Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter Clone Recipe

[molehill]

Please, please let there be someone out there who has a Harvey's Best Bitter Clone Recipe. 30 years ago I was introduced to real ale and you cannot get better than this for a decent, consistant real ale pint of bitter.

I have search world wide for clones and feel there is a home brewer who got it right..... Please share it with me!

[scuppeteer]

Obviously you live fairly close to the brewery, as I've had some really crap pints of the stuff and I only live just the other side of Tunbridge Wells! I have to add though I have also had some cracking pints. Strange also that those that living in Kent on the right side of the river Medway consider Harvey's to be their local big brewer rather than Sheps???
Only help I can give; is that I know for a fact they use Bramling X hops despite whatever the "other" recipes say. Have you asked them they are nice people and very friendly.

[Pinto]

Big fan of Harveys myself - and to date only remember one bad pint (certainly "off" - tasted like steeped week old boxer shorts !)

Good luck with the search

[grmski]

Fwiw Dave Lines book had a recipe in it but it doesn't come close.

[orlando]

My first ever pint of real ale and my only regret is that I didn't sink to my knees in grateful thanks to the brewer of that fine beer. My experience is that it does vary in quality but I would argue that is probably entirely down to how it is kept. Recently had a pint of their Sussex Wild Hop and it was a cracker too. I too would like to know exactly what goes into this. I am visiting the brewery in September with a friend that knows someone in the brewery so am hoping I might get a little more insight on how to brew it. I will of course take a slant /vial with me, in the vain hope of picking up some of the yeast, which has to be the most significant ingredient.

You should have a read of this thread though as I think Seymour has got it pretty close. Look out for floydmeddler's link too.

[RichardG]

I suspect (my guess only) is that the crucial ingredient will be the yeast. Do they have an in-house one or do they use a commercial strain?

[orlando]

In house.

[seymour]

Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter/"BB"
Harvey's/Harvey & Son/The Bridge Wharf Brewery - Lewes, East Sussex, UK
OG: 1041
ABV: 4.0%
Grainbill: 88.1% Maris Otter, 6.8% Dark Crystal Malt, 5.1% Flaked Maize (just do it, don't sneer at the corn adjunct, you'll see)
Bittering Hops: Progress (60 min), Bramling Cross (30 min)
Aroma Hops: Fuggles, Goldings (at flame-out)
IBU: 34-40
Colour: clear light amber
Yeast: Harvey's proprietary strain, repitched continuously for over 50 years! (some theorize it's a top-cropped descendent of Whitbread-B, if so, then S-04 would get you in the ballpark)

[Dennis King]

Brewlabs Sussex 1 is supposed to be the Harvey's yeast strain.

[SiHoltye]

Had my first Brewlabs Sussex 1 bitter in the keg for 2 weeks now and looking forward to reviewing it properly after 4. Sure tasted like a Harvey's beer from the hydro samples.

[weiht]

Seymour, is that recipe a wild guess or you have reason to believe those are the hops used?

IMO, SO4 is no where close to the liquid version of the same strain

[seymour]

Seymour, is that recipe a wild guess or you have reason to believe those are the hops used?

IMO, SO4 is no where close to the liquid version of the same strain

It's not a guess. It's supposedly an authentic recipe, but I honestly can't remember where I found it. Sorry.

I believe you about the yeast. I'm just reporting other people's theory. After 50+ years of continuous use in their unique environment, it would be very different even if they did get it from Whitbread way back when...

Cheers,
-Seymour

[SiHoltye]

I've chosen this recipe with Brewlab Sussex 1 yeast for my first brew with a carbon filtered water. The hydro sample after 18 hours tasted cleaner than ever had previously. Possibly a step change due to filtering, I think so, is it hope, a little, but all through the process liquor and wort tasted sweeter in a purer/cleaner way. I'm thinking this may change my homebrew life. The malt and hops may each now have their chance to shine.

[FUBAR]

I've chosen this recipe with Brewlab Sussex 1 yeast for my first brew with a carbon filtered water. The hydro sample after 18 hours tasted cleaner than ever had previously. Possibly a step change due to filtering, I think so, is it hope, a little, but all through the process liquor and wort tasted sweeter in a purer/cleaner way. I'm thinking this may change my homebrew life. The malt and hops may each now have their chance to shine.

How did this brew turn out, anywhere close to the original ?

[Andy]

They use fuggles from the Hop Garden just up the road from me. The only Hop Garden left in Surrey