Larkins Pale
| The Real Ale Way | Hayes (SE London), Greater London | 15 Aug 2026 |
|
| Castle Inn | Chiddingstone, Kent | 01 Aug 2026 |
|
| Claret & Ale (formerly Claret Free House) | Addiscombe, Greater London | 13 May 2026 |
|
| The Handsome Sam | Whitstable, Kent | 18 Sep 2025 |
|
| Old House | Ightham Common, Kent | 10 May 2025 |
|
| The Real Ale Way | West Wickham, Greater London | 23 Nov 2024 |
|
| The Crown Inn | Groombridge, Kent | 28 Jun 2023 |
|
| The Real Ale Way | Westerham, Kent | 16 Dec 2019 |
|
| Kent Beer Festival 2019 | Canterbury, Kent | 18 Jul 2019 |
|
| The Rock | Chiddingstone Hoath, Kent | 16 Jun 2019 |
|
| Larkins' Alehouse | Cranbrook, Kent | 16 Jun 2018 |
|
| Queens Arms | Cowden Pound, Kent | 21 Feb 2015 |
|
Tasting Summary
These comments are the opinion of the individual reviewer and represent what they thought of the beer on a particular day in a particular pub. If a review is less favourable, it may be because the beer suffered somewhere in the supply chain between them and the brewery.
The Real Ale Way, Hayes (SE London), Greater London
| Who | Score | When | Notes |
|---|
| Hogan Sampling |  | 15 Aug 2026 | 1st beer of this visit: Served with very good head and lasting lacing on this Larkins pale ale from Larkins Farm in Chiddingstone, near Edenbridge, Kent, and first set up in 1986. A dry hoppy first bite. A fruited bitterness rising with floral and herbaceous notes from its 100% home-grown hops processed on-site in traditional oast houses purposely built for drying hops using wood- or coal-fired kilns as part of the beer-brewing process. The hops used are Early Choice Goldings behind its sweet floral notes, spices, honey and earthiness, Bramling Cross behind its dark berry, such as blackcurrant, loganberry, and plum flavours for me, and Whitbread Goldings lending a woody touch with hints of garden herbs, green fruit, and woody bergamot which is a fragrant, yellow-to-green citrus fruit roughly the size of a small orange and a cross between a bitter orange and a lemon, alongside hints of fig and thick caramel. A gentle malty note joining in lending a subtle sweetness from its locally sourced malted barley. A hoppy bitterness paddling out. Served in top form. |
| Hogan Sampling |  | 08 Mar 2025 | Good head and lacing on this Kent-based Chiddingstone micro-brewery's pale. A pleasantly dry and hoppy first hit. There was a hop-infused mouthfeel with the hops grown on Larkins Farm and a moreishly dry aftertaste. There was not a hint of grapefruit which is very welcome to my palate. |
| Hogan Sampling | Not Tried | 08 Mar 2025 | |
| Hogan Sampling | | 23 Nov 2024 | Good head and lacing. Pleasant lightly hoppy mouthfeel which lingered. |
| Philip Pirrip | | 11 Feb 2023 | Superb condition but the service made me want to drink up and catch the next bus |
| Philip Pirrip | Not Tried | 22 Jul 2022 | |
| Philip Pirrip | Not Tried | 12 Dec 2019 | |
| Philip Pirrip | | 12 Dec 2019 | Quite a sharp bitter, quite intense on the lips |
| Philip Pirrip |  | 13 Jul 2019 | Difficult to judge as a long time since I last had this one. Teeny suspicion of a forming off flavour |
| Philip Pirrip | | 01 Aug 2018 | |
Castle Inn, Chiddingstone, Kent
| Who | Score | When | Notes |
|---|
| Hogan Sampling | | 01 Aug 2026 | 2nd beer of this visit: Very good head and lasting lacing presented on this Larkins’ pale golden-hued ale. A gentle fruity sweetness in its first hit. A dry bitterness rising with hoppy, floral and herbaceous flavours coming to the fore for me with its 100% home-grown hops from their four-acre hop garden containing traditional Kent varieties, Early Choice Goldings, Bramling Cross and Whitbread Golding Variety. A touch of pale barley malt and wheat balancing this pale. A fruited hoppiness winning over. Served in fine fettle with plentiful conditioning throughout. |
Claret & Ale (formerly Claret Free House), Addiscombe, Greater London
| Who | Score | When | Notes |
|---|
| Philip Pirrip | | 13 May 2026 | Sharp bitterness. Good condition |
