The Lewes Arms

LEWES ARMS: WASHINGTON POST

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:25:00 +0000

The Lewes Arms dispute continues to get media attention and today it made the Washington Post (reprinted in the Dallas Morning News), in an article by freelancer Matthew Hampton entitled 'Revolutionary Road: Thomas Paine's Path to American Activism Began in a Free-Spirited British Town'.

They've dubbed the dispute 'Harveysgate'.

Picture shows some of the new signage. Fullers have done a great job in repairing the fabric of the building, which had been sadly neglected under the previous regime. The workmanship is first-rate and the new black and cream paint job looks spiffing. We are just waiting for the new sign, a refurbishment of the original, to be rehung.

See: Tom Paine in Lewes

A MOMENTOUS DAY: 26 AUGUST 2008

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:17:00 +0000

Tuesday August 26th 2008 was an important and emotional day for the town of Lewes and the Lewes Arms.

In the morning, it was the huge ceremonial funeral of much-loved Bonfire Boy and Arms regular Paul Wheeler, who had been tragically killed in a road accident the week before.

That evening was the last night of Greene King;'s ownership of the Lewes Arms which was celebrated with a big send-off for Dave. the outgoing landlord. who will be missed.

The following day saw the new owners Fullers take over (it is now a tenancy, which has been bought the people who own The Basketmakers in Brighton).

Neeedess to say, much drinking was done and many rookies were let off. There was not a dry eye in the house. I hope some of these photos give you a sense of the occasion. It was a day many in Lewes will never forget.

RESTORATION DAY; APRIL 26TH 2008

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:31:00 +0000

Restoration Day is the name that's been given to the anniversary of the Harvey's returning to the Lewes Arms - which has a nice ring to it. How to celebrate this first auspicious occasion? Happily Adam Frost came up with a winner. The first announcement can be read below; highlights of the race can be seen above. The final verdict was a win for the blues - but objections have already been lodged by the reds, calling for the verdict to be annulled. More news as it happens. All in all, it was hilarious and full of the joys of spring. It helped that it was the first really warm day of the year. Perfect weather. A beautiful day.

THE OLD & BITTER UPHILL WELTERWEIGHT RELAY.

DATE: RESTORATION DAY - SATURDAY 26TH APRIL

TWO TEAMS OF 8 (OR 11 OR HOWEVER MANY FANCY IT)

BLUE TEAM = BEST BITTER DRINKERS & CARRY PINT OF SAME.

RED TEAM = OLD ALE DRINKERS & CARRY PINT OF SAME.

OBJECT: TO PASS A PINT FROM PLAYER TO PLAYER FROM HARVEYS BREWERY TO THE LEWES ARMS IN THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME WHILST SPILLING THE LEAST AMOUNT OF LIQUID.

METHOD:PLAYER (A) PASSES PINT TO THE PERSON IN FRONT OF HIM (PLAYER B) & THEN RUNS TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE. PLAYER B THEN PASSES PINT TO THE PERSON IN FRONT OF HIM (PLAYER C) & THEN RUNS TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE. ETC. ETC. AD INFINITUM.

ON REACHING THE FINISHING LINE, WHAT REMAINS OF THE PINT IS MEASURED (PROBABLY IN FLUID OUNCES) & THE TIME RECORDED (PROBABLY IN SECONDS). THE TIME IS DIVIDED BY THE WEIGHT TO GIVE THE BEER/TIME/SPILLAGE INDEX (I'M SURE WE CAN COME UP WITH A SUITABLE ACRONYM).

E.G. TEAM A = 10 MINS 36 SECS (636 SECS) DIVIDED BY 14.3 OZ = 44.47 BTSI. TEAM B = 11 MINS 18 SECS (678 SECS) DIVIDED BY 16.6 OZ = 40.84 BTSI.

LOWEST BTSI WINS!

IT'S NOT JUST SPEED THAT COUNTS - STEADY HANDS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT AS QUICK FEET!

CLUMSY PLAYERS ARE A LIABILITY .'. NO TEAM WITH SMILEY IN, CAN EVER WIN THIS EVENT! (BEST MAKE HIM TIMEKEEPER OR SOMETHING)

AN ENORMOUS GOLDEN CHALICE ENCRUSTED WITH PRECIOUS STONES WILL BE PRESENTED TO THE WINNING TEAM.

PROBABLY.

