Harvest ales is one of those beer
styles that seems to have an identity crisis, some American commentators state
that these beers were traditionally made in the Autumn to celebrate the end of
the harvest, indeed Jeff Baker states “there are basically two types of harvest
ale: Ales brewed to celebrate the year’s harvest of agricultural products, such
as hops or cranberries, and ales that are brewed simply to be enjoyable in the
fall weather.”[1] In
the US, Harvest Ale is a term used for beers brewed with green hops, showcasing
the quality of hops at their freshest. Jeff Baker notes that Harvest Ales are
merely a marketing term for breweries to sell their Autumn seasonals, and can
be utilized for a variety of beer styles ranging from hoppy IPAs to malty Brown
Ales. Brewery historian Ron Pattison has extensively researched about the
origins of Harvest Ales, and he points out that during the 19th and
early 20th centuries these beers were originally supplied to farm
workers for free as part of their daily rations and wage packets. He notes “the
beer supplied for harvesters was usually a low--gravity Mild, weaker than the
stuff you'd have found in pubs. Harvest Ale was probably around 4% ABV before
WW I, compared to 5% for X Ale. The workers didn't really need beer to harvest;
they were just used to getting beer while they harvested.”[2]
Apparently, these beers were usually an AK/
Light Mild of low gravity (between 1030 and 1032) which was over-hopped and
normally served with bread and cheese. As Pattison notes these beers were never
served in pubs and solely developed as workers allowance beer. Harvest ales
were originally home brewed, but by the mid-19th century, a number
of breweries cashed in on this profitable market and used Harvest Ale as a marketing
scheme to promote towards the farming industry; as far back as 1878 the likes
of East Hill Brewery of Colchester were promoting their Harvest Ales towards the
agriculture industry in a bid to quell home brewing.[3]
In an era before mechanised farming Harvest Ales were a profitable venture,
indeed over a century ago these beers were commonly in high demand during the
harvest season. A Yet these beers weren’t always brewed at low strengths[4],
in 1867 Steed’s Brewery were promoting XX stock ales for harvest[5],
likewise East Hill were promoting strong harvest ales at 35s per barrel in their
trade ads and Ind Coope were advertising strong old harvest ales during 1881[6];
while at the other end of the scale W. Cook and Sons were promoting non-alcoholic
harvest ales in 1901[7];
so it seems that harvest ales have widely varied in strength which further muddies
the waters. So, what is a true Harvest Ale, is it a style in its own right or has
it always been just a cunning advertising ploy?
Since the introduction of
mechanised farming, the demand for Harvest Ales gradually died out as the
market dried up. Since then, various breweries have attempted to revive the
concept with varying degrees of success. For many years Fuller’s had a dark mild
in their books known as Hock (4%) which gets its name from the brewery’s
hock cellars where the beer was matured. When CAMRA became established, the
beer was sold in May to coincide with their Mild May month initiative, however
sales were disappointing. In 1996, they took the bold decision to revive beer
as an Autumn only release (the season it was traditionally brewed for) and
promote it as a Harvest Ale. The beer was made available at Fuller’s pubs
between 9th September – 11th October 1996.[8]
This beer has since been discontinued, and in recent decades a slew of brewers has
developed their own harvest ales, however many of these beers have strayed from
the low strength harvest ales of yesteryear. Some of these beers have been
brewed to a higher strength, like John Hampden’s Golden Harvest Ale (4.8%) by
Chiltern that first appeared in 1995 which the brewery claims it was developed
in the style of a traditional harvest ale. This claim is spurious at best; it
is closer to the classic British golden ale that was gathering in popularity
during the Nineties.[9]
In the 5th edition of the Real Ale Almanac published in 1997, Roger
Protz described this beer as “resiny hop and full mash malt in the mouth, big
malty, hoppy and fruity finish,”[10]
a far cry from how harvest ales were traditionally developed earlier that
century. Meanwhile other British brewers have followed the American mantra and
brewed with green hops like Harry’s Harvest Pale Ale (5%) – Isle of Purbeck, Brewer’s
Garden (4.2%) – Stroud, Southdown Harvest (5%) – Harvey’s and Fresh
Harvest Ale (4%) – Deya for instance. While in the US these beers would be
classified as Harvest ales, they are effectively green hop beers with the
moniker ‘harvest’ slapped onto the labels. Meanwhile, JW Lees pushed the boat
out further with their Harvest Ale (11%), essentially a Barley Wine
developed with the first hops of the year and British malt, in this instance,
the term harvest is merely used to celebrate the first hops of the harvest
season. This beer has appeared sporadically on an annual basis since 1986, yet in
terms of strength it is as far removed from the traditional harvest ales of old
as you can get.
There have been cases of milder
strength beers promoted as harvest ales, such as Harvest Ale No. 4 (4%) –
Track, a dark mild produced as part of their Harvest Ale series showcasing
green hop beers produced with locally grown hops sourced through the Manchester
Hop Project; while the other beers produced in this series are a mixture of
Best Bitters, Red IPA’s, Brown Ales and Golden Ales brewed to a higher ABV,
this specific example seems to be closer to the mark. The same could be said
for the elusive Harvest Plenty (4.2%) – Farriers Arms, a dark mild
brewed at the Old Forge brewery, a microbrewery located in a converted
outbuilding adjacent to the Farriers Arms pub. However, like the legendary Hock
(4%), both these beers are produced as dark milds. Meanwhile, in 2016 Hog’s
Back Brewery first produced Home Harvest Pale (4%), a limited produced bitter
subsequently released on an annual basis every September since. This beer is
developed with home-grown and harvested hops from their Tongham estate,
including the likes of Fuggles, UK Cascade and heritage Farnham White Bine, the
latter example was once a commonly grown hop in the region that was notably
revived by the brewery after nearly a century of inactivity. Rupert Thompson
CEO of Hog’s Back stated “we think Home Harvest Ale is a first for British
brewing; a beer made with three varieties of hops grown just 100 yards from the
brewhouse. It makes us a genuinely local brewer in far more than just name.”[11]
Like its contemporaries the term ‘harvest’ is used as a promotional tool to
identify that the hops were harvested locally. Yet although it is promoted as a
bitter, due to its low ABV, over hopped flavours and appearance it is probably
the closest contemporary beer we’ll get to something approaching a traditional
low strength Harvest Ale that was commonly promoted to farm workers a century
before.
From looking at the range of examples
out there, harvest ales were never really a beer style as such, as it has often
varied in strength and appearance. Yet they all share a common purpose, as they’ve
always been used as a marketing ploy from the days when brewers used it to
promote harvest ales to the farming industry, to the green hop beers of recent
years produced to celebrate the hop harvest.
It has never been designated by the BJCP as a registered beer style, so
brewers have freely been able to produce whatever they like and call it a
Harvest Ale. So, in effect Jeff Baker was right all along, it is merely used as
a promotional term, there is no such thing as a traditional Harvest Ale as it has
never truly evolved into a style in its own right.
[4] Eric
Palmer a farmer from Empingham recalls in his diaries during the harvests
between 1784-6, farm labourers were offered a Harvest Ale brewed to an
unreasonably strong strength, which he recollects was enough to stupefy a man.
[9] This
beer is brewed with 100% British ingredients including Maris Otter malt and
Goldings hops
[10]
The Real Ale Almanac 5th Edition 1997, Roger Protz, Neil Wilson Publishing,
Glasgow, pg.170.
