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The Harvest Moon (Wetherspoon)

We believe this building is NO LONGER a pub

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Beer (sort)Average Score (sort)No. Samples (sort)
Oakham - Hare FlickExceptional1
Marston's - Sinebrychoff PorterExcellent1
Westerham - British Bulldog "BB" (was 4.3%)Excellent1
Bend Brewing - Wild Blue YonderExcellent1
Springhead - The LevellerExcellent1
Banks & Taylor's (B&T) - Edwin Taylor's Extra StoutExcellent1
Moorhouse's - Old BossGood1
Barons - Bush Berry PorterGood1
Brains - Dark (aka Red Dragon Dark)Good1
Saltaire - Titus BlackGood1
St Georgenbrau - KellerbierGood1
Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Umbel MagnaGood1
Sharp's - Red Sloe AleGood1
Highgate - Irish Whiskey AleGood1
Meantime - London Pale AleAcceptable1
Theakston - Cooper's ButtAcceptable1
Batemans - Dragon's DenAcceptable1
Palm - PalmAcceptable1
Tring - Jack O LegsNot Tried0
Elgood's - Thin IceNot Tried0
Purity - Mad GooseNot Tried0
Westerham - Grasshopper Kentish BitterNot Tried0
Adnams - GunhillNot Tried0
Jennings (since closure now brewed at Marston's) - Golden HostNot Tried0
Greene King - Gosnold's GloryNot Tried0
Hook Norton - JackpotNot Tried0
Elgood's - CXXXNot Tried0
Westerham - British Bulldog GoldNot Tried0
Blindmans - IcarusNot Tried0
Westerham - William Wilberforce Freedom AleNot Tried0
York (now brewed by and at Black Sheep) - CentennialNot Tried0

