As it should be
Less than two months after we first starting serving it, Harvey's Sussex Best has almost supplanted Landlord as the pub's bestselling beer. It's been great for the business and drives other sales too. Staff have observed that lots of customers express gratitude when they see it on the bar, order a pint, then find we're doing it properly. After some pretty serious guerrilla action, one of our regulars has managed to secure us one of the proper, old-style pump clips I'd previously appealed to you lot for. He will remain nameless, as will the pub that's ended up with our old two-dimensional, ersatz Harvey's badge.
Ignore the young chap in the background. He's something of a celebrity in these parts, but we like to help him keep a low profile.
18 comments:
I love both beers, as a Yorkshireman Landlord is part of the soul but Harvey's Sussex is a damm fine beer, one which i am pleased to find in those ale houses that usually can't see past the London brewers.
I also love both these beers. As a southerner Harveys has to rank as one of my favourite all time beers, but Landlord runs neck and neck with it.
I wish now I'd kept the ceramic Harveys pump clip from when we had our off-licence. Strangely enough, one pub I know in Tonbridge also had trouble in getting a clip from the brewery; perhaps they ration them!
One final point about Harveys, I was always moaning to their rep that I could buy Harveys cheaper through Beer Seller (as it then was) than I could direct from the brewery themselves. Having said that I always found Harveys very supportive with what we were trying to achieve at the shop.
Interesting that you got your using the old ones, although they are very characteristic, I found my sales of Harvey's increased with the new clips. I think people were attracted by the nostalgia of the brewery on the front. It drags your eye to the pump rather than blending in with the bar.
I had a pint of Harvey's in The Butcher's Arms in Herne (it claims to be Britain's smallest pub) last week, it was a fantastic beer!
That said, I really like Landlord too. I couldn't choose between them.
Like Hog's Back T.E.A i drank an awful lot of harverys sussex best when i was younger So i try and avoid it these days.
The XXXB you had on the other week was great though.
Both beers are superb.
My only qualm is of your use of the term " ersatz. "
It's a wanky Sunday Times word like quintessential that should have no place in a pub never mind a pub blog.
I know I'm a newbie but cobblers like that give me the gyp.
Harvey's was the beer we settled on after we'd had one of each of the available beers; very drinkable and a great session beer.
I thought The Nutshell in Bury St Edmunds was the smallest pub in Britain?
Showbizguru, that must rank among one of the most ridiculous chippy comments I've had on this blog! And believe me I've had a lot of them (most originating from the North-West of England). As my mother is always at pains to remind people, my parents spent a lot of my education and would like to see some return on their investment (even if I did decide to jack in my professional career to be a pub landlord).
Having said that, using the search function in the top-left hand corner reveals I've used the word "ersatz" no less than four times in the last two years. That's a little too much, I'd have to admit.
Jeffrey:
You're quite right, of course, it was chippy but in my defence drink had been taken and my wife always says I get on my high horse after about the fourth pint.
I'll refrain from any more bombast although I have to warn you " ennui " and " zeitgeist " also get on my tits when I've had a few !
Just looking at the picture again reminds me I haven't had Crop Circle in months and that sitution must be addressed soon.
ersatz not German?
Both Excellent beers, if it was football it would be a World Cup final that ended four all, and they were so happy the players gave me their weeks wages.
On words or phrases I hate in beer blogs , its when people say " I got really Cu*ted" Anyone who writes that phrase is Frankly a fucking disgrace.Im not sure about Wankered either.
I become slightly satisfied when i incorrectly pronounce the word, ersatz in my head.
Oh come on Coxy; nothing wrong with getting c*nted! Not that's a phrase I would use, but I find it quite funny more than anything just because it's so rude and c*nts really don't have much to do with drunkenness. Unless you become one when drunk but it doesn't sound like it means that.
Do you have any ghosts at your pub?
Being in the area I decided to pop into the pub for a quick pint of Harvey's this monday lunchtime, only to find that is was off and the only bitter available was landlord. While I was drinking my pint both the Carling and the Staropramen went off too. Fast becoming the pub with no beer!
That bloke in the photo was there though.
Barrels do run out (frequently, if you sell lots of beer). And because I don't serve beer that isn't ready yet AND I clean the line between every barrel, you'll sometimes find the selection is limited. Harvey's will be back as soon as I judge the barrel I tapped just after it fell off the dray this morning to be ready. Morrissey Fox Blonde just came on and Alton's Pride - current Champion Beer of Britain - will be on later too. So there you go!
We don't sell Carling by the way, and we certainly didn't run out of Staropramen (or Carlsberg, the other lager I sell) ... so you're embellishing a bit, aren't you!
Sorry, that was a slip of the brain, I meant Carlsberg, not Carling.
You may not have actually run out of supplies of Carlsberg or Star, but while I was at the bar both went off. Obviously they just needed the barrels changing, but it gave rise to a good opportunity to tease you a bit!
Looking forward to trying the Alton's Pride and the MF Blonde
Is that Michael Eavis?
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