Missing out on the Harvey's Old

I’ve got a number of half-written blog posts that require further work, before they’re fit to see the light of day, and without being too pedantic, or too self-critical, most of these posts might best be described as half-baked as well. So, before I give up completely on these unedited ramblings, here’s a quick article regarding a pleasant half-hour interlude that I spent, earlier today, in a local pub.

I’ve been trying for a week or so to track down some Harvey’s Old Ale, the dark and delicious seasonal offering from the brewery that is launched with a flurry of publicity at the start of October. Looking back at last year, I noted that it wasn’t until the third week of the 10^th month, that my quest for Harvey’s Old finally succeeded, so I was looking to better that. Another factor that’s driving me, at the moment, is that in 19 days’ time, Mrs PBT’s and I are heading off on an Atlantic cruise, an outline of which was given in the previous post.

Time definitely isn’t on my side, but neither are the limited number of pubs selling this dark and delicious nectar. This is where the Real Ale Finder all on my phone, comes into its own. Even then though, one has to be quick, as it seems that already I’ve missed a couple of potential opportunities. The first of these was at a well-known local free house, where a cask of XXXX Old Ale seemed appeared to have been consumed in a day and a half. This was the pub I was criticising for stocking too many unknown, “man in a shed” type beers, at the expense of more established brands.

The fact that the old ale vanished so quickly, is proof that my point about stocking the odd “cherished” brand, was correct, but it didn’t help my own quest for the beer. Unfortunately, the tendency of Harvey’s Old to fly off the bar (or out of the pumps), proved correct at another nearby outlet, that is an occasional stockist of this beer. 

I noticed late on Friday night, courtesy of Real Ale Finder, that this dark seasonal was on sale at the Dovecote, situated in the nearby hamlet of Capel. There wasn’t time to head out to Capel, that evening, and yesterday (Saturday), Mrs PBT’s and I had a family birthday to attend. Sunday though was different, and after driving down into Tonbridge for petrol, and to check my tyre pressures, I set off in the direction of Capel. 

Before leaving, I phoned the pub as a precaution, just to double check, so imagine my disappointment at being told that the Harvey’s Old had sold out the evening before. It sold out very quickly, the landlord informed me, but in its place, they did have Devil’s Dyke Porter, from Downland Brewery. This 5.0% abv dark beer, whilst not quite the same as Harvey’s Old, is still a decent and satisfying dark beer. With nothing to lose, I continued my drive over to the Dovecote. I was surprised to discover the car park almost full and was lucky to find a place to park the car.

One possible reason for this unexpected popularity, was the presence of a 10-piece jazz band playing on the rear patio. The musicians sounded good, but with no obvious free seats, plus the fact that I wanted a beer, I made my way inside the pub. It was encouragingly busy, with people enjoying Sunday dinner, although it did seem that the lunchtime rush, was drawing to an end. At the bar, I ordered a pint of Devil’s Dyke, before retiring to a vacant table, close to the fire place, at the left-hand side of the pub,

The beer was good, although it did seem to be lacking a little in condition. I’d ordered a bag of ready salted, Kent Crisps, just because I felt a little peckish, and I sat there enjoying them along with the porter. We see quite a bit of Downland, in this part of Kent, and their beers seem generally well received. I visited the brewery, back in May 2017, as part of a tour group from West Kent CAMRA, that was calling in at a number of breweries, that had picked up awards at the previous autumn’s Spa Valley Railway Beer Festival. I don’t recall that much about the tour, apart from the brewery itself being a little cramped, and not really set up for visitors.

So, that’s it really. After finishing my beer, I handed my empty glass back across the counter and mentioned to the landlord that I was the person who had phoned earlier, regarding the Harvey’s Old. He smiled and replied that the beer had literally flown out over the past couple of days. He would be getting some more in but couldn’t say when. For my part, I shall be keeping close eye on the various pub information and beer ticking sites, just to make sure that I don’t miss out again!