| Philip Pirrip | Not Tried | 08 Sep 2025 | |
| Philip Pirrip | | 23 May 2025 | Basic stuff |
| Philip Pirrip | | 25 Mar 2025 | First rate |
| Philip Pirrip | | 13 Dec 2024 | Basic pale job |
| Philip Pirrip | | 01 Nov 2024 | Had all its attributes competently |
| Philip Pirrip | | 25 Oct 2024 | In good form |
| Philip Pirrip | | 16 Sep 2024 | A bit under par |
| Philip Pirrip | Not Tried | 10 Sep 2024 | |
| Philip Pirrip | | 04 Sep 2024 | Good but had better |
| Philip Pirrip | | 19 Aug 2024 | Good but have had better |
| Philip Pirrip | | 16 Aug 2024 | Had it all - great stuff |
| Philip Pirrip | | 12 Jul 2024 | I am beginning to prefer this to the ubiquitous Palmers IPA here |
| Philip Pirrip | | 05 Jul 2024 | With its unique twang |
| Philip Pirrip | | 10 May 2024 | Near end of cask. OK |
| Philip Pirrip | | 12 Apr 2024 | Tastiest Larkins Pale I have had for a long time |
| Philip Pirrip | | 05 Apr 2024 | Very well rounded |
| Philip Pirrip | | 01 Mar 2024 | Does not always taste the same |
| Philip Pirrip | | 16 Feb 2024 | Best of this ale I have had in a long time |
| Philip Pirrip | | 30 Jan 2024 | Pale recipe tweaked I wonder |
| Philip Pirrip | | 24 Jan 2024 | Good enough |
| Philip Pirrip | | 19 Jan 2024 | Good but some sort of twang with Larkins Pale as often experienced |
| Philip Pirrip | | 05 Jan 2024 | Good but had better here and elsewhere |
| Philip Pirrip | | 01 Nov 2023 | There is always a twang to Larkins Pale I can not identify as to where it might come from |
| Philip Pirrip | | 26 Sep 2023 | First pints out a new cask. Inevitably slightly fresh |
| Philip Pirrip | | 06 Sep 2023 | Pretty much a must try when it is on here |
| Philip Pirrip | Not Tried | 01 Sep 2023 | |
| Philip Pirrip | | 30 Aug 2023 | Consistently a most unusual tasting pale |
| Philip Pirrip | | 14 Aug 2023 | An odd tasting pale wherever I try it |
| Philip Pirrip | Not Tried | 05 Aug 2023 | |
| Philip Pirrip | | 31 Jul 2023 | Very zingy mouthfeel |
The Handsome Sam, Whitstable, Kent
| Who | Score | When | Notes |
|---|
| Andrew | | 18 Sep 2025 | Golden brown colour. Rich syrupy beer with strong leafy hop bite. |
Old House, Ightham Common, Kent
| Who | Score | When | Notes |
|---|
| Hogan Sampling | | 10 May 2025 | Good head and lacing to start off with on this Chiddingstone-based pale ale. A very hoppy first hit. A moreishly dry hoppiness rising up before a dry hop-infused sweetness lingered on. It resembled the colour of malt whisky. |
The Real Ale Way, West Wickham, Greater London
| Who | Score | When | Notes |
|---|
| Hogan Sampling | Not Tried | 23 Nov 2024 | |
| Philip Pirrip | | 14 Jul 2023 | First pint out of a new cask. Rather zingy and fresh still |
| Philip Pirrip | | 23 Jun 2023 | Spot on |
| Philip Pirrip | | 04 Feb 2023 | In top form with sweetish aftertaste |
| Philip Pirrip | | 16 Jul 2022 | Good but I found it rather cloying |
The Crown Inn, Groombridge, Kent
| Who | Score | When | Notes |
|---|
| Jack William | Not Tried | 28 Jun 2023 | Taken off, end of barrel. |
The Real Ale Way, Westerham, Kent
| Who | Score | When | Notes |
|---|
| ChrisE | | 16 Dec 2019 | |
| Philip Pirrip | | 12 Dec 2019 | Good sharp bitterness which lingered on the lips |
Kent Beer Festival 2019, Canterbury, Kent
| Who | Score | When | Notes |
|---|
| Jack William |  | 18 Jul 2019 | My first beer on a fresh palate - I was not impressed. Warm and a bit tart. |
The Rock, Chiddingstone Hoath, Kent
| Who | Score | When | Notes |
|---|
| Wittenden | | 16 Jun 2019 | Earthy English Pale Ale. |
| thebrewingman | | 21 Feb 2015 | |
Larkins' Alehouse, Cranbrook, Kent
| Who | Score | When | Notes |
|---|
| Wittenden | | 16 Jun 2018 | Earthy,farmyard,resinous.Complex and rewarding.Hadn't seen this one before,and the first time on at this pub. |
Queens Arms, Cowden Pound, Kent
| Who | Score | When | Notes |
|---|
| thebrewingman | | 21 Feb 2015 | A new beer, I'm not sure I have the ABV right. |
4.20% ABV.
We have tried this beer 48 times.
We have given this beer an average score of to .
Other Larkins beers.