PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Porter |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | | 1 |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Porter | | 2 |
| Harvey's - Copperwheat Beer | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 4 |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) |  | 6 |
| Harvey's - Olympia | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
17 Dec 2009 (Martin the Mildman)
Extremely busy with pre-Christmas drinkers.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Sweet and malty with hints of graininess. Long malty finish. My score 16/20. |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | Rich and malty with a little hoppiness in the finish. My score 16/20. |
13 Oct 2009 (Ian)
Still a lovely feel to this pub. I spent a pleasant hour with a book and a couple of pints, even though they were not in the best of nick.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 |  | New barrel, but compared to this beer at The Harp in Chandos Place or at the brewery itself, this needs some work. |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 |  | End of barrel with diacetyl too. Not up to its usual high standards. |
14 Mar 2009 (Blair)
First stop on our crawl round London. I really liked this place, a proper old school boozer. Straneg it's stuated in such a modern area. I'll definately be back.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Porter | 4.80 | | Black with a nice tan head. Rich with a bit of chocolate and lots of coffee. Really good. |
| 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 - 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 HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried |
05 Dec 2008 (Dubbel)
Cosy and inviting on a cold winter afternoon. Quiet when we arrived but filled out as the day wore on. Sat in the snug at the back of the pub taking in the history of the place.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Porter | 5.40 | | Thick and full, roasted coffee beans, burnt wood, sharp dry finish. Very good condition. |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | Great beer, dark, sweet with red malt tendencies and underlying fruitiness. Ideal winter concoction. |
| 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 - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried |
27 Nov 2008 (Ian)
Came here with Reakt from Ratebeer for a few beers. Sat at the bar in the back and supped a few beers and tried the impy stout in bottle again.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Best pint of this bitter that I've had in this pub. All of the flavours were perfectly in balance and the intensity of the flavours and condition were also perfect. |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | Very tasty, drinkable grainy dark winter beer. |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried |
21 Oct 2008 (Ian)
The race from the lights down Borough High Street was incredible, about a dozen cyclists all going hell for leather. This is a great pub. I sat at the bar chatting with someone about mild and ate a bowl of chips with mayonnaise.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | Really quite soft as an old ale. Even quite hoppy, very soft, good malts. Harvey's yeast dominates, but unbelievably drinkable. Almost like a mild. but with hint of the sourness that will develop over the coming months. |
| 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 |
20 Jun 2008 (Ian)
Not particularly busy, but I love this pub. I spent some time chatting with the landlord about different Harvey's beers.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | | Reddy amber colour. Farty Harvey's yeast aroma, then this lovely light mild flavour. Oh this is scintillating. So drinkable it's untrue. Foret Brew Dog Edge or Thornbridge Hall Sapphire, this is how to make a low ABV beer. Brilliant. Lovely toffee malt and then some hop on finish. Brilliant. |
| Harvey's - Copperwheat Beer | 4.80 | | Odd cereal, orange-y citrus flavour on this one. A bit like a tangerine with a woody flavour to it. A bit like a wooden box of oranges. Some clove spice. Bit of juicyness from the malt. Didn't like it at first, but it grows on me. Good strongish bitter. |
| 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 - Olympia | 4.30 | Not Tried |
09 Apr 2008 (Ian)
Got here just before 16.30 and it was an oasis of calm. Love this pub.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | | My first pint and just wonderful. I remember it being a bit more tangerine fruity, but still an excellent mid strength beer. |
| Harvey's - Porter | 4.80 | | Everything in the right proportion, lovely choc, coffee, roasted malt, bitterness, bit of dark fruit. Superb. |
| 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 |
09 Nov 2007 (Ian)
One of my favourite pubs in London. A Harvey's tied pub, but with real character and an excellent clientele.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | Superb, and I wanted to come back the next day to try it with maybe a hint of sourness, but never made it back. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Perfectly lovely beer with good yeasty aroma. |
03 Jul 2007 (Steve)
Had a meeting at London Bridge decided to visit some of me old haunts with some old mates pleased to see this pub hasn't changed excellant pub excellant well kept beer this pub and the Garland at Redhill are fantastic examples of Harveys Pubs
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | One of the best pints of Harveys I've ever had |
| 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 | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried |
About the Royal Oak
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 11 |
| 140 |
| 113 |
| 35 |
| 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 173 times, seen 55 different beers and tried 31 of them.
Postcode: SE1 4JU