Lewes Arms controversy

The dispute prompted a change in Greene King's policy that may well have repercussions for other pubs that have lost the right to sell local beers.

[1] Greene King decided to stop selling the locally produced Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter at the Lewes Arms in December 2006.

[9] The campaign was covered on the internet[10] and the licensing trade press including The Publican[11] and the Morning Advertiser[12] prompting a wider discussion about the power of the larger brewers over consumer choice.

It gained national coverage in The Guardian, The Mail on Sunday, the Financial Times, BBC Radio 4's Today and You and Yours programmes, Private Eye, The Observer and the Evening Standard.

After a 133-day boycott, a highly critical article in The Guardian[9] and a corporate reorganisation in March involving the departure of Mark Angela as the head of the managed house operations, the company announced on 20 April 2007 that it would reinstate a range of Harvey's ales at the Lewes Arms.