PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale |  | 6 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's Festival Mild | | 1 |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | | 3 |
| Harvey's - Kiss | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | | 2 |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 3 |
| Harvey's - 1952 - Elizabethan Ale - 2012 |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's Seafarers Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Lewes Castle Brown Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| 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 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
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 |
22 Jun 2012 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening until close on Unite London Bus Strike day. Good conversation with Guvnor John about the successes and indiscretions of Churchill, Boothby and Macmillan.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | Right in all regards - very cleansing to the palate |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Not keeping its head and was fruity sour. Harvey's Best can fluctuate. Wished I'd stayed on the Sussex Pale |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's Seafarers Ale | 3.60 | Not Tried |
01 Jun 2012 (Philip Pirrip)
Early evening trip mainly to pick up my June - July 2012 copy of CAMRA's London Drinker. Forgot to purchase 2 half dozen of free range eggs. Will be open throughout the Diamond Jubilee weekend. Unusually there was no token Fuller's beer on sale.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | Refreshing and pretty much always a preferred alternative to Sussex Best |
| 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 - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Lewes Castle Brown Ale | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - 1952 - Elizabethan Ale - 2012 | 5.00 | Not Tried |
31 May 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
Busy with a visit from the Thursday night mild drinkers.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Low hop rate, sweet and malty with some fruit in the finish. My score 16/20. |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | | Amber/ruby mild with a fruity sweetness and some malt in the finish. My score 16/20. |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's Festival Mild | 4.80 | | Black with lots of dark malt flavours, full bodied with a fruity finish. My score 16/20. |
| Harvey's - 1952 - Elizabethan Ale - 2012 | 5.00 | | Strong amber bitter with no outstanding flavours. Dry finish. Rather disappointing. My score 14/20. |
19 May 2012 (oz11)
Last pub of the day. Managed to get a couple of tables for our group but pretty busy.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried |
08 Mar 2012 (Stephen Harris)
Packed in the early evening.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Sweet and malty. |
| Harvey's - Kiss | 4.80 | | Amber-coloured, richly malty with a long bitter aftertaste. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's Seafarers Ale | 3.60 | 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