PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale |  | 8 |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | | 3 |
| Harvey's - Porter | | 2 |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Wild Hop | | 2 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 3 |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | | 1 |
| 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 |
| Harvey's - Copperwheat Beer | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
31 Jul 2013 (Stephen Harris)
Attending a CAMRA meeting in the upstairs room to discuss the future of the ‘Capital Pubcheck’ feature in London Drinker magazine. Other beers as reported by Pip.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Dark and scrumptious. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Wild Hop | 3.70 | | Golden and hazy. Bitter hop tastes. Quite dry. |
31 Jul 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | The variability of this beer amazes me - this was fruity |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine | 5.50 | | Hazy but a good end of evening sipper |
| Harvey's - Sussex Wild Hop | 3.70 |  | Taster (only) was hazy and bitterish but overall tasted like a wheat beer. BUT it did turn out to be the very last drops out of the cask! |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Copperwheat Beer | 4.80 | Not Tried |
15 Jun 2013 (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 - Copperwheat Beer | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Brewers Bragg | 3.90 | Not Tried |
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 |
About the Royal Oak
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 11 |
| 141 |
| 120 |
| 37 |
 | 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 179 times, seen 54 different beers and tried 30 of them.
Postcode: SE1 4JU