334+01:002019-09-13T23:31:46.334+01:00Good point about Jeff and the Gunmakers. Really tu...Good point about Jeff and the Gunmakers. Really turned my head 10 years ago as to how good it could be. Shame he didn't work his magic on Arkells 3B! retiredmartinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15429804437739227082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-87674696708378192112019-09-13T16:44:07.401+01:002019-09-13T16:44:07.401+01:00I grew up with Harvey's. When I was a child in...I grew up with Harvey's. When I was a child in the 80s they were my Mum's favourite brewery. Their beers were among the first I drank as a teenager.<br /><br />I've tried 25 different Harvey's cask beers, including rare ones like Elizabethan and PofD, plus a few bottles and even a can of their bitter while riding the observation tower in Brighton.<br /><br />And yet, in all honesty, I consider them an entirely unremarkable brewery. No better or worse than others of their ilk. I fail to see what all the fuss is about, if indeed there is even a fuss-about being fussed about.Ben Viveurhttp://www.benviveur.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-72999192611452276572019-09-11T18:17:01.906+01:002019-09-11T18:17:01.906+01:00A swift half of 6X at opening time while waiting t...A swift half of 6X at opening time while waiting to change buses might just have been the best beer I've had this year.Sic1314https://www.blogger.com/profile/13483987336328474503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-30494928351262924152019-09-10T14:12:39.964+01:002019-09-10T14:12:39.964+01:00Good point about beer dropping bright quickly. Thi...Good point about beer dropping bright quickly. This encourages inexperienced (most) people who are running a cellar to think that the beer is ready for sale. In many cases they'd be right as a great many micro breweries use conditioning tanks and their cask beers rarely have any secondary fermentation - they're just not kegged. The problem is that genuine cask beers won't be ready for a few days even if they look ready.electricpicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09144970068645280352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-58450044533710276742019-09-10T12:45:18.184+01:002019-09-10T12:45:18.184+01:00I'd also imagine that if your experience of br...I'd also imagine that if your experience of brewery visits is talking to a couple of guys in a unit on an industrial estate, the first time you go somewhere like Harvey's is pretty mindblowing.<br />APAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-64276487029800605402019-09-10T09:30:30.887+01:002019-09-10T09:30:30.887+01:00One might legitimately argue that the cellar man h...One might legitimately argue that the cellar man has so much more influence on the taste than the brewer that it is impossible to say that one beer is better than another unless they are stored and served in the same establishment.dcbwhaleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02585310584555592882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-75825675035400010212019-09-09T22:05:37.055+01:002019-09-09T22:05:37.055+01:00There is a bit of a thing going on where at times ...There is a bit of a thing going on where at times crafties seem to queue up to express their love for an otherwise off message beer. A while back I can remember a few expressing their love of Bud, and Matt Curtis may have been among them. Still, Harvey's Best is a definite improvement, though last time I had it it was overshadowed by Armada. Now that was gorgeous. And come to think of it when I made trips to Lewes it would be in July so I could drink the Tom Paine. Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13844169940650659196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-53277945934890247952019-09-09T21:32:48.106+01:002019-09-09T21:32:48.106+01:00This would have been about 1982-83, on a Saturday ...This would have been about 1982-83, on a Saturday lunchtime. I don't actually think I went in that many Harvey's pubs.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-17349747894100646062019-09-09T21:31:55.220+01:002019-09-09T21:31:55.220+01:00Yes, any cask beer is only as good as the cellarpe...Yes, any cask beer is only as good as the cellarperson who looks after it.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-59474612729748649592019-09-09T21:21:46.824+01:002019-09-09T21:21:46.824+01:00not always, last time I tried it at the Harp, they...not always, last time I tried it at the Harp, they had to chuck it down the sink as it was off,the replacement wasnt much better either, cant say I was that impressed or since when Ive visited. And Ive tended to avoid the Best since on the assumption its the classic "old skool" beer that sits on the bar, and especially in Brighton or craft heavy venues, when theres a stack of stuff more likely to be fresher and turned over more. Why Harveys escapes the atypical nonsense about not being a heavily hopped forward beer producer, probably lack of venues selling their beer for one,but probably people dont associate the beer with Harveys, the amount of times someone will say to me how they went through Lewes and may even have been to the Harveys shop, but completely missed the brewery was there, is quite remarkable.Stonohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02656315721111561414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-42092912961098518052019-09-09T20:17:28.135+01:002019-09-09T20:17:28.135+01:00Yes, my most recent memories of