Harvey's Dark Mild

By way of a change to all those intensely hoppy IPAs and tangy fruit sours, Dark Milds like this brings something different to the table - malt-led depth, subtlety and a smooth, easy-going texture and Harvey’s long history of brewing makes them masters of the style. Toasty and nutty, with a hint of chocolate lurking in the background. Not a hop bomb, by any stretch, but there's a gentle bitterness that keeps everything well balanced. It might be the beer your grandad used to drink in the public bar, but that's no reason to consign it to the past.

Harvey's can fairly claim to be part of England's brewing heritage. They're one of the country's long-established regional breweries still under independent ownership - something of a dying breed - and have been run by the descendants of founder John Harvey since the late eighteenth century, operating from their historic brewery, locally known as the cathedral, in the heart of the Sussex market town of Lewes. Using locally sourced ingredients is high on their list, and their flagship ales are made with hops and malt sourced almost entirely from Sussex, Kent and Surrey. Tradition and continuity are the twin themes that guide them, yet while their best-known ale, Sussex Best, is something of an institution in its own right, they're not shy of embracing contemporary fashions. All of which leaves Harvey's well placed to play a significant part in England's beer culture well into the future.