See Roz South's excellent portfolio of shots of this event here

RESTORATION DAY 2; THE TORCHLIT MARCH

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Later in the evening, a torchlight march from outside the Lewes Arms, round the mound and back again, by a crowd of people who had given a donation to charity for the privilege of taking part. 'Sussex By The Sea' and other songs were sung vigorously and much fun was had by all. Having been round once, the cry went up - "shall we do it again" - and off everybody went once more. Afterwards we all repaired to the bar and the merriment went on until the wee hours. A great way to mark an important anniversary. Thanks to Vincent van Crink (bottom) for making it all happen so successfully.

A LITTLE PART OF HISTORY

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:50:00 +0000

Its been almost a year since the end of the Lewes Arms dispute.

Prompted to provide an update by the discovery that we have become a little piece of history in the form of a Wikipedia entry: The Lewes Arms Controversy - an accurate and well-formed summary of the main highlights. Well put together but we have no idea by whom.

Is the Lewes Arms controversy the biggest pub dispute in British history? Your comments welcome.

The campaign has already been the subject of an academic study at Sussex University. More details re publication when we know them.

As for the life of a pub - well, that's a long story. Following the campaign, it was not just a question of carrying an as before. Many of the regulars had got used to drinking elsewhere and did not return - at least to begin with. The general word on the street was that the old Arms was not what it used to be, that the heart had gone, that there was never anybody you knew in there and so on. The management of the pub for a time was changeable and, for a while, things seemed to be all at sea.

Happily I can now report that the old Arms is back up to strength and gaining ground. This is largely thanks to our new live-in landlord Dave who really loves the place and is doing everything he can to help get it back in shape. Greene King appear to have given him carte blanche to make this happen. For instance, the food has improved immensely and is well-presented; the limited GK menu has been replaced by a much more broad-ranging one.
There are a good range of interesting bitters alongside the Harveys and GK brands. There is also one of the best smoking areas in a Lewes pub, sheltered and with small but effective heaters.

From our side of the bar, there are large number of clubs, societies, groups, teams and others returning to using the upstairs function room. Last week we put on a gig there successfully. The following day there was a meeting with 26 local environmental groups. A poetry slam night is starting on a regular basis. The Lewes Arms Pantomime is back and currently rehearsing their new production. The Folk Club has beeen maintained throughout. Jazz night on Fridays also. The cribbage league and darts teams appear regularly and the after-bowls drinkers have returned for their regular Saturday lunchtime session.

There is now new sets of regulars alongside the Old Guard, loads of the youth who enjoy the ambience, and a steady stream of people come to visit what has now become one of the most famous pubs in England.

The pub is still a 'No Mobile' zone although this requires ongoing vigilance.

Thanks to all for your support and friendship.

PS: We would like to put out an all points alert re two items which have gone missing (see pic). The Queen's head got broken off and has now gone somewhere. It has currently been replaced by a greeen postage stamp. The Titanic picture (bottom right) has been stolen. It was a black and white picture of the ship, set in a sheeet of brown and white flock wallpaper. There was also an old penny in the frame, Britannia side up. No-one I ever spoke to knew where it had come from. (Incidentally the large crest and other photo are from and about HMS Lewes)

THE NIGHT THE HARVEYS RETURNED

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 12:40:00 +0000

PRESS REACTIONS: The Guardian

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 18:00:00 +0000

Punter power (and G2) saves the regulars' favourite tipple

Tim Minogue
Monday April 23, 2007
The Guardian

Drinkers in the Sussex town of Lewes have just spent a weekend of mild frustration after brewers Greene King caved in on Friday and agreed to restore the Lewesians' beloved tipple, Harveys Bitter, to the town's most popular pub, the Lewes Arms. Hundreds of regulars had boycotted the 220-year-old inn since December, when the company withdrew the award-winning local beer despite a 1,200-signature petition and appeals from the town's MP, Norman Baker, in an attempt to force locals to drink GK's own IPA. Takings plummeted by 90% and Greene King garnered barrel-loads of bad publicity after being portrayed by regulars as an insensitive corporation ignoring the wishes of its customers.

After G2 covered the dispute in March, it became a story around the world. On Friday, as protesters outside the pub were being interviewed by a reporter from the German news magazine Der Spiegel, Greene King finally gave up the fight. The company's new managing director of local pubs, Jonathan Lawson, turned up and announced that Harveys would be restored from this week: "Following secondary fermentation in the cellar, it should be ready to drink towards the end of the week." Therein lies the Harveys' fans' frustration. Because this is "real" ale, they can't get stuck into their favourite until Thursday.

But it hasn't stopped them returning to the pub. Shirt-maker Catherine d'Arcy said: "It's wonderful. I've just been back in and it's like getting your home back after wrongful eviction. It was hippies versus suits and we won."

