Where the Wild Things Are — The Joy of Harvey’s Sussex Best
January 15, 2021 10:26 AM Subscribe
"While Harvey’s Brewery, established here in Lewes in 1790, is not actually a house of worship, drinking a pint of its Best can be near to a religious experience. When served in peak condition, topped with a round of foam that imitates the gentle roll of the South Downs themselves, there are few other things that offer similar comfort." - Matthew Curtis in his ode to Harvey's Sussex Best in Pellicle
A tremendous piece of beer writing that I keep returning to throughout the various lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 as I dream of my next delicious pint of this spectacular cask beer.
A tremendous piece of beer writing that I keep returning to throughout the various lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 as I dream of my next delicious pint of this spectacular cask beer.
I don't drink beer but that was still a fun read. I'm wondering if anyone can explain this to me:
It imparts a perfect balance between malt and delicate hops, a subtle fruitiness, a great body and a fantastic, unique yeast character, due to the magic of open fermentation and the fact that they haven't propagated [yeast] in decades.
What does not having "propagated yeast" mean in this context, and what effect would have it on the flavour?
posted by jacquilynne at 12:23 PM on January 15, 2021
It imparts a perfect balance between malt and delicate hops, a subtle fruitiness, a great body and a fantastic, unique yeast character, due to the magic of open fermentation and the fact that they haven't propagated [yeast] in decades.
What does not having "propagated yeast" mean in this context, and what effect would have it on the flavour?
posted by jacquilynne at 12:23 PM on January 15, 2021
Yum.... I am seeing this at quarter past five on a Friday, the perfect moment to think about enjoying a beer.
posted by rpfields at 2:19 PM on January 15, 2021
posted by rpfields at 2:19 PM on January 15, 2021
"propagated yeast"
think of it like planting seeds in your garden, and then harvesting seeds from that crop and growing them again and again. you are growing the same lineage. open fermentation means the beer magically tastes like the wild yeast in the air where it was made, and it is always changing.
posted by th3ph17 at 2:21 PM on January 15, 2021
think of it like planting seeds in your garden, and then harvesting seeds from that crop and growing them again and again. you are growing the same lineage. open fermentation means the beer magically tastes like the wild yeast in the air where it was made, and it is always changing.
posted by th3ph17 at 2:21 PM on January 15, 2021
To propagate yeast is to grow up a big batch of yeast from a small sample; most breweries outsource this to yeast labs, either by buying commercial strains or by banking samples of their own yeast so that the lab can propagate it for them. This ensures consistency -- each batch of beer uses the same known strain of yeast.
The alternatives are open fermentation -- in which the fermentation vessel is open to the air so that wild yeasts can fall in, common in Belgian brewing; and repitching, in some of the left-behind yeast from the previous batch is re-used to ferment the next batch. Both of these can be inconsistent. In open fermentation you're at the mercy of whatever falls in; and with repitching you're carrying over whatever mutations and/or wild contaminants occurred in the previous batch.
A bit of Googling suggests that Harvey's do both -- they use open fermenters and they repitch yeast -- which means that over the years their yeast has become a funky mixture of species and strains that impart their specific and unique character.
think of it like planting seeds in your garden, and then harvesting seeds from that crop and growing them again and again
That's more what repitching is though? Propagating from a known sample is like using F1 seeds every year so that you get known results; repitching is like reusing seeds year-to-year even though subsequent generations may diverge from the original stock.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 2:59 PM on January 15, 2021 [3 favorites]
The alternatives are open fermentation -- in which the fermentation vessel is open to the air so that wild yeasts can fall in, common in Belgian brewing; and repitching, in some of the left-behind yeast from the previous batch is re-used to ferment the next batch. Both of these can be inconsistent. In open fermentation you're at the mercy of whatever falls in; and with repitching you're carrying over whatever mutations and/or wild contaminants occurred in the previous batch.
A bit of Googling suggests that Harvey's do both -- they use open fermenters and they repitch yeast -- which means that over the years their yeast has become a funky mixture of species and strains that impart their specific and unique character.
think of it like planting seeds in your garden, and then harvesting seeds from that crop and growing them again and again
That's more what repitching is though? Propagating from a known sample is like using F1 seeds every year so that you get known results; repitching is like reusing seeds year-to-year even though subsequent generations may diverge from the original stock.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 2:59 PM on January 15, 2021 [3 favorites]
*chortles* Ooohhh, best bitter -- what I wouldn't give for a nice pint of that right now. Those photos went in my eyes and straight to my taste buds!
Despite being a huge fan of bitters, I'd never thought nearly very much about the production process as I have with other beers. The ode was a great read.
Also, was looking at the Harvey's mild. That looks good. I can be mildly consoled that a brewery local to us started to do an English-style mild, and it's pretty good.
I'm also missing cask pours at the moment. Sigh.
May have to re-up on that Monty Mild soon.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:45 PM on January 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
Despite being a huge fan of bitters, I'd never thought nearly very much about the production process as I have with other beers. The ode was a great read.
Also, was looking at the Harvey's mild. That looks good. I can be mildly consoled that a brewery local to us started to do an English-style mild, and it's pretty good.
I'm also missing cask pours at the moment. Sigh.
May have to re-up on that Monty Mild soon.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:45 PM on January 15, 2021 [1 favorite]
In the US, it's all IPA, all the time. I love best bitter, I'd be happy with some 2nd best bitter, even.
posted by theora55 at 4:17 PM on January 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by theora55 at 4:17 PM on January 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
I've enjoyed plenty of nice bottled and canned beer throughout this damn pandemic, but there's something really hard to beat about a properly conditioned, well kept pint of cask.
I'm thinking of all the pints I missed out on having in places like The Speaker, The Harp, the Old Red Cow or Ye Olde Rose and Crowne. Argh.
