Downlands (formerly South Downs) Best Bitter

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 River Ale House, East Greenwich, Greater London

Who	Score	When	Notes
Hogan Sampling		21 May 2026	1st beer of this visit: Its second day on for this West Sussex russet-brown best bitter. Brewed on Mackley Industrial Estate in Small Dole, roughly 8 miles northwest of Brighton and Hove, and where its brewery was set up in 2012, it came with head and lacing but not lasting. A very dry bitter first bite. A caramelised biscuity presence rising on my taste buds with a somewhat overpowering toffee flavour then pervading. Its maltiness derived from its Extra Pale base malt, Caramalt, Crystal 150, Munich, Vienna, and a touch of Roasted Barley in on the mix. Its hoppiness emanating from a blend of British hops and a European and US hop. Admiral and Challenger, are its UK varieties; Perle from Germany and Galena, an American hop, noted for its blackcurrant flavours. It seemed minus conditioning and a touch flat-tasting. One sufficed.