Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter (4%)
ABV: 4%
Now available in Bottle and Can, as well as Cask.
Sussex Best is our most famous beer, a superbly balanced bitter with prominent hop character. The brew evolved over decades, satisfying the expectations of the people of Sussex and its adjoining counties. Finest Maris Otter malted barley is supplemented with a dash of Crystal malt for balance. Our hops are a blend of four different local varieties, to give a distinctive hoppy finish.
Awards: World Beer Awards 2019: Silver, International Beer Challenge 2019: Bronze, Winner of the Champion Best Bitter of Britain title at CAMRA’s Great British Beers Festival in 2005 and 2006.
Food Pairing with Kenny Tutt: Butter chicken, Spicy beef, Vietnamese
Now available in Bottle and Can, as well as Cask.
Sussex Best is our most famous beer, a superbly balanced bitter with prominent hop character. The brew evolved over decades, satisfying the expectations of the people of Sussex and its adjoining counties. Finest Maris Otter malted barley is supplemented with a dash of Crystal malt for balance. Our hops are a blend of four different local varieties, to give a distinctive hoppy finish.
Awards: World Beer Awards 2019: Silver, International Beer Challenge 2019: Bronze, Winner of the Champion Best Bitter of Britain title at CAMRA’s Great British Beers Festival in 2005 and 2006.
Food Pairing with Kenny Tutt: Butter chicken, Spicy beef, Vietnamese
3.3
322 reviews
Lewes, England
Community reviews
Nice well kept session bitter. Balanced. Nice
Draft - small white head, but dissipates. Reddy burnt orange, clear. Hoppy aroma. Good mouthfeel. Easy drinking, nice finish.
Harvey’s Sussex Best 4.0%. Bronze amber, nutty aroma, medium bodied, caramel malt, toffee, nutty., slightly bitter finish. Pleasant bitter from Lewes, East Sussex 🇬🇧
Cask@The Carpenters Arms, London. Dark copper. Nose lemon, yeast, roast malts. Smooth mouthfeel, almost no carbonation. Mildly sweet yeasty taste upfront, guite long bitter finish.
Cask at the 3 crowns, Wisborough Green. Rich amber colour with a thin head. Aroma malty caramel and slight citrus. Taste caramel sweet with a light bitterness. Full body.
On hand pump at Bacchus. Nice amber hue, light aroma of brown sugar. Smooth and easy drinking, flat palate. Nice to sample old school beers.
Cask @ The Market Porter. The aroma has caramel/toffee malts, flowers. Clear, amber coloured beer with a thin head. The taste is sweet, light bitter. Easy drinker, low carbonation .
Cask @ The White Horse, London. Bärnstensfärgad öl med ett smutsvitt skum. Doft och smak av karamell, malt, frukt och brittisk humle.
Cask at The Garland, Redhill. Pours clear nut brown, with a decent off-white creamy head. Aroma is malty, musty caramel.Taste is light sweet, with a herbal, spicy bitterness, long lasting. Super smooth and easy to like, a very good one
Cask @Harp, Londres 29/11/2018
Color ambarino, espuma escasa, aromas caramelo, sabor caramelo, notas maltosas cuerpo sedoso.
Pint from cask at The Harp, Charing Cross, London, 22.10.18 and at the Edgar Wallace, Aldwych, London, 13.12.21. Clear pale copper. Persistent off-white head and lacing. Excellent aroma and taste of pale malt, crystal malt, caramel, berries, roasted nuts, soft hop bitterness and figs. Bitterness and a hint of pine is lingering on. Well-balanced and quaffable. And very, very tasty!
Earlier Rating: 10/20/2018 Total Score: 4.8
A sensational beer. Smooth with complex flavours.
Harveys best is outstanding. A true Sussex style bitter. Perfectly balanced taste with a good finish.
Overall a good beer. Always my go to beer.
Other reviewers might have been drinking this outside of Sussex when they rated it. The Best Bitter doesn't travel, so make the journey to one of the tied pubs in Lewes before you judge..
Classic English bitter, caramel sweetness, some dried fruit and dank bitter hops. Chestnut brown pour, cream head, tasty, unremarkable.
Some artificial banana notes. Other than that it is an ok bitter with some biscuitness and ok bitterness.
On tap at The Swan, London. Caramel and fruity sweetness with a subtle hop bite. Not bad.
Decent hop forward English bitter. Soft caramel nose and hop bitterness to fore in mouth with some caramel and v mild fruitiness
Cask at Red Lion, Egham. Malty eggy sulphourous aroma. Light brown. Fluffy white head. Light bitter. Malty. Caramel. Slight spice. Medium bodied. Slick. Soft carbonation. Abrupt Finish. A lovely pint.
Pint on tap at The Fox, Small Dole, Sussex. Pours a clear golden bronze with a thin creamy head. Zero carbonation. Laces well. Nose is brioche, fruit toast, sultanas, it's exquisite. Taste is sweet malt followed by an increasing smoky bitterness. Superb bitter.
Pint at three jolly butchers. Pours twinkling clear amber, foamy head. Soft malt and slightly sour aroma, soft carbonation. Big bitter hop forward taste. As good as English bitter gets.
Nice example of a proper old’English Best bitter pint. Malty caramel flavour with a nice bitter finish
Let sødlig og ikke så meget humle. En lækker blød eftersmag. Fin som nydeøl om sommeren.
Gravity cask@Wirral Beer Festival, Port Sunlight 2017. Amber beer. Aroma is light yeast and malts. Taste is a little sulphur, malts, brown bread and a little fruit. Solid. Now I know what Harrisoni is talking about.
Cask at Cheltenham Real Ale Festival 2017. Clear dark amber colour, off-white head. Aroma and taste are very malt-forward, biscuity, quite fruity, light sweet, gentle bitter finish.
Perfect balance of flavours. A classic bitter which never disappoints.
(2017 London) 1/2 Pint Cask @ Harp. Sampled cask @ Waterloo Tap. Amber clear, off-white head. Nose is buttery, grainy, milky. Taste is far too buttery grainy, spoiled milky, bitter grain, soggy cereal, spoiled caramel. Body is spoiled milk, grainy,… I heard great things about this beer, should it be like this? Am I not getting something here?
Cask @ Queen Adelaide, Shepherd’s Bush, London, 20/07/17. Pours golden with a good, white head. Aroma is fruity, flowery. Taste is dry, flowery, nutty, fresh. Good, strong and dry, flowery finish.