Fran Maloney, 51, a housing officer, said: "We've shown that it's possible for a small group of committed people to change the mind of a huge company. We knew the loss of trade was hardly going to make a dent in their huge profits, but the loss of reputation would really make them think, so that's what we had to aim for, and we succeeded." As a regular myself, I'll drink to that.

PRESS REACTIONS: The Argus/Independent on Sunday

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 12:35:00 +0000

WE HAVE WON

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 14:22:00 +0000

Press Release
20 April 2007

Greene King announces reinstatement of Harveys at the Lewes Arms

The reinstatement of Harveys to the Lewes Arms has been announced today. Greene King Local Pubs managing director Jonathan Lawson and regional manager Andrea Greenwood were at the pub today talking to their team and to the regulars, and letting them know of the decision. Jonathan said that the order for the beer had been placed and that following secondary fermentation in the cellar, it should be ready to drink towards the end of next week.

“We are passionate supporters of cask beer, are proud of our own brews and have recognised the intensity of feeling around Harveys at the Lewes Arms.” He said that the history of the pub, including its role as former brewery tap, combined with activities ranging from dwyle flunking to pea throwing made this hostelry very special.

“Now that Harveys is going back into the pub, my team and I are hoping that we can make a fresh start with our customers and are looking forward to helping the Lewes Arms once again play a full role in the local community.”

Greene King chief executive Rooney Anand added, “The Lewes Arms is a very special local pub with a unique place in the life of the town.

“We underestimated the depth of feeling and level of reaction about our initial decision and I believe that the conclusion the team put forward to return Harveys to the bar is the right one. I'm pleased that Jonathan and the team have taken on board our customers’ feedback and hope people will be pleased with the news.”

LEWES ARMS BENEFIT

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 12:16:00 +0000

Much fun was had by all at this top-notch shindig featuring the massed bands and musicians of the locale - all with connections to the Lewes Arms. More than £1,300 was raised through donations and a raffle. The bar took its highest takings ever.
Poster design & Photograph: Andy Gammon

GREENE KING STATEMENT

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 11:58:00 +0000

5 April 2007

Lewes Arms Decision In Formal Review Says Greene King

Greene King today confirmed that the decision to remove Harveys Best Bitter from the Lewes Arms is the subject of an internal review, the findings of which are to be presented to Local Pubs managing director Jonathan Lawson, when he joins the company next week.

“Speculation that the review is connected with the re-structure of our managed pub operations falls wide of the mark”, says Adam Collett, marketing director for managed pubs, “although it is true that we are reconsidering our decision.

“The reasons we withdrew the beer in the first place have not changed. We produce a great range of distinctive, top quality real ales, many of them award-winning, all of them traditionally brewed using the finest ingredients. Most people recognise that Greene King invests more in cask beer than any other brewer in the UK and welcome the positive impact we have on the beer sector as well as on local pubs. We defend the right to serve those beers in our pubs and, where we choose, not to sell rival beers.

“This is a pub we are very proud to have in our estate, but we did not fully appreciate its special position in Lewes as the former ‘Brewery Tap’, or take into account its history and traditions. We 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. The review should result in some positive decisions and we look forward to reconciling those involved in all sides of the debate.

“We can't put an exact date on when a decision can be expected, but it is likely to be within the next couple of weeks.”

LEWES ARMS: The First 100 days

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 10:12:00 +0000

'Greedy King' joins other picketers outside the Lewes Arms. Photo: Andrew Hasson

KEEP UP WITH LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AT www.lewesarms.org.uk

The Lewes Arms is back in the national press with a vengeance, triggered off by an excellent four-page piece by Tim Minogue in The Guardian published to mark the first 100 days of the total boycott of the pub, which has reduced the Lewes Arms takings by 90%. The piece also features other pubs around the country who have suffered at Greene King's hands thus reinforcing the importance of this story as a national issue.

This story was picked up by Nick Cohen in The Observer who wrote: 'Furthermore: Please raise a glass to Lewes's drinking classes. At Westminster tomorrow, there will be a rally for the Sustainable Communities Bill, an attempt by MPs from all parties to break up the centralised English state by giving local authorities the power to deal with social and environmental grievances. It's a worthy measure, but what sets this initiative apart from many other good causes is the number of boozers who support it. Publicans, small breweries and the Campaign for Real Ale - the vanguard of England's beer-drinking classes, in short - are rallying behind the bill and being radicalised in the process.

