| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1790 |
| Founder(s) | John Harvey |
| Headquarters | Lewes, England |
| Area served | South East England |
| Products | Beer |
| Employees | 73 |
Harveys Brewery (Harvey & Son (Lewes) Ltd.) is a brewery situated in Lewes, in the county of East Sussex, England.
As of 2008, Harvey's estate includes 50 tied houses, almost all in East Sussex and neighbouring counties. It distributes its main product Sussex Best, a bitter, to many more pubs in that area.
It was under the management of John Harvey (1784–1862) that the Bridge Wharf Brewery was established on its present site by the River Ouse, overlooking Cliffe Bridge, Lewes.
The lack of apostrophe ("Harveys" not "Harvey's") appears to be deliberate since it is consistently lacking across all official Harveys materials.
Contents |
In 1880 part of the original Georgian brewery was rebuilt and this portion, the Tower and Brew House, dominates the scene from Cliffe Bridge. This is a beautiful example of a country brewery in Victorian era Gothic design. Behind it stands the other half of the brewery, the Georgian fermenting room, cellars and Vat House. The fermenting room and cellars structurally have remained unchanged although they now house a modern plant and equipment. The same applies to the Brew House, but the Vat House has now been converted into a modern bottling hall.
In 1984, a second brewing line was completed, doubling the production capacity from 25,000 to 50,000 barrels a year. The building for this new plant has been added in front of the Tower in a similar Gothic style, right down to the arched ironwork window.
Today, Harveys remains an independent, family company—Harvey & Son (Lewes) Ltd—with a seventh generation of John Harvey's descendants involved in its affairs.
Harveys produces both cask-conditioned and bottled ales. In both cases, there is a range which is always available ("all-year"), and then a selection of "seasonal" ales.
In 2005 and 2006, Harveys Best won the Best Bitter category at the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) Great British Beer Festival.