PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
[Back to most recent] [Previous Visits] [More Visits]
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) |  | 2 |
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Champion | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter |  | 7 |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | | 4 |
| Harvey's - Porter | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | | 5 |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Wild Hop | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
30 Mar 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Late night London Drinker magazine pick up visit.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Porter | 4.80 | | |
| 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 |
25 Jan 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until 11pm close. High power all around with a CAMRA RD in regular attendance and a CAMRA NE man making a guest appearance. Mild and Old had run out.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Back to form? |
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale | 7.50 | | Very innocent in taste |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | Not too much to it |
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy | 5.80 | Not Tried |
20 Jan 2017 (Stephen Harris)
Friday evening busy in here. A remarkable number of familiar faces present.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | A very nice pint, in immaculate condition. |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | A long-time favourite of mine, in faultless condition. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried |
30 Nov 2016 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until 11pm close. CAMRA's London top of the hierarchy was drinking in the rear bar.
| 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 - Bonfire Boy | 5.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried |
28 Sep 2016 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until 11pm close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 |  | Tired |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 |  | A nasty metallic smell and taste with haze. I gave up a fifth of way down the pint. Exchanged for a Pale Ale |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried |
10 Aug 2016 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until 11pm close. Very very slow business tonight, soon became two ladies drinking wine outside and myself discussing Brittany with the barman inside.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Superb lip bitterness |
| Harvey's - Sussex Champion | 5.00 | | |
| 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 | |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine | 5.50 | Not Tried |
27 Jul 2016 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until 11pm close. London Drinker pick-up night so lots of CAMRA bigwigs in the rear bar.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine | 5.50 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | A tad fresh |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried |
04 Jun 2016 (Ian)
Late Saturday afternoon. Good smattering of customers. I sat at the bar
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 |  | Bretty aroma perfect |
25 May 2016 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close. Guv John in top form with tales of his hotels days and the characters that owned and managed them.
| 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 | |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Wild Hop | 3.70 | Not Tried | Ran out |
30 Mar 2016 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close. Other beers details lost in this website's server crash.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 |  | Too cloying so may be end of cask or not properly conditioned out. Not right anyway |
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