'Writing in the Guardian last week, Tim Minogue of Private Eye explained why. He is one of a group of pickets who are turning customers away from the Lewes Arms. The Greene King conglomerate owns the 220-year-old Sussex pub and in December decided to practise restrictive trading by refusing to sell the bitter from Lewes's independent brewery. As with other exploitations of their market dominance by the pub corporations, Greene King's ban had nothing to do with drinkers' wishes, but was an act of commercial spite against a small business rival. Rather magnificently, its customers responded with a mass boycott that has turned the Lewes Arms into a ghost pub. '

'We usually discuss political cynicism in grand terms and talk about globalisation, the judges and the EU undermining democracy. More insidious is the inability of the English to make lives in their localities a bit better. If this bill succeeds, Lewes council will be able to compel Greene King to stock Harvey's Bitter. If it falls, it won't. That strikes me as reason enough for MPs to vote for it.'

Also see follow-up story in The Publican, the leading trade magazine.

Also the Business section of the Evening Standard:

Greene King makes locals more local

'Landlords are to be given greater power to run local pubs after a shake-up by Greene King.

'The brewer has been under fire in Lewes, West [ED: should be East] Sussex, for removing guest bitter Harveys from the Lewes Arms. Regulars boycotted the pub and burnt effigies of Greene King management. [ED: No effigies have been burnt]

'Today the company is splittting its managed house operations into local pubs, to be run by Jonathan Lawson and "destination" pubs headed by Jonathan Webster.

'Lawson joined from sainbury's where he was director of the convenience store business. Webster was chief executive at Hardy & Hansons. Mark Angela who ran the business befored the split, is lraving with a year's salary of around £450,000.

'Greene King said the move is not connected to its Lewes troubles. But chief executive Rooney Anand said: "Managers will be given greater autonomy and flexibility to match individual pub offers to local needs.

'Greene King's 510 local pubs will focus on selling beer while its 280 larger "destination" pubs and hotels are to be food led.'

A similar story appeared in the Financial Times (March 27th). 'More than a local from Greene King' by Tom Braithwaite. It begins: 'Greene King, the pubs group, is splitting its managed pubs into "local" and "destination" divisions in order to facilitate acquisitions.'

The Guardian’s Mark Milner reported (March 27^th): Greene King splits managed pub division. ‘Greene King said yesterday that it is to split its managed pub operation into two, a move which will see the departure of Mark Angela, the current head of the business.The company denied the decision represented a change in policy at Greene King and said it was designed to provide scope to allow the managed operations to continue to grow. It said there was no connection between yesterday's decision and the high-profile dispute between Greene King and regulars at the Lewes Arms, at Lewes in East Sussex, over the company's decision to withdraw a local brew, Harveys bitter, prompting an ongoing boycott by the pub's customers.

THE STRUGGLE GOES ON

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 13:59:00 +0000

For various personal reasons this blog is no longer being regularly updated at present but the Lewes Arms protest is flourishing. To keep up to date with the latest developments, switch to www.lewesarms.org.uk

WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON !

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:02:00 +0000

Christmas and New Year is normally the busiest time of year in the pub trade; not so for the Lewes Arms. Thanks to a largely spontaneous boycott spread by word of mouth, most sessions have seen the pub almost empty. It closed on Christmas Day for the first time in years, and opened very late on Boxing Day. New Year’s Eve looked a very sad replicant of happier times.

The boycott has been supplemented by vigils at times that were previously busy; as a result many visitors to the town have taken their custom elsewhere, particularly as many were coming to the pub specifically to drink Harveys.

The Friends of the Lewes Arms issued a press release (see below) at the end of the holiday season.

The latest development (January 8^th) is that the Lewes Arms Dramatic Society has decided to take its panto on tour this year - see their press release below.

The LADS will be performing Babes in the Hood at the Constitutional Club March 5^th to 10^th inclusive.

This was a difficult decision for the LADS, whose 30^th anniversary this is, and it would be good if everyone could work together to make this their most successful year yet for fund-raising. They have a special charity this year, as you will see from their release. They may also need practical help with moving, erecting or storing sets.

Boycott Greene King and Lewes Arms badges have nearly sold out their first pressing, with more than 800 being sported round the town. Car window stickers with the same message will be available shortly.

FRIENDS OF THE LEWES ARMS press release

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

A drop of disloyalty from disgruntled drinkers

Regulars at a pub in Lewes, East Sussex have been staying away in droves following the withdrawal of the local beer by the giant brewers, Greene King. Since the last pint of Lewes-brewed Harveys, the most popular beer sold in the pub, was pulled in the Lewes Arms on 10th December, there has been a boycott of the pub by its regulars who have held a vigil outside the pub at peak times during the two busiest drinking weeks of the year.