Harveys, in Bright...Yes, my most recent memories of Harveys, in Brighton last year and Haywards Heath this year, were both poor. Not, I guess, the brewer's fault, but nevertheless the memory lingers. And makes the memories of previous good experiences harder to access.Sheffield Hatterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01150338231906559719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-85782818536383019982019-09-09T19:53:28.446+01:002019-09-09T19:53:28.446+01:00In London, I think its star has been buoyed by two...In London, I think its star has been buoyed by two pubs: The Harp which was voted best pub in the UK and has always had it on, and the Royal Oak - run by Harvey's and an upstairs room hosts the SBPW. These two pubs are celebrities for cask ale in the capital.alecandsophiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00862817185945565984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-45447370968581114872019-09-09T16:34:35.206+01:002019-09-09T16:34:35.206+01:00Living where I do on the Kent-Sussex border, I'...Living where I do on the Kent-Sussex border, I've probably drunk more pints of Harvey's Best in the course of a lifetime's drinking than any other beer. It would definitely be my desert island beer.<br /><br />It is easy to keep and drops bright really quickly, as Wickingman observed, but that could be why Retired Martin has found so many indifferent pints on his travels.<br /><br />Licensees are either serving it too young, or are keeping it on too long, due to slow turnover in food oriented gastro pubs.<br /><br />Martin asks about ingredients and Harvey's make no secret that they include a portion of flaked maize in the beer. Personally speaking I don't feel this does any harm.<br /><br />I can't comment too much on the other beers mentioned. I like Black Sheep, but have never been a fan of Wadworth 6X. This isn't because I regard it as a boring brown bitter; I just find it far too malty for my tastes.Paul Baileyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09678639237696546268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-44752113186858908972019-09-09T16:04:51.848+01:002019-09-09T16:04:51.848+01:00Harvey's seem to be modernising their brand a ...Harvey's seem to be modernising their brand a bit these days, there are definite signs of Adnamification. If Bathams sold their beer in London the craft lot would love it. Maybe McMullen's AK will have its moment.<br />APAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-9945575194350284762019-09-09T14:12:15.216+01:002019-09-09T14:12:15.216+01:00As readable as ever. My impression is that a few y...As readable as ever. My impression is that a few years ago it was consistently very good as others fell by the wayside, King and Barnes in particular. Also Sussex is a bit of a craft brewery centre and Harvey's pubs in Brighton and Lewes did it no harm on the craft front. And it had a lot of support from Jeff Bell at the Gunmakers in London.<br />On a personal front, about 10 years ago I had a polypin over Christmas period stored in a cellar-cool garage. I remember it was still excellent after 10 days. Perhaps it's ability to clear quickly and keep well is a key attribute.<br />TheWickingMannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-67672805057773450612019-09-09T13:42:25.737+01:002019-09-09T13:42:25.737+01:00"despite having both been on a pub crawl of L..."despite having both been on a pub crawl of Lewes" <br />If it was anytime between 1985 and 1999 then we may well have been in the same pub seeing as I drank pretty much every night in Lewes between those times. Happy days.Fredrik Eichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08442979299648454852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-66227766092954410802019-09-09T12:30:24.068+01:002019-09-09T12:30:24.068+01:00I was delighted to see Sussex Best on the bar at t...I was delighted to see Sussex Best on the bar at the Free Trade Inn last week and it scored an easy 4/5. Harveys have always been very rare up here even since most beers seem to be available everywhere at some point. It's a fine example but as you say, there are plenty of others, all great examples of the style when they're treated to good cellarmanship which seems to be increasingly uncommon. electricpicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09144970068645280352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-46586018864059157922019-09-09T11:15:00.038+01:002019-09-09T11:15:00.038+01:00Great post. You really made a lot of points here. ...Great post. You really made a lot of points here. Really an enjoyable read and well thought out. Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04039590363732278703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-11807545933478778052019-09-09T11:12:17.312+01:002019-09-09T11:12:17.312+01:00"Are they (Black Sheep, John Smith's, 6X ..."Are they (Black Sheep, John Smith's, 6X etc) as good as Harvey’s? Probably not. But they’re certainly in the same general ballpark of quality when well-kept."<br /><br />Great piece, spot-on conclusion. But unless you're brave enough to try those BBBs in pubs with good cellarmanship and fast turnover you'd never know. I'd love to know if Harvey's is actually made with better ingredients than Black Sheep or 6X, or whether the pre-eminence of Harvey's is just sentiment.<br /><br />It's a great beer, but I could take you to a fair few GBG gastropubs in Sussex where you'd struggle to score a 3.retiredmartinhttp://www.retiredmartin.comnoreply@blogger.com