PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | | 2 |
| Harvey's - Porter |  | 2 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 4 |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | | 5 |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | | 3 |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
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 |
27 Sep 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until 11pm close. London Drinker magazine pick up day.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | | Initially quite unusual hop taste after the Best. Rather too chilled |
| 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 |
26 Jul 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until 11pm close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Tom Paine | 5.50 | | Getting expensive at £4.50pp |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| 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 - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried |
31 May 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Mid-evening visit with the hope of meeting a man about a dog, successfully.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Temporarily re-named here as "Archivist Ale" in memory of a recently lost local Stephen Humphrey |
| Harvey's - Porter | 4.80 | | |
| 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 | Never see anyone buy any of the Fuller's beers when on the pump here! No need |
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 |
About the Royal Oak
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 11 |
| 140 |
| 113 |
| 34 |
 | 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 171 times, seen 55 different beers and tried 31 of them.
Postcode: SE1 4JU