PubsandBeer
Royal Oak (Harvey's Brewery)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Tom Paine | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Champion | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy | | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale |  | 4 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 8 |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | | 2 |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | | 5 |
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Knots of May Light Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Georgian Dragon | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Wild Hop | Not Tried | 0 |
| Harvey's - Armada Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Oliver's Island | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
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 |
30 Jan 2016 (ChrisE)
Mid day visit, the Labologist's Society were holding an auction of labels upstairs but with prices going in to three figures for a label that was too much for me. I met an interesting chap who has an amazing collection of Toby Jugs from Hoare & Co., Charrington and Bass Charrington.
| 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 - Bonfire Boy | 5.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale | 7.50 | Not Tried |
27 Jan 2016 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close for successful London Drinker magazine pick-up and Good Beer Guide survey.
| 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 - Bonfire Boy | 5.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Christmas Ale | 7.50 | Not Tried |
07 Jan 2016 (ChrisE)
I sat in the back bar and was unable to see the decent array of pump clips in the front bar so I have not listed all the beers that were available. A really pleasant atmosphere in here today and I would have stayed longer had time permitted.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | Very good indeed. |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy | 5.80 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Gale's HSB | 4.80 | Not Tried |
25 Nov 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until close. Much CAMRA London royalty in situ long into the night.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | | In fine silky smooth form |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy | 5.80 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - Oliver's Island | 3.80 | Not Tried | Ran out - no loss in a Harveys house |
14 Nov 2015 (HSB)
12:00 - 17:00 Quarterly meeting of the CAMRA Pub Heritage Group. We were in the upper room but I made a number of visits to the bar. Steady trade but nowhere near as busy as it was last year when we met at this venue.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | Much better than the first. Nutty and bitter. |
| Harvey's - Bonfire Boy | 5.80 | | Rich and dark |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | | Much better, I suspect I may have had the first one out previously |
| Harvey's - Southdown Harvest Ale | 5.00 | | Touch sour |
| Harvey's - XX Dark Mild (or Sussex XX Mild) | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Sussex Pale Ale | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Harvey's - Old Ale (or Sussex XXXX Old Ale) | 4.30 | Not Tried |
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