“Brewed with the kind and generous assistance of Southern England’s most famous brewery “Harvey’s Brewery”. A superbly balanced bitter with prominent hop character. Using a blend of four local hops, water filtered through the Sussex Downs over 30 years and Harvey’s unique 60 year old yeast strain, Harvey’s Best Bitter is the embodiment of Sussex. Awarded GBBF Champion Best Bitter of Britain 2 years running.” 

Glassware: English pint.

Appearance: Bright amber with full transparency. You could literally read the newspaper through the beer. It builds a finger of off-white head which quickly forms a collar. A wet lace is dragged down the sides of the glass.

Aroma: We absolutely adore a good English bitter but sadly most Aussie breweries can’t grasp the concept. One of a small handful who does though, is our old mate Ross. His pommy roots are certainly advantageous but we won’t hold that against him! Smells on point. Well balanced. Nice and chewy malt bill… caramel, toast, nutty and buttery then the hops cut through with earthy, herbal, mildly citrusy and woody precision. Diggin’ it.

Flavour: Again, the balance holds the key here. It kicks off with chewy caramel and light toast before the earthy, woody and herbal hops pull the malts into line. That hallmark marmalade on toast quality comes through as a delicate bitterness creeps in late in the mid. It all rolls effortlessly into a smooth, slightly dry and herbal finish that lingers.

Mouthfeel: Super smooth and silky. Low-ish Co2 and it holds a good medium body for such a modest ABV (4%).

Overall: There’s a really cool concept behind this mini-series. Harvey’s Brewery (one of southern England’s most revered) send their ingredients over and allow Ross & crew to brew their own version of a select few of their beers. Which he does with finesse and excellence. Solid interpretation.