At the Wheatsheaf we aim to make all Harveys regular and seasonal special brews available to our customers. The most famous of these is Sussex Best Bitter, most recently the winner of the Best Bitter category at the Great British Beer Festival in both 2005 and 2006 and a classic of its type. In fact most Harveys cask ales have won one or more awards over the years, but to see a full list click on the Harveys Awards link.
There are a fantastic variety of real ales, but generally they fall into fairly well defined types. Golden ales, lager like in colour, are currently very fashionable, though bitter has been the leading style since the mid sixties. Prior to that mild ales were in favour, having succeeded the porter style during the 19th century. Harveys produce a range of beers reflecting each of these styles, most being available all year round though porter is a seasonal variation.
We at the Wheatsheaf do our best to keep our beers in tip top condition so that you get the perfect pint; in recognition of our efforts we hold the Cask Marque and appear regularly in the Good Beer Guide. Also, in 2005, we were runner up in Harveys own estate wide best kept cellar competition. You can expect to find the following beers available here at any time:
Sussex Best Bitter 4.0% A well hopped bronze bitter that, like all Harveys beers, has been produced from the same yeast strain for over 40 years. A classic ale and gold medal winner of the best bitter category at the GBBF in both 2005 and 2006, it is brewed with maris otter malted barley, roasted crystal malt, and a blend of four locally grown hops. |
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Sussex Mild XX 3.0% A traditional dark mild with roasted malts and caramel sugars, well balanced with a sweet soft palate. |
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Armada Ale 4.5% First brewed to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Drake’s rout of the Spanish fleet, this is a premium golden ale brewed with a 50:50 blend of fuggles and pam dwarf hops, further dry hopped in the cask with styrian goldings to produce a dry bitter palate with a terrific hoppy aroma. |
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Hadlow Bitter 3.5% This is a well balanced, well hopped bitter, light and mellow – a great lunchtime drink. It was originally brewed during WW2 when ingredients were rationed, it is also known as Sussex Pale or Longman. |
For a description of seasonal ales available here throughout the year, please click on the Harveys Seasonal Ales link