Visits Details

30 Sep 2012 (Alenomore)
12:00 visit. Whilst my Bro. visited the Model Rail Expo nearby, I thought I'd while away and hour in here. Not been to this area for a couple of years and a bit of a beery desert by all accounts. This place is pleasant enough and attracts the usual local, early bird regulars. Has been a gbg in; 1998/2002/3/7
BeerABVScoreNotes
Westerham - British Bulldog "BB" (was 4.3%)4.10ExcellentIn top condition. Nice to see this place supporting the LocAle brewery.
Springhead - The Leveller4.80ExcellentA1. Another dark type.
Banks & Taylor's (B&T) - Edwin Taylor's Extra Stout4.50ExcellentIn tip top condition. Heaven!
Blindmans - Icarus4.50Not Tried
Westerham - William Wilberforce Freedom Ale4.00Not Tried
30 Apr 2009 (Dubbel)
A momentous day - a 5/5 beer at a Wetherspoons. So good I summoned a mate over after work to get stuck in too.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Oakham - Hare Flick4.20ExceptionalOutstanding. A picture of golden clarity. Had been on about an hour when I first tried it. Delicious sweet juicy US hops. One of the best ales sampled all year. A pure joy and best of the fest so far.
Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Umbel Magna5.00GoodSmells like a herb garden. A solid porter well spiced and very drinkable. I still think the coriander works better with the lighter Umbel Ale though.
Moorhouse's - Old Boss4.30GoodPale, mid-strength, grassy leafy notes, good mouth-puckering hoppy bitterness. Would definitely order again.
24 Apr 2009 (Dubbel)
After coming here in fits and starts for four years, I think I've finally become recognised as a regular. Looking around me, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Brains - Dark (aka Red Dragon Dark)3.50GoodSweet malted mild, nutty and resinous. True to the style and in cracking condition.
Batemans - Dragon's Den4.10AcceptablePale, amber, malty, inoffens... sorry, nodded off while I was drinking it there.
Greene King - Gosnold's Glory4.50Not Tried
Westerham - British Bulldog Gold4.30Not Tried
23 Apr 2009 (Dubbel)
St. George's Day and there was an attempt of sorts at an olde English theme with the beers. I celebrated with England's favourite national dish - a curry.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Meantime - London Pale Ale4.30AcceptableExpecting much and a tad disappointing. Opaque and a little under-conditioned, muted fruit flavours. Improved a little through the pint.
Greene King - Gosnold's Glory4.50Not Tried
Batemans - Dragon's Den4.10Not Tried
Elgood's - CXXX4.20Not Tried
Westerham - British Bulldog Gold4.30Not Tried
20 Apr 2009 (Dubbel)
Festival selection a bit more wide today. They seem to have abandoned the gravity cask at the back of the bar. Probably best given the warm weather today.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Marston's - Sinebrychoff Porter6.20ExcellentCan't get away from this at the moment! Proof that great beer can still be brewed at Marstons.
St Georgenbrau - Kellerbier4.90GoodAn old JDW imported favourite from Bavaria. Bottom fermented and oak matured. Clean tasting and brew quality shows through as do the unusual hops.
Sharp's - Red Sloe Ale4.00GoodGood red fruity malts, bitterness and spice added by a fresh hop finish. Actually really quite nice the more you drink it.
Jennings (since closure now brewed at Marston's) - Golden Host4.20Not Tried
Greene King - Gosnold's Glory4.50Not Tried
Hook Norton - Jackpot3.80Not Tried
16 Apr 2009 (Dubbel)
Polished off a Curry Club Feast for two with a colleague. The jalfrezi really is quite good, you know. Again, just a couple of festival ales to choose from. Still, better few and far between and well conditioned than multiple vinegar samples.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Bend Brewing - Wild Blue Yonder4.80ExcellentThis is an excellent yankee ale, chocolate brown in colour with an alluring fruity nose and sweet palate and spicy dry hop reprise. Not too daft with the hops. Very drinkable indeed. Even my colleague conceded that it had a lovely flavour, then went back to drinking his Fosters.
Adnams - Gunhill4.00Not Tried
15 Apr 2009 (Dubbel)
Wetherfest Day 1. Surprisingly only a couple on to choose from. Very pleased to see one of the foreign beers available from a cask balanced on the back of the bar, a first for this pub. However, it was almost 20 degrees outside and the cooling jacket was having trouble doing its job.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Barons - Bush Berry Porter4.50GoodAussie ale, black with a nettle soup aroma and rich stout-like oatiness. Only the late discreet dark fruits (raisins) made it feel portery. Very nice but would like to try it again a little cooler through a beer engine.
Theakston - Cooper's Butt4.30AcceptableOccasional beer given a run out especially for the fest. Cellar cool and crystal clear amber, distinctly English pale ale. Straight-laced, no-nonsense bittering hops dominate some lemon and lime hints. Decent enough.
Westerham - Grasshopper Kentish Bitter3.80Not Tried
04 Mar 2009 (Dubbel)
As busy as I have seen the place, particularly midweek, with barely a seat to be found at 2pm. Is JDW's daytime custom directly related to Orpington's rising unemployment figures, I wonder? The strain was showing though. As well as the beer availability incident, one (but oddly not both) of my fried eggs was crispy with a hard yolk, the chips had been cooked more than once and there was rather too much gelatine with my ham. I won't order the dish again but I'll persevere with the pub.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Highgate - Irish Whiskey Ale4.60GoodThe merest snifter of whiskey on the nose and in the palate means this beer is not an overly harsh novelty piece. All in all a pretty well balanced ale that I took my time over.
Elgood's - Thin Ice4.70Not TriedInstinct nagged at me to try a sample of this before committing to a purchase and I'm glad I did. It wasn't very nice.
Purity - Mad Goose4.20Not TriedI honed in on this as my first choice as it was a 'required' scoop from a respected brewery. Alas the pumpclip was apparently just there for prestige and the beer had gone. The service-conscious barman apologised to me but the offending clip was still displayed when I left.
05 Feb 2009 (Dubbel)
Busy with usual variety of families, OAPs, office workers and all-day-wasters. I'm a sucker for the Curry Club Jalfrezi and guest pint for under £6.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Palm - Palm5.20AcceptableBelgian amber ale casked at 5.0% ABV exclusively for 'Spoons. Distinctive Belgian yeasty/malty character, bit bananary, weak hops. Decent conditioning as always under current regime but not really my thing.
Tring - Jack O Legs4.20Not Tried
30 Jan 2009 (Dubbel)
Medicinal lunchtime pint after a tough morning. Was pleasantly surprised by the £2.99 jacket potato with tuna mayo too. Lunch and a pint for under a fiver, mustn't grumble.
BeerABVScoreNotes
Saltaire - Titus Black4.50GoodDark brown porter with a bright white head. Dark malts and grassy flavours dominate. Good balance and nicely drinkable without being a stunner.
York (now brewed by and at Black Sheep) - Centennial4.00Not Tried

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About The Harvest Moon

Summary of Beer Scores

 Total
Exceptional2
Excellent8
Good15
Acceptable4
Poor1

The pub is found in Orpington, Greater London, BR6 0LQ.

Typical smalltown High Street Wetherspoon's with the same old community faces and associated post-smoking-ban whiff. Thankfully above average cellar due to the sterling efforts of manager Steve a local hero. Closed its doors for the last time on 4th September 2022 with plans for the re-development of the whole area.

We have visited this pub 17 times, seen 58 different beers and tried 30 of them.

Map location

Postcode: BR6 0LQ