PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | | 7 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | | 2 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Nuptial Ale |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Kiss | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Star of Eastbourne | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Porter | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
21 Jun 2018 (Philip Pirrip)
Mid evening visit.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried |
30 May 2018 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit until 11pm close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Nuptial Ale | 6.00 | | Barley wine type taste which could be confused with being on the turn, several others commented similarly |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Porter | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried |
04 May 2018 (Stephen Harris)
Early Friday evening and, unexpectedly, it is very quiet in here. I had the pick of the seats in the front bar.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | 4.70 | | I rather liked this Red Ale which has no sweetness and some nice aroma dry-hopping. |
| 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 | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried |
12 Apr 2018 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 |  | Superb nick, an English mild as it should be |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Porter | 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 | |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | 4.70 | Not Tried |
29 Mar 2018 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit until 11pm close. Chance encounter and good chat with one of the brewers at Brasserie de la Senne in Bruxelles. He will be coming over to go to Sussex later this summer for a collaboration brew with Burning Sky.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Best I've had of this for a very long time |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Porter | 4.80 | 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 | Still hanging on nearly into April! |
31 Jan 2018 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit for London Drinker pick up. I really must eat here one day as the whitebait starter and whitebait main both tempt.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale | 7.50 | Not Tried | Tempting |
09 Dec 2017 (ChrisE)
Very busy in both bars and a function in the upstairs room. Lots of paper hats from Christmas crackers being worn.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - IPA | 3.50 | Not Tried |
29 Nov 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until 11pm close. Lots of top London CAMRA men in for a meeting upstairs.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Star of Eastbourne | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried |
16 Nov 2017 (ChrisE)
Lunchtime visit, the front bar was full but we had the rear bar to ourselves. A good welcome from the guv. A good range of Harvey's beers on but I have not listed them all as I came out without a pen.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | Selling well to our crowd. |
31 Oct 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Mid evening visit.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Best Harvey's Mild I have had in a long time. Conditioning gave superb mouthfeel |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | 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 | Ran out |
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