Spaniel racing from the Lewes Arms

Back in 2007 this blog covered the ultimately successful efforts of the regulars at the Lewes Arms in Lewes to persuade its new owner, Greene King, to continue serving Harvey's beers.

That East Sussex pub seems to be continuing in its idiosyncratic way. Toque covers its annual spaniel race and Roz South has some photographs of the event.

Lewes Arms: Victory confirmed

Stonch has left a comment on an earlier story of mine. It links to a posting on his own blog which confirms that the customers of the Lewes Arms have won their campaign to have Harvey's restored to the pub.

Cheers.

Local beers for local people

I have been writing about the campaign to have the local Harvey's beers restored to the Lewes Arms.

A story in today Shropshire Star suggests this may be a more widespread problem. It celebrates the fact that it is now possible to buy the beers brewed by Hanby Ales of Wem in a pub in, er, Wem.

Victory at the Lewes Arms?

It looks as though the locals have won their campaign to have Harvey's beers returned to the Lewes Arms.

The Publican reports:

Greene King is expected to bow to consumer pressure and reinstate Harvey’s Best Bitter into Sussex pub the Lewes Arms, following a vociferous campaign by locals.

Adam Collett, marketing director for Greene King's managed pubs, acknowledged his company had “underestimated the strength of feeling which led to many locals boycotting what was once a great British pub. As a result, it has lost some of its character and greatness.”

Although he defended Greene King's right to remove the beer from the pub “and, where we choose, not to sell rival beers”, he admitted the group "did not fully appreciate its special position in Lewes as the former ‘Brewery Tap’, or take into account its history and traditions”.

More news at Lewes Today and on the Friends of the Lewes Arms website.

Return to the Lewes Arms

Last week I wrote about the campaign to restore Harvey's beers to The Lewes Arms.

For those who fancy another round, I recommend yesterday's Nick Cohen column in the Observer or Disgruntled Radical.

Norman Baker, the Lib Dem MP for Lewes, has also spoken on the subject.

The Lewes Arms

There is an article in today's Guardian on the battle for the Lewes Arms in, naturally enough, Lewes.

Greene King has taken the pub over and is refusing to sell everyone's favourite local bitter Harvey's. The locals have got up a petition, which the town's Lib Dem MP Norman Baker has signed, and are maintaining a picket. According to the Guardian, this is succeeding in persuading most people not to drink at the Lewes Arms until the brewery agrees to sell Harvey's again.

The article contains a piece of disingenuity that is remarkable even by corporate standards. It quotes a written statement from the head of the Greene King pubs division:

All over the country, brewers sell their own beer in their own pubs - it's a practice as old as the pub itself. We recognise that some of our customers at the Lewes Arms don't accept this practice, but we are proud of our wonderful beers and proud to sell them.

But locals are quite happy for the pub to sell Greene King beers. What they want is for it to sell Harvey's as well.

It happens that I know the Lewes Arms from the days when a friend lived in the town. I even arranged to hold a meeting of the Malcolm Saville Society there once.

It is an eccentric and quirky pub - perhaps a little self-consciously so, but I wish the campaigners well. Here is a link to the website of The Friends of the Lewes Arms, which the Guardian fails to provide.