PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Porter |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Primus Ale | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy | | 2 |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | | 2 |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Star of Eastbourne |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 4 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | | 9 |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Wild Hop | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Two Halves | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Wild River | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - St Richard's Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Franklins - Sussex Best Bitter | 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 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
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 |
26 Nov 2014 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close. Serendipitous unplanned meet up with 2 most unexpected people.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | Seemed a tad fresh to me |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy | 5.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Wild River | 4.50 | Not Tried | Had run out |
| Franklins - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - St Richard's Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried |
08 Nov 2014 (HSB)
11:30 to 16:30 A meeting of the CAMRA Pub Heritage Group in the upper room. The bar was very busy every time I went down stairs to get another pint. Too many ankle biters.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy | 5.80 | | Very tasty beer. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Had three in total. First one was just about OK. Next two were bordering on excellent. I have scored an average result. |
| Harvey's - Star of Eastbourne | 5.50 | | Not what I was expecting. Little sweet and lacking hops. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | Tired. Probably first one out of the pump. |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried |
03 Nov 2014 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Rarely for me early enough (just) to see some diners eating.
| 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 - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Star of Eastbourne | 5.50 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Wild River | 4.50 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Harvey's - St Richard's Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried |
07 Oct 2014 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | Top notch |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Wild River | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - St Richard's Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried |
25 Sep 2014 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Primus Ale | 5.00 | | Interesting new branding. Small roundel on the pumpclip says "Sussex's Heritage County Town Beers from Harvey's Georgian Micro Brewery" |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Poor head and lack of carbonation |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 |  | Rather sour and quite unpleasant aftertaste. Not right or near the very end of cask perhaps |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Wild Hop | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Two Halves | 3.50 | Not Tried | Ran out |
About the Royal Oak
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 11 |
| 139 |
| 108 |
| 33 |
| 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 166 times, seen 54 different beers and tried 31 of them.
Postcode: SE1 4JU