Miles Jenner has been head brewer at Harvey’s in Lewes since 1986. He talks about guiding the ship, how he’s changed and Sussex Bitter.
What was your career before Harvey’s?
I had four very happy, instructive years with Greene King in Bury St Edmunds. I was employed as a shift brewer and it was a marvellous training ground. I also met my wife there – our son is named Edmund after the town and is trade brewer at Harvey’s.
Your connection to Harvey’s goes back a long time – your father was head brewer before you – what has changed since?
The ethos has remained unchanged. We produce a local beer, tailored to the palate of the community we serve, and consistency is our prime objective. Sussex Bitter remains by far the largest element of our production, but we also run a programme of 12 seasonal brews – one for each month of the year – alongside core brands. We have bottled beer since the early 20th century and have kegged since the 1960s. Our canning line is a recent innovation.
How have you changed over that time?
I am more able to take things in my stride. I felt a weighty responsibility assuming the role of head brewer at Harvey’s. Forty years on, one is never complacent – merely more calm and reasoned. Every brew is an adventure and every year a learning curve.
What is your favourite beer?
I always revert to Sussex Bitter – I have been drinking it for over half a century. But I greatly enjoy the creative process and would not continue to produce a beer that did not meet our objective to showcase different styles. I had never imagined that we would produce a pilsner and now it is my firm favourite on a hot summer day.
This year you won supreme brewer at the IBC for old ale. What’s so special about that beer?
It is a seasonal brew that is sold on draught between October and April. A ‘winter warmer’, it’s soft and full bodied, with hints of dried fruit and dates. There is always great excitement when it returns each autumn, although it is available in bottle throughout the year. It was the very first award the brewery received for a beer, in 1952, and has performed steadily ever since. Throughout my entire life, in fact.
Harvey’s is the oldest independent brewery in Sussex. Why is that important?
The unofficial motto of Sussex – ‘we wunt be druv’ – is indicative of our fiercely independent spirit. Independence is the ability to conduct our business, unfettered by any outside interest, while remaining true to our values and our ethos.