Andy Gammon, of the Friends of the Lewes Arms, is delighted with the success of the boycott. “The pub has been almost empty in the holiday period,” he said. “When we’ve explained what we’re doing and why, people have been almost 100% supportive of our protest and gone to drink elsewhere in the town. The pub even stayed shut on Christmas Day, when it’s usually full to bursting. We’ll keep this up until Harveys is back on sale in our local. We know they’re a huge company and it will be hard to hurt them financially, but we’re even more determined now that we know how much the people of Lewes are behind us. We reckon their seasonal trade must have dropped by at least 90%.”

So that Greene King doesn’t mistake the lack of sales in January and February for the usual seasonal quiet patch, campaigners have produced a “disloyalty card”, which is stamped or signed by the publican every time a drink is bought elsewhere. The completed cards will be sent to Greene King, so that they can be under no illusions about the business they are losing.

The Friends aren’t just miffed at not being able to get their usual pint in their local. They claim that trucking beer 180 miles when there is a perfectly good brewery half a mile away is not helping reduce food miles, and that Greene King’s refusal to offer a local alternative to its own beers in its pubs is part of a trend of creeping homogenisation in the licensed trade, in marked contrast to their claim to cater for every taste in their pubs. Former regular Fran Maloney said “Greene King are turning into the Tesco of the pub trade and it was the idiosyncratic nature of the Lewes Arms that made it so great. Taking out the best selling beer, despite a 1,200 signature petition, shows that they’re only listening to their accountants, not their customers. Hopefully, they’ll listen to the footsteps marching off to other pubs in town and come to their senses. They certainly won’t be listening to the tills, they’re almost silent.”

Harveys Sussex Best was voted best bitter in Britain by CAMRA in both 2005 and 2006.

LADS ON TOUR

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 23:51:00 +0000

The Lewes Arms Dramatic Society staged their first pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1978. This production was inspired by a throwaway remark from the landlady at the time who noticed that her regular customers were appearing every Sunday evening dressed as Long John Silver Impersonators. Having suggested that they diverted their creativity into a fundraising activity, the pantomime tradition at the Lewes Arms was born with the first production raising money for the Lewes Lifeboat Appeal. Since then, the LADS have staged an annual pantomime, aimed at an adult audience and many local and national charities have benefited from the event over the years.

The Lewes Arms Dramatic Society (LADS) will be performing their 30^th Annual Charity Pantomime at the Lewes Constitutional Club, High Street, Lewes from 5 to 10^th March 2007. Their decision to take the production on tour this year stems from the current difficulties being experienced at the Lewes Arms following the pub's owners, Greene King, removing Harvey's beers.

Roz South, speaking on behalf of the LADS explained "We stage our annual pantomime in order to support charitable causes and over the last 29 years we have raised more than Â£60,000. This fundraising is at the very core of our activities and the LADS have come to the reluctant decision that it would be very difficult to stage a successful pantomime at the Lewes Arms this year. There is an especially poignant focus to our fundraising in 2007 since we will be supporting the Trust set up in memory of Sasha Spinelli, a former LADS trooper who was tragically killed in 2006.

"We remain very grateful for the support we've had from the Lewes Arms and its owners, tenants and managers over the last 29 years at the Lewes Arms and hope that we can return in less troubled times. However, following a generous offer of facilities, this year we will be presenting our touring production of 'Babes In The Hoodâ' at the Lewes Constitutional Club"

LEWES ARMS: AN UNUSUAL INCIDENT

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 13:27:00 +0000

At approximately 12.47 Monday lunchtime, the Sussex Police received a call from the Lewes Arms public house complaining that a mob were besieging the building, shouting at customers and "leering through windows."

A WPC was swiftly dispatched to deal with the situation.

Arriving on foot minutes later, she encountered a crowd consisting of a middle aged woman in a tweed jacket, an alleged radio 4 newsreader (bearded), a younger woman with a baked potato and a black labrador dog with more than a suspicion of Collie about him.

Swiftly and calmly appraising the situation the WPC recognised that the only law being broken was the law of nature which dictates that on a cold winter's day people should be inside the Lewes Arms not loitering on the doorstep drinking tea, from mugs.

The mob informed her that their behaviour was forced by the lack of Harveys inside. Sceptical as to the veracity of this outlandish claim, the WPC entered the pub to determine any further intelligence and emerged some minutes later, visibly shaken to discover that there was indeed no Harveys. She spent some further time with the mob who had by now started eating toffees.

