Two independent Lewes breweries, one with more than 230 years of brewing heritage and the other one of the UK’s most exciting modern craft breweries, have come together for a collaboration beer.
Harvey’s Brewery and Beak Brewery will officially launch Spring, a limited edition 4.5% ABV golden ale, at two events this week.
The beer will be at The Royal Oak, London, from 4pm on Friday (15th May), and The Brewers Arms, Lewes, from 3pm the following day.
Brewed at Beak Brewery, Spring brings together elements from both breweries’ traditions and house styles. The result is a golden ale with a juicy, flavoursome edge. Brewed with a blend of Harvey’s and Beak yeast, it opens with fresh grapefruit and bright citrus notes before soft tropical character builds from a generous dry-hop of New Zealand Cascade hops.
UK Harlequin and Cascade hops provide a clean, zesty bitterness, while heritage Plumage Archer malt from Warminster lends a light bready sweetness and smooth, rounded body. Slightly hazy, Spring aims to bridge traditional Sussex brewing with contemporary hop-forward character.
The beer’s pumpclip feature illustrations of Harvey’s joint managing director, Miles Jenner, alongside Beak’s distinctive ‘Beak Man’ character.
“It has been great fun combining thoughts and resources with Danny, Mark, and all the team at Beak,” said Miles. “We have broken new ground with our first, intentionally, slightly hazy beer.
“It contains a wealth of flavours derived from Sussex and New World hops, offset by a marriage of yeasts from both breweries. A heritage Sussex-grown barley forms the backbone of the brew, as is befitting for a beer produced by two county town brewers.”
Beak Brewery founder Danny Tapper added: “We’re huge cask beer fans here at Beak, and Harvey’s have always been a brewery we’ve looked up to. Not just because of their incredible heritage and the consistency and quality of their beers, but because of the role they play in the community around them. They’re woven into the fabric of Lewes life in a way that feels increasingly rare and special, and they’ve been hugely supportive of Beak since the very beginning.
“For us, this collaboration felt genuinely meaningful. It was an opportunity to spend time brewing alongside Miles and the Harvey’s team, sharing ideas, techniques and ingredients, and finding a balance between our two approaches to brewing.
“The result is a beer that really reflects both breweries, rooted in cask tradition, but with a vibrancy that feels very Beak. It’s a real honour to have worked together on something that celebrates both where we come from and the kind of beer we love to drink.”