It's a really tiny thing, and there are plenty of worse things in my life this year, but it really feels almost like a single pint of Harvey's Sussex Best would give me the capacity to do another year of lockdown.
posted by knapah at 5:35 PM on January 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
I'm thinking of all the pints I missed out on having in places like The Speaker, The Harp, the Old Red Cow or Ye Olde Rose and Crowne. Argh.
It's a really tiny thing, and there are plenty of worse things in my life this year, but it really feels almost like a single pint of Harvey's Sussex Best would give me the capacity to do another year of lockdown.
posted by knapah at 5:35 PM on January 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
Sigh, I was going to walk The South Downs Way last June, spending a night in Lewes. At least I know where to get a pint when I finally get to do the trip!
posted by mollweide at 6:32 PM on January 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by mollweide at 6:32 PM on January 15, 2021 [2 favorites]
Thanks, Knapah, this is a lovely thing to keep coming back to. We've been taking a four-pint growler to get take-away fills of cask ales while you still could -- and had a 5l tin of cask-conditioned hoppy blonde over the Christmas weekend. You can support Pellicle Mag's Patreon.
You might also like:
* Curtis, also in Sussex, talking with Mark Trantor of Burning Sky
* Curtis's pictures around Chris Hall's words at the Twickenham brewery of Fuller, Smith and Turner -- Dealing in Lifetimes
* Curtis as UK editor of GoodBeerHunting commissioned and edited Claire Bullen's reverent piece under the Bermondsey railway arches at The Kernel Brewery
* You might see DuckChicken's cider bag-in-box in The Harp, it's good stuff. Here's Lily Waite talking James and Colleen who make DuckChicken cider
* Boxcar make lovely beer, here's Lily Waite again on Boxcar's Mild
* Bonus: Because Claire Bullen's writing is great -- even a short piece about a stubby can of Beavertown Gamma Ray is calming
Disclosure: UK Craft beer is a small village. In 2017, I once harangued a jet-lagged Matt to tell tales of the glorious breweries and delightful beer he'd drank on his return from a tour of USA's west coast -- and he rightly told me I'd never see their beer in the UK because it doesn't travel and most producers didn't want to fight to attract international customers at the expensive prices it would take to get some into my greedy face.
posted by k3ninho at 12:11 AM on January 16, 2021 [3 favorites]
You might also like:
* Curtis, also in Sussex, talking with Mark Trantor of Burning Sky
* Curtis's pictures around Chris Hall's words at the Twickenham brewery of Fuller, Smith and Turner -- Dealing in Lifetimes
* Curtis as UK editor of GoodBeerHunting commissioned and edited Claire Bullen's reverent piece under the Bermondsey railway arches at The Kernel Brewery
* You might see DuckChicken's cider bag-in-box in The Harp, it's good stuff. Here's Lily Waite talking James and Colleen who make DuckChicken cider
* Boxcar make lovely beer, here's Lily Waite again on Boxcar's Mild
* Bonus: Because Claire Bullen's writing is great -- even a short piece about a stubby can of Beavertown Gamma Ray is calming
Disclosure: UK Craft beer is a small village. In 2017, I once harangued a jet-lagged Matt to tell tales of the glorious breweries and delightful beer he'd drank on his return from a tour of USA's west coast -- and he rightly told me I'd never see their beer in the UK because it doesn't travel and most producers didn't want to fight to attract international customers at the expensive prices it would take to get some into my greedy face.
posted by k3ninho at 12:11 AM on January 16, 2021 [3 favorites]
It's amazing to me how little beer does travel. I have friends in other states making me envious of their local breweries, and I couldn't get a pint of British cask ale over here for any price (cans and bottles emphatically do not count).
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 12:16 AM on January 16, 2021
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 12:16 AM on January 16, 2021
k3ninho, thanks, those are great links. I actually sent the Kernel piece to my dad recently, as one of a long line of beer journalism pieces. He's now got a bottle of Export India Porter waiting for us to have a Zoom session over and I'm looking forward to it. Actually, a delivery of Kernel dark beers got me through a patch when I was bored to tears of lagers and IPA in June!
Your story about Matt and "beer not traveling" reminded me that his Pliny the Elder article is well worth a read too.
And I think it probably deserves a post of its own, but Pellicle's article about race and the brewing industry was really good as well.
posted by knapah at 1:01 AM on January 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
Your story about Matt and "beer not traveling" reminded me that his Pliny the Elder article is well worth a read too.
And I think it probably deserves a post of its own, but Pellicle's article about race and the brewing industry was really good as well.
posted by knapah at 1:01 AM on January 16, 2021 [1 favorite]
Hook Norton Brewery was built by the same architect as the Harveys brewery. They do (or did and will again) a fabulous tour- and their Hooky is to me the quintessence of a session bitter.
Harveys Best is brilliant but their very quirky Imperial Stout is extraordinary, and perhaps more widely available.
posted by GeorgeBickham at 2:26 AM on January 16, 2021 [2 favorites]
Harveys Best is brilliant but their very quirky Imperial Stout is extraordinary, and perhaps more widely available.
posted by GeorgeBickham at 2:26 AM on January 16, 2021 [2 favorites]
God, I miss drinking with friends. A somehow-magically-at-Monk's-in-Philadelphia pint of Pliny would really be just the thing.
posted by ferret branca at 9:38 AM on January 16, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by ferret branca at 9:38 AM on January 16, 2021 [2 favorites]
Thanks for the post, OP!
posted by Bella Donna at 5:16 AM on January 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Bella Donna at 5:16 AM on January 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
« Older A plan to rescue America - President-Elect Biden's... | Capitol Green Zone: Washington D.C. Prepares for... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by wenestvedt at 10:47 AM on January 15, 2021 [1 favorite]