Vale Red Kite

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.

King & Queen, East Malling, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
Hogan Sampling		05 Sep 2026	Served with excellent head and lasting lacing on this chestnut bitter brewed by an independent craft brewery established in 1995 just outside the hilltop village of Brill in rural Buckinghamshire. A fruited resinous first bite with a hint of subtle autumn chestnut spices. A malty, nutty and buttery bitterness rising aided by its Pale Planet, Crystal and Roasted Barley, and where Chocolate malt is sometimes incorporated for added depth, lending toasty malt, sweet marmalade and burnt-caramel flavourings. A hoppy fruitiness emerging with flavours of hedgerow berries for me from its Northdown and Brewers Gold, and where some brews also utilise Fuggles and Willamette. A lingering bitterness sliding downwards. Served in very good nick with plentiful conditioning throughout.

The Anchor Inn, Wingham, Kent

The Mermaid, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Railway Tavern, Chelmsford, Essex

The River Ale House, East Greenwich, Greater London

Who	Score	When	Notes
Philip Pirrip		12 Nov 2024	Always wary of red ales as being overly malty but this was a good traditional bitter
Hogan Sampling		12 Nov 2024	Superb long-lasting head and lacing and also fresh on this evening. A very bitter first hit. A hint of chestnut with a not too malty mouthfeel and a pleasantly dry, bitter aftertaste.

St Albans Beer Festival 2024, St Albans, Hertfordshire

Who	Score	When	Notes
Hogan Sampling		28 Sep 2024	Good head/lacing. Very bitter, earthy mouthfeel and not sweet.

Ye Olde Rose & Crown, Walthamstow, Greater London

The Crown & Sceptre, Bridens Camp, Hertfordshire

The Greyfriar, Reading, Berkshire

Royal Victoria Pavilion, Ramsgate, Kent

Who	Score	When	Notes
ChrisE		06 Nov 2017

The Edmund Halley, Lee Green, Greater London

The Harp, Charing Cross, Central London

James Figg, Thame, Oxfordshire

The Long Pond, Eltham, Greater London

The Flying Circus, Newark, Nottinghamshire

The Hope Tap, Reading, Berkshire