Assured that the immediate threat to public order had been averted the WPC returned to the adjacent Police Station from where she vowed to keep an eye on the mob by "glancing up from time to time".

The mob then headed in an easterly direction and were last seen in the Gardeners doing what can only be described as "enjoying themselves".

The dog remains under suspicion.

LEWES ARMS: VIGIL REPORTS/WEEK ONE

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:14:00 +0000

Wednesday lunchtime: I did the Wednesday lunch shift outside The Arms with Simon and we had some encouraging and friendly conversations with both customers and passers by. A group of guitarists had booked the pub for a workshop some time ago and they were both apologetic and supportive, pledging not to buy any GK products whilst on the permises. They took flyers and I watched through the window as they engaged in an involved discussion with staff. The organiser said future events will be held elsewhere until we win. An elderly lady who had a lunctime rendezvous looked shocked and outraged when we explained the reasons for the boycott and she says she will be contacting her former fiancee who used to work in the brewing industry. A number of passers by called out "keep it up" and "dont be druv" and even "no pasaran".

Saturday lunchtime: Well, we've all said that the weekend would be the acid test of the boycott, and this lunchtime the place was absolutely heaving - with one old bloke who was in the front bar when we arrived, a staff member's boyfriend who turned up out of loyalty for her (and stayed all of half an hour) and a couple of folk clubbers who had a prior booking but agreed not to drink GK. We invited eight out-of-towners to go elsewhere (mostly the Ellie) but they didn’t need much persuading and all of them already knew about the boycott; mostly they'd simply come along to see for themselves whether the tales were true.
One couple had come down from London specifically to drink Harveys in the Lewes Arms (no word of exaggeration) in the belief that it hadn't quite finished yet. And the crowning moment was when two men walked into the two-bar-staff/two-customers pub to be cheered and applauded by the staff, who thought they were seeing their first 'real' clients of the lunchtime and rare breakers of the boycott. The men asked for two pints of Harveys, got their answer and immediately left!

Sunday lunchtime: On arrival, there were 6 people in the pub, 2 of whom left soon after we got there. Nine were persuaded to go elsewhere and were very supportive of the cause. Three people went in, all locals. There was a group of 3 in the corner of the games room, one of whom came to the front door to see what we were doing. Every time they caught our eye, they lifted their glasses and beckoned us in. On leaving, the lady who'd come to the door asked for a flyer and the other two tried to tell us we really ought to go in, it was lovely. I wonder if they were friends of the management or GK spies?

Sunday evening: Boy it was cold outside the Arms tonight! There were about six people in the pub when I arrived at 6pm. Managed to turn away four people in the course of an hour and a half so at least it wasn't a waste of time. One bloke went in saying he felt very guilty, he had a dog so didn't know where else he could go.

PRESS REACTIONS: BBC WEBSITE

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 15:08:00 +0000

Campaign lost to save local ale

Wednesday, 13 December 2006, 13:39 GMT

A campaign to prevent a locally-brewed ale being withdrawn from an East Sussex pub has ended in failure.

Greene King, the Suffolk-based pub group which owns The Lewes Arms, said in October that it planned to replace Harveys Best Bitter with its own beer.

Lewes MP Norman Baker won two reprieves for the beer in the past month, but it has now been confirmed the bitter will be taken out of the pub.

Drinkers set up a campaign blog on the internet to save their favourite beer.

Compromise

Greene King had said it wanted to "serve our own award-winning quality ales in our own pubs", but the Friends of The Lewes Arms pressure group wrote to the firm and Harveys Brewery pleading for a compromise.

Mr Baker said: "There were options which, in my view, would have allowed the local bitter to stay in The Lewes Arms while providing compensatory benefits for Greene King, but sadly it seems that such an agreement was not possible."

Writers on the protesters' blog threatened a boycott of The Lewes Arms if the bitter was withdrawn.

Harveys previously said it had been "touched by the loyalty" of drinkers at the 220-year-old pub

BOYCOTT IN ACTION

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 14:05:00 +0000

7th December 2006:

The first boycotters: Andy Gammon and Manek Dubash

Regulars from the Lewes Arms started a boycott of their local pub this week. The protest follows pub owner Greene King's removal of Harvey's, the local beer, from the bar.

On Tuesday lunchtime, two regulars leafletted those entering the pub and asked them to boycott the pub until the New Year. The protesters said that they had peacefully turned away almost everyone who headed for the pub, and that all passers-by had expressed support for their campaign. As a result, there remained only a handful of people inside.

