PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's Festival Mild |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | | 3 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | | 5 |
| Harvey's - Kiss | | 1 |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | | 5 |
| Harvey's - Lewes Castle Brown Ale |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 3 |
| Harvey's - 1952 - Elizabethan Ale - 2012 |  | 1 |
| 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 - Armada Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
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 |
17 Dec 2011 (oz11)
Evening, busy.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried |
29 Sep 2011 (Martin the Mildman)
Busy with a visit from the Thursday evening mild drinkers.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Sweet, fruity and malty with hints of grain and very little hopping. My score 16/20. |
| Harvey's - Lewes Castle Brown Ale | 4.80 | | Brown ale with a good mix of malt and bitter hop. Dryish finish. My score 15/20. |
14 Jul 2011 (oz11)
Final pub of the day, no familiar faces behind the bar but the beer and food was splendid, a huge portion of Game Pie was just what was needed!
| 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 - Lewes Castle Brown Ale | 4.80 | Not Tried |
21 May 2011 (oz11)
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| 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 |
12 May 2011 (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 | | Sweet and malty just as it should be. My score 16/20. |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | | Red/amber mild with sweet toffee malt and fruity hop notes. My score 16/20. |
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