PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | | 2 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Wild Hop | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Porter | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Waterloo Rye IPA |  | 2 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | | 7 |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine | | 1 |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | | 2 |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild |  | 1 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Wild River | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Bengal Lancer | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Kiss | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Copper Centenary Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's Spring Sprinter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - County Town Beers Scotch Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Copperwheat Beer | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
30 Sep 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close. Exalted company with the CAMRA LRD and SPBW Vice-Chair in situ.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Wild Hop | 3.70 | | |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine | 5.50 | | Dry and woody |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's Spring Sprinter | 4.00 | Not Tried | Ran out |
29 Jul 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Waterloo Rye IPA | 6.10 | | Probably better matching an historical IPA style than many that purport to. £4.40 pp |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's Spring Sprinter | 4.00 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Harvey's - Sussex Wild Hop | 3.70 | Not Tried |
15 Jul 2015 (Stephen Harris)
Early evening and quiet enough when I arrived to have my pick of tables in the front bar.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | Tasty, malt-led, amber-coloured beer. |
| Harvey's - Waterloo Rye IPA | 6.10 | | Strong, golden beer. Initially seemed sweet, but bitter rye flavours developed. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Copperwheat Beer | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Wild Hop | 3.70 | Not Tried |
11 Jun 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close. Second consecutive visit when earlier than usual closing applied due to low level of custom.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Copperwheat Beer | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Wild Hop | 3.70 | Not Tried |
27 May 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close. Actually got in just as premature last orders was being called due to light business tonight.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Wild Hop | 3.70 | Not Tried |
21 May 2015 (HSB)
14:25 Just in time to order one of the pub's excellent salt beef sandwiches with an accompanying wally.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | | Not certain if I have ever had this beer before. Thought it was a bit thin. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's Spring Sprinter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Wild Hop | 3.70 | Not Tried |
25 Mar 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Porter | 4.80 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's Spring Sprinter | 4.00 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Harvey's - County Town Beers Scotch Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | A January special still alive here |
17 Feb 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Kiss | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Bengal Lancer | 5.00 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Harvey's - Copper Centenary Ale | 5.70 | Not Tried |
28 Jan 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. GBG survey visit.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | Harveys IPA still carrying an old badged name |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Bengal Lancer | 5.00 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale | 7.50 | Not Tried |
11 Dec 2014 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close. The pub's Christmas Day luncheon at £70 is being advertised on the wall and looks scrummy. All beers tried tonight were top notch and the pub remained busy until late.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy | 5.80 | | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Wild River | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale | 7.50 | Not Tried |
About the Royal Oak
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 11 |
| 140 |
| 113 |
| 34 |
 | 4 |
The pub is found in Borough, Central London, SE1 4JU.
Harvey's first tied pub in the capital. Corner pub in Tabard Street, near Borough Underground station. Feels like an oasis from the bustle of London Bridge / Borough High Street. Two bare-boarded rooms in a pub with a central bar and an off-sales hatch. Superb John Harvey Room upstairs may be used for meetings and functions and is freely available. Lots of dark wood and cream walls. 4 handpumps on each bar counter so 8 in all. Comfortable atmosphere. Also has comprehensive selection of Harvey's beer in bottles. Became a managed house after the departure, to retirement, of long term tenant licensees in January 2019. Local CAMRA branch Overall Pub of the Year 2023 and 2025, having been runner-up in 2022.
We have visited this pub 171 times, seen 55 different beers and tried 31 of them.
Postcode: SE1 4JU