PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) |  | 3 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | | 8 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 3 |
| Harvey's - Porter | | 2 |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | | 1 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Wild River | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Lewes Castle Brown Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Kiss | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Bengal Lancer | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Brewers Bragg | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
30 May 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close. Quietest I have ever known it. Frank and John enjoying Glyndebourne tonight.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Pretty much the only Mild I enjoy these days |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Brewers Bragg | 3.90 | Not Tried |
11 Apr 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Porter | 4.80 | | |
| 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 - Georgian Dragon | 4.70 | Not Tried | Commemorates a lesser known hero, Dr Gideon Mantell, the original Father of Paleontology. The respected Lewes Doctor has become regarded as the person responsible for clearly identifying the prehistoric reptiles we today refer to as ‘dinosaurs’. The clip depicts Dr Mantell discovering his Iguanodon near Cuckfield, in Sussex in 1821. |
30 Mar 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Business ticking over.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Porter | 4.80 |  | Faultless |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | 1st rate |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | 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 | Just ran out - £4 pp |
16 Feb 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Both bars very crowded certainly justifying Saturday opening which they did not always do here.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Earthy and malty |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Fruity and oily. How complex it is with variability |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Kiss | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried |
30 Jan 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Back bar busy with CAMRA London Regional Group post meeting personnel.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | | No distinctive flavour or nose |
| 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 | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Lewes Castle Brown Ale | 4.80 | Not Tried |
03 Dec 2012 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening.
| 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 - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried |
29 Nov 2012 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit. London Drinker magazines not yet available for December owing to production team member illness.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | Hit the mood so no need to move to any other beer tonight |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | 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) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried |
27 Sep 2012 (Philip Pirrip)
2230 onwards. A couple of card schools in the main bar.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | A 5 starrer. Viciously hoppy as if to slake a foundryman's, ploughman's and docker's thirst old time. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Wild River | 4.50 | Not Tried |
16 Aug 2012 (Eddie)
12:30 visit: great Harveys pub, and today with lots of interesting characters.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | |
26 Jul 2012 (Philip Pirrip)
2215 visit until just after the stroke of bewitching midnight. Quietest I have known it for a very long time. Picked up my August - September 2012 London Drinker.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | 1st and best of the evening |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | No head retention |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine | 5.50 | | £4.00 pp. OK but sweetish |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Wild River | 4.50 | Not Tried |
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