Regulars say that the disappearance of the brew, which was voted Champion Best Bitter 2006 by real ale campaigners CAMRA, by pub owner Greene King is destroying the character of their favourite drinking hole. They also say that the Lewes Arms is a well-known pub that forms an important part of the character of the town, and that it should be selling the local product.

Greene King, which a couple of weeks ago was in discussions with local MP Norman Baker over the possibility of Harvey's remaining in the pub's cellars, has stuck to its policy of selling only its own beers, even though Harvey's reportedly outsold Greene beers in the Lewes Arms by four to one.

The Friends of Lewes Arms, as regulars call themselves, consists of a hard core of about 30 people who want to see the return of Harvey's, which is brewed a few hundred yards down the road from the Lewes Arms. Local campaigner John May said: "We are some of the people who care about our local and hope to hold Greene King to the high values that they claim to espouse. They can demonstrate this by leaving the Lewes Arms and its Harvey’s alone."

Greene King is currently running a advertising campaign urging people to support local pubs.

GUEST BEERS

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 13:58:00 +0000

One of the ideas put forward as a way out of the impasse is for Harveys to continue to be on sale in the Lewes Arms as a “Guest Ale”, possibly on a reciprocal basis with a Greene King beer offered in one or more Harveys pubs. A few facts may lubricate the debate:

Brewery-owned pubs generally fall into two categories: they are either directly managed by the brewery, or leased to tenants.

In tenanted pubs, the tenants enter into a contract to buy specified beer from one source and in return pay rent lower than the market rate. In managed pubs, the manager is a direct employee of the owners and, in effect, sells whatever the owners wish to put on sale.

Even after recent sales of pubs, Greene King has more than 2,500 across the country, with both tenanted and managed pubs in the estate. The tenanted pubs have varying restrictions on what beer they can sell – for example, the Lamb in Lewes can have a guest ale (as long as it’s not Harveys!).

What is on sale in the managed pubs, like the Lewes Arms, is a matter for Greene King management in Bury St Edmunds.

Harveys has 47 pubs, all tenanted, and none of them have a “Guest Ale” provision in their leases. Just as with any contract, Harveys can’t change this even in one pub without the consent of the other party – the tenant.

It may well be that a “Guest Ale” provision in all pubs (see below for an explanation of the origin of this term) would be a good thing, and indeed CAMRA has a campaign to this effect.

But the playing field between Greene King and Harveys in this instance is hardly level: Greene King management can just tick a box and Harveys will be on sale in the LA for the indefinite future, as it has been since they bought it in 1998.

Even assuming anyone would want to buy Greene King beers in a Harveys pub, Harveys simply can’t impose that on a tenant. Who carries the cost if a barrel of IPA takes up bar space, then goes undrunk and passes its drink-by date?

Anyway, there is no proven demand from drinkers for Greene King beers to be introduced into new pubs in Lewes.

In the case of the Lewes Arms, and other Greene King pubs in the town, the demand for Harveys to be on sale is amply demonstrated, not least by a 1,200-signature petition.

It may yet be that some reciprocal guest ale solution can sort out this mess. This blog is not privy to whatever has been going on. But whatever the outcome, let’s not blame Harveys for the actions of Greene King.

As Peter Messer has succinctly put it, it’s not a matter of Harveys being a guest ale in the Lewes Arms – Greene King is a guest brewer in Lewes, and should behave with better manners.

“Guest Beer”

This term stems from the measures taken by the Thatcher government in the 1980s to break the vertical ties between brewers and their tenanted pubs.

The Guest Beer provision introduced with the Beer Orders never applied to managed houses like the Lewes Arms. In any event, it was abolished with the Beer Orders in 2002.

As it happens, the pub ownership threshold for brewers subject to the Orders when they were introduced was 2,000: Greene King now owns more than 2,500 and Wolverhampton and Dudley, the other major “regional” brewer, also owns more than 2,000.

Some landlords still refer to “Guest Beers”, which adds to the confusion. Many national pubcos have restrictive leases that oblige tenants to buy all but one of their beers from the pubco: hence the term “Guest Beer” for those they are free to buy in. In Lewes, this is Harveys in all cases unless otherwise forbidden.

The detail of the Beer Orders, for those who are interested:

A 1989 competition report aimed to loosen the tie between pub retailing and brewing to facilitate easier entry by, and increasing competition between, brewers, wholesalers and pub retailers.

