Through a glass, darkly

By Phil Mellows

Beer lovers in Sussex don’t need a calendar to tell them what time of year it is. All they have to do is walk into a Harvey’s pub and cast an eye across the handpumps. If Old Ale (pictured) is present, then it must be at least October.

And then you might linger for a pint of this dark, silky brew, its malty sweetness tingling with the warming smoky spice of dried fruits. It’s a treat made all the more special because it’s only there until the spring.

The association between autumn and winter and dark beers taps deep into a human psyche geared to the turning seasons. It doesn’t really make much sense in the modern age, but there’s no doubt that as the days shorten and the air grows chilly, people turn to brews that are deeper in colour and are perceived to be warming and more nourishing. The kind of beers that give you a sort of internal cuddle.

Brewers are, of course, wise to this, and as well as Harvey’s Old we are beginning to see a lot more porters and stouts elbowing pale ales from the bar.

There’s lots to look out for, though many may be hard to spot on draught – you’ll have to be in the right pub or tap room at the right time. The latest issue of This Week in Craft Beer alone lists about 10 dark launches on cask that gives a hint of what you might find.

Turning Point Brew Co in Knaresborough has been particularly busy, adding a couple of new stouts to its Singularity Series, the evocatively named Gravedigger’s Biscuits – I can imagine what it tastes like even without having dipped into a Gravedigger’s biscuit-barrel – and the decidedly strange-sounding Darker Matter Custard. Both are a hefty 9% abv.

It’s also done a collab with Nottingham’s Neon Raptor, a coffee stout called Mesozoic Breakfast at a more modest 4.2%.

Beak Brewery, which is round the corner from Harvey’s in Lewes, has introduced Plummy Baltic Porter, Buxton has added Salvio, aged in Islay whisky casks, to its Barrel Masters series, and Glasgow’s Overtone has Duty Free – a Toblerone imperial stout, no less.

Then there’s Hackney Brewery’s tribute to Patti Smith, Because the Night, described as a “no frills” stout, while Atom Beers in Hull has launched Bernoulli’s Principle, a chocolate and cinnamon stout which, for reasons I can’t fathom, is named after an 18th Century Swiss mathematician.

Birmingham’s Attic Brewery, meanwhile, has gone for a long-distance collaboration with Protokoll Brewery in Berlin to come up with Empty Cans. Doesn’t sound promising, but it’s a 6.4% dry stout. And I like dry stouts.

I also like old ales, which are a kind of strong mild, originally brewed to be aged. Beer historians will argue about whether they constitute a distinct style, but if you’re lucky enough not to be a beer historian you can just enjoy drinking them.

Downlands Brewery, another Sussex brewer, has come out with its own take on Old this autumn, and it’s pretty good. I’m also excited to see that Moor Beer in Bristol has brewed a 4.8% pint-able version of its deliciously distinctive Old Freddy Walker. There’s an hour-long video of its creation with a local vlogger. But don’t let that delay your visit to the pub.