PubsandBeer
History: Home > The Hop Pole Inn
The Hop Pole Inn (Vale)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Aylesbury (ABC) (brewed by Vale) - Illumination Porter |  | 2 |
| Vale - VPA |  | 1 |
| Bays - Gold | | 1 |
| Windsor & Eton - Independence | | 1 |
| Ilkley - Best | | 1 |
| Left Handed Giant - Titan | | 1 |
| Vale - Red Kite (superseded by 4.3% version) | | 1 |
| Aylesbury (ABC) (brewed by Vale) - Petrichor | | 1 |
| Aylesbury (ABC) (brewed by Vale) - Hornswoggler | | 2 |
| Tryst - Nelson Sauvin | | 1 |
| Aylesbury (ABC) (brewed by Vale) - Pure Gold | | 1 |
| Vale - Best Bitter | | 2 |
| Vale - Red Kite |  | 1 |
| Waen - Janners Pride | | 1 |
| Vale - Gravitas | | 2 |
| Peerless - Triple Blond | | 1 |
| Jiddler's Tipple (cuckoo at By The Horns) - Juicy Chug | | 1 |
| Vale - Pale Ale | | 1 |
| Titanic - Dunk | | 1 |
| Vale - King of Snow |  | 1 |
| Wentworth - WPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Wood's - Old Fireside (aka Xmas Cracker) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Powerhouse Porter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Bath Ales - SPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Moles - Elmo's Fire | Not Tried | 0 |
| Botley - Gringo's Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| Great Oakley - Oakley Blonde | Not Tried | 0 |
| Vale - Captured | Not Tried | 0 |
| Windsor & Eton - Eton Boatman | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
18 Sep 2026 (Magnus Greel)
Seven of us in total for this month's Friday Evening Group venue, arriving just before noon opening. Quiet for a few hours then many folk drifted in as the afternoon progressed. All beers @ £3.75pp for the thrifty minded!
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windsor & Eton - Independence | 4.00 | | Zesty hoppy refreshing fare with a flowery nose. |
| Left Handed Giant - Titan | 3.80 | | A not too sweet orange & grape fare with a piney finish. |
| Aylesbury (ABC) (brewed by Vale) - Petrichor | 4.00 | | Dry hoppy refreshing fare with a punchy mango and citrus flavour. |
| Vale - Gravitas | 4.80 | | Bold, zesty flavours with a hoppy hit complemented by a smooth malty finish. |
| Vale - Red Kite | 4.30 | | Not as rich and malty as I was expecting which is a good thing! |
| Jiddler's Tipple (cuckoo at By The Horns) - Juicy Chug | 3.40 | | Flavoursome and not too hazy with subtle apricot and oats. |
| Titanic - Dunk | 4.80 | | A collaboration brew with Tiny Rebel, a biscuity pale ale with a sweet, malty, tea flavour. |
| Windsor & Eton - Eton Boatman | 4.30 | Not Tried |
12 Sep 2013 (ChrisE)
Afternoon visit, the pub was quiet at first, but gradually got busier. Eric the manager was expecting us and made us very welcome.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aylesbury (ABC) (brewed by Vale) - Pure Gold | 3.80 | | |
| Vale - Gravitas | 4.80 | | |
| Peerless - Triple Blond | 4.20 | | |
| Vale - Best Bitter | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Botley - Gringo's Gold | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Great Oakley - Oakley Blonde | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Vale - Captured | 3.90 | Not Tried |
09 Jan 2013 (HSB)
In the same company as ChrisE.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aylesbury (ABC) (brewed by Vale) - Illumination Porter | 4.90 | | |
| Vale - Best Bitter | 3.70 | | |
| Vale - VPA | 4.20 | | |
| Aylesbury (ABC) (brewed by Vale) - Hornswoggler | 4.40 | | |
| Vale - King of Snow | 3.90 | |
09 Jan 2013 (ChrisE)
A large group of us turned up for a lunchtime and afternoon session here. We stayed for about three hours and enjoyed some great beers in this good traditional pub.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vale - Best Bitter | 3.70 | | |
| Bays - Gold | 4.30 | | Very enjoyable golden ale. |
| Ilkley - Best | 4.00 | | A good traditional Best Bitter. |
| Aylesbury (ABC) (brewed by Vale) - Illumination Porter | 4.90 | | |
| Aylesbury (ABC) (brewed by Vale) - Hornswoggler | 4.40 | | |
| Vale - Pale Ale | 4.20 | | |
| Bath Ales - SPA | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Moles - Elmo's Fire | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Vale - King of Snow | 3.90 | Not Tried |
22 Jan 2012 (Stephen Harris)
Quiet on a Sunday afternoon, with beer talk at the bar and a few watching the Arsenal match on TV in the rear area. Very disappointingly, no Aylesbury Brewhouse beers are available today.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vale - Red Kite (superseded by 4.3% version) | 4.00 | | Malty, but less sweet than many red ales. And unlike some red ales, there is a hop presence. Fittingly, there was a Red Kite in view out of the pub window as I drank this. |
| Tryst - Nelson Sauvin | 3.90 | | A very pale beer with an immediate, lip-smacking hit of grapefruity NZ hop tastes. Backed by a decent malt foundation. The barman’s quip that it is “Alcoholic Lilt” falls well short of the mark. |
| Waen - Janners Pride | 4.60 | | An easy-drinking, copper/brown, fruity and malty beer. |
| Wentworth - WPA | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Vale - Best Bitter | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Wood's - Old Fireside (aka Xmas Cracker) | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Vale - VPA | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Powerhouse Porter | 4.90 | Not Tried |
About The Hop Pole Inn
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 1 |
| 13 |
| 9 |
| 1 |
 | - |
The pub is found in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, HP19 9AZ.
This spacious pub in Bicester Road lies a short walk away from the town centre. It is the official brewery tap for Vale Brewery and since October 2011 has additionally been home to the Aylesbury Brewhouse. A good range of guest beers are also sold. There are off sales from the brewery and also a good bottle shop at the rear (but check opening hours, which are more restricted than those of the pub itself).
We have visited this pub 5 times, seen 29 different beers and tried 20 of them.
Postcode: HP19 9AZ