Most of the recommendations were implemented, mainly by imposing the following changes on “national brewers”, that is, brewers with an estate of more than 2,000 on-licensed premises:

their retailers would be free of tie for non-beer drinks and low-alcohol beers
those retailers would have the right to buy one cask-conditioned beer and (as amended from 1998) one bottle-conditioned beer of their choice on the open market rather than through the brewer (the Guest Beer provision)
and they were allowed only to tie a certain number of pubs. This forced the national brewers to sell or free from tie about 11,000 of the then estimated 60,000 UK pubs

The competition authorities reviewed the Beer Orders in 2000 and concluded that since 1989 there been significant structural change, leading to an improvement in competition. In particular, over a third of the UK’s pubs had been transferred to retail pub chains that had acquired buyer power in relation to the national brewers.

On 19^th February 2002, the U.K. government announced its intention to revoke the Beer Orders in their entirety.

The Campaign for Real Ale, CAMRA, is campaigning for a Guest Beer Right to be reinstated for both tenanted and managed (like the Lewes Arms) pubs.

CAMRA says: A guest beer right would allow these pubs the choice of stocking one cask conditioned beer of their choice. This would have two huge advantages:

Increasing consumer choice. Allowing pubs to stock one beer of their choice will help them attract new customers by allowing them to stock an appealing guest beer.
Supporting small brewers. The biggest hurdle facing Britain’s small brewers is access to market. A guest beer right would transform the fortunes of small brewers by enabling all of Britain’s 60,000 pubs to sell one beer from a small brewer.

Research commissioned by CAMRA shows clear consumer demand for locally brewed beer. 55% of people indicated that they would like to see at least one locally brewed beer in every pub. In addition 31% of all adults who visit pubs would buy a locally brewed beer in a pub over non- locally brewed beer.

BOYCOTT: THE TIME HAS COME

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 13:48:00 +0000

the beer has gone and the time has come

LATEST NEWS: GREENE KING/HARVEYS NEGOTIATIONS

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 10:14:00 +0000

Discussions have been going on for the last two weeks between Harveys and Greene King regarding the future of the Lewes Arms with MP Norman Baker's involvement.

We have not been privy to the precise details of those discussions but were encouraged that some real dialogue was taking place at the right level. For much of this period we were receiving hopeful signals.

However, at the end of this process, the latest news we have from Norman, as of last Friday afternoon, is that, as things stand:

The Harveys will come out of the Lewes Arms after next Friday December 8th

We understand that Harveys and Greene King will be issuing a joint statement in due course.

At a recent public meeting of the Friends of the Lewes Arms, the majority of those present voted for a boycott of the pub and Greene King should the Harveys be removed. The objective of the boycott is to show Greene King, through their till receipts, how strong the feeling is about the issue and how much we disapprove of their actions. The boycott is especially important during the upcoming busy period over Xmas and the New Year.

We continue to hope that sense will prevail and that this boycott may still yet prove unnecessary.

LATEST NEWS

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 10:43:00 +0000

Norman Baker is currently in negotiating over the future of Harveys in the Lewes Arms, with Greene King and other parties. We have been informed that Harveys will stay on tap for at least a week while talks continue. We await developments with interest. Press interest in the story remains high

LEWES ARMS: LETTER TO ROONEY ANAND

john@hqinfo.demon.co.uk (jm) — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 17:40:00 +0000

This great letter to Greene King's Chief Executive Rooney Anand was written by Roger Corbett who lives in South London. Good on you Roger!!

Dear Mr Anand:

With just a few days to go before the unthinkable, this is a personal plea as you have the power to overturn some rough justice just as the Home Secretaries of old could reprieve the death sentence. Apologies for making this sound theatrical but there is much emotion going round.

I visited the Lewes Arms last Saturday evening and in 150 minutes one pint of GK IPA was sold and all the other real ale was Harvey's Best. All the talk was of the withdrawal of Harvey's "in 9 days time".

All my business training tells me that it is so much cheaper to retain existing business than attract new. To risk losing this amount of trade and goodwill (for a corporate "feelgood" of pushing your own products at any cost) will, I sincerely trust, lead you to do some serious soul and heart-searching.

If you had withdrawn the Harvey's when you originally took over the Beard's chain I think people might have smarted but accepted it but to do so after long ownership does smack of something unpalatable.

Goodwill is priceless and you risk it over nothing really except, I suspect, a corporate fetish - you are currently selling huge volumes and banking the profits and both consumer and retailer are at peace. Let it be.

There is still time so please use it to reprieve into perpetuity (or as far into perpetuity as anyone can!) Harvey's Best Bitter sales at the Lewes Arms.

I can't promise but if you do as I have suggested and then visit the pub you'll experience the sort of welcome that a little bit of corporate pride can graciously earn. I should certainly to privileged to be present when you visit.

Yours sincerely

Rober Corbett