We should all adapt to circumstances and the changing face of the industry but we should always seek to accommodate and preserve what is dearest to our hearts until circumstances conspire to bring them back into vogue, so says Miles Jenner, head brewer and joint managing director of Lewes-based Harvey’s Brewery.

Harvey’s is truly a brewery for all seasons. It exists within that special sphere that commands admiration and respect. If you’re a beer lover then more than likely, you love the beer produced by Harvey’s.

And under the guidance of Miles Jenner, head brewer since 1986 and joint managing director for nearly 20 years, the Lewes, Sussex-based brewery has demonstrated staying power without ever compromising on its principles.

Jenner’s life in brewing covers more than 60 years, growing up alongside Harvey’s Brewery itself, and he plays a key role in an age where there are more breweries in the country than at any time since the end of the Nineteenth Century.

“However, with the greatest respect in the world, I cannot imagine future generations exploring the utilitarian industrial units that house the stainless steel tanks of today’s new wave of entrants. That is not to say that they do not produce very fine beer, Nor that all are lacking in romance,” he explains. “You have only to visit Mark Tranter at Burning Sky to be blown away by the cocktail of passion, innovation and tradition housed in a nineteenth century Sussex Barn – complete with Artisan blending vaults.”

For Jenner, Harvey’s is a trip through the heritage of the industry. A grade 2 listed building that perpetuates traditional brewing in every sense. It comes at a cost, though. They recently spent more than £100k on maintaining the fabric of the building.

He explains: “We are also largely hands on – unwilling to place ourselves at the mercy of automation, we believe the human factor is important. I always say that, if I was starting from scratch, I would not design a brewery like this.

“The truth is, I probably would! I, too, am an incurable romantic and revel in the continuity of standing at a mash tun in the early hours where generations of brewers have stood before – all with the same pursuit of excellence.

“There is a lesson to be learnt. Enjoy the heritage of the past but always remain relevant and strive to survive. You can survive adversity, flood and fire as you encounter those challenges but no one has a God given right to sell beer. Innovation is essential but, equally, life often comes full circle. To my mind, this is strangely reassuring.

“We should all adapt to circumstances and the changing face of the industry but we should always seek to accommodate and preserve what is dearest to our hearts until circumstances conspire to bring them back into vogue.”

Miles Jenner will deliver the keynote at The Brewers Congress in London on the 28th November, 2019. For full information and tickets, click here.