By our very nature, we Americans tend to take a very shortsighted view of history and life in general. That shouldn’t be surprising, since our nation’s history only dates back a few centuries. That’s a relative hiccup in the life span of many European, Arab, and Asian nations. The same could be said for our brewing tradition. Though America’s oldest producing brewery has been around since 1829 (Yuengling in Pennsylvania), most of America’s large brewers have only been around since just before the end of the 19th century, and few of our craft brewers are older than twenty years.

England, by contrast, has a long list of traditional brewers who have been around for a long, long time. Some, like Bass Ale, even saw the better part of the American Revolution, having been around since 1777. Others, like the Harvey’s Brewery of Sussex are almost as old, dating back to 1790.

Harvey’s brewery building was refurbished relatively recently, back in 1880 to be exact. Much of the facility is still as it was back in those days, although obviously the brewing equipment has been updated from time to time. A little more than 100 years later in 1984 the brewery added an additional building (though they took great pains to give it a look which would blend in with the original facility), and brewing capacity was doubled to about 50,000 barrels a year.

Harvey’s brews a wide array of beers, most of which are distributed locally. Some are exported to the United States, however, and we can be glad for that. Bottled brews include Elizabethan Ale, a high alcohol brew at 8.1% which was originally brewed in 1953 in honor of the Queen’s coronation; an equally strong Christmas Ale; a low strength Sweet Sussex Ale (under 3%), and of course the Historic Porter.

Harvey’s Historic Porter is brewed according to a recipe that dates back to 1859 and was reputedly devised by Henry Harvey, family brewer. It is brewed with black malt, Crystal, and pale ale malt. It is bottle conditioned (mine was), but is also sold pasteurized. It is a less assertive porter, classifying easily in my book as a brown porter.

Harvey’s Historic Porter (also known as 1859 Porter in England) pours to a light black color with a thick creamy head and a slightly coffeeish nose. The rich, smooth palate has strong notes of bittersweet chocolate and a touch of espresso. A grassy hop finish and subtle malt roastiness round the beer out nicely. Alcohol comes in at 4.8% by volume. I can imagine this beer making a great companion to a thick slice of chocolate cake, and it might make an excellent ingredient in the making of one.



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