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The River Ale House (Free House)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Attic - Ember |  | 1 |
| Goacher's - Gold Star |  | 1 |
| Goacher's - Special House Ale | | 1 |
| JW Lees (see also Lees) - Boddingtons Cask | | 4 |
| New Bristol - Bristol Bitter |  | 2 |
| Phipps NBC - IPA | | 1 |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Oatmeal Stout | | 3 |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Seashore Blues | | 1 |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Jaipur | | 1 |
| Tonbridge - Blonde Ambition | | 2 |
| Tonbridge - Country Best | | 2 |
| Vocation - Naughty & Nice | | 2 |
| Brew York - Centennial Valley | Not Tried | 0 |
| Brew York - Hop Cat Citra Pale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Elusive - Velocity Valley | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mighty Oak - Golden Plover | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mighty Oak - Heart of Taiheke | Not Tried | 0 |
| Stardust - Midi | Not Tried | 0 |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Guava Pale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Tonbridge - Easy Street Pale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Vibrant Forest - Evoke | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
15 Mar 2026 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Bristol - Bristol Bitter | 4.00 | | Basic job, nothing more |
| Attic - Ember | 4.50 | | Orange or tangerine citrus overtones |
| Vocation - Naughty & Nice | 5.90 | | On a few days, poured flat, little if any condition |
| Vibrant Forest - Evoke | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Golden Plover | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Stardust - Midi | 4.60 | Not Tried |
15 Mar 2026 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall for the last half an hour of serving with a table and half of hardened regulars and a few of the lesser spotted irregulars.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Bristol - Bristol Bitter | 4.00 | | Fresh on today and a welcome freshness about its head and lacing and lasting all the way from this Bristol-brewed bitter. A fruited but bitter first bite. A pleasurably hoppy bitterness rising from its Goldings and First Gold hops. It was minus any real malt flavours for me despite being described as a malt-driven ale in their core cask range. Granted though, there were some hints of biscuit and caramel sweetness. A mildly fruited bitterness from its dark forest fruit flavourings hanging on in the finale downwards. For an unfined beer as highlighted on the governor's tasting notes, it was defiantly very clear in appearance. Certainly timed it right for this one in terms of it being at its peak from being on earlier in the day. Very moreish and quaffable and so stuck to it. |
| Vocation - Naughty & Nice | 5.90 | Not Tried | |
| Vibrant Forest - Evoke | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Attic - Ember | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Golden Plover | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Stardust - Midi | 4.60 | Not Tried |
14 Mar 2026 (Hogan Sampling)
Busy footfall for the last half an hour of serving with the front largely occupied but with a table available to meet up with a more occasional real ale enthusiast in the rear seating area.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Special House Ale | 3.80 | | Presented on its second day with a good head and lacing but not quite hanging onto it on this Maidstone-brewed bitter and a cross between their Fine Light and Best Dark. A dry hoppy first hit. A malty bitterness climbing up aided by its Maris Otter and Crystal Malts giving rise to caramel flavourings. Its likely WGV (Whitbread Golding Variety), East Kent Goldings and Fuggles hops lending it a fruity note or two. A dry hoppiness sailing out. Perhaps not quite ready to be at its best but quaffable nevertheless. |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Jaipur | 5.90 | Not Tried | |
| Vocation - Naughty & Nice | 5.90 | Not Tried | |
| Vibrant Forest - Evoke | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Attic - Ember | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Golden Plover | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Stardust - Midi | 4.60 | Not Tried |
12 Mar 2026 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Jaipur | 5.90 | | Good on taste, slight haze as always seems to be in Jaipur recently |
| JW Lees (see also Lees) - Boddingtons Cask | 4.00 | | Tiring a little. Rather a thin gruel version of a once full bodied ale |
| Tonbridge - Blonde Ambition | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Vocation - Naughty & Nice | 5.90 | Not Tried | |
| Brew York - Hop Cat Citra Pale | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Brew York - Centennial Valley | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Elusive - Velocity Valley | 4.30 | Not Tried |
12 Mar 2026 (Hogan Sampling)
Unusually busy footfall for the last half an hour of serving minus a late game of Charlton FC playing at home and with two full tables of regulars and a great many more of the not-seen-before brigade including a hairy, docile lurcher.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vocation - Naughty & Nice | 5.90 | | 2nd beer of this visit: Fresh on today and displaying a welcome head and some lacing on this Hebden Bridge-brewed* chocolate-infused jet-black milk stout but not holding onto it for me to avoid a decant of it to waken it up in the half pint measure I ended on. Chocolate comes at you on the first bite unmistakeably with hints of roasted coffee, caramel and hazelnut to my taste buddies. Its roasted barley and dark crystal malt lending it coffee and biscuit flavourings alongside dark fruits like plum and fig, and aided by its extra pale and chocolate malts. Its lactose (milk sugar) aiding its general sweetness and an initial creamy-textured head. A malty chocolatey flavouring steering it on its downwards journey. Too sweet for me for more than a half but great to accompany a chocolate brownie if you just happen to have one spare. Should I bring such a brownie with me on my next visit? *Hebden Bridge is a picturesque market town located in the Upper Calder Valley of West Yorkshire which sounds good to visit if a real ale pub or two to be found and 8 miles west of Halifax if you need to get your bearings. |
| JW Lees (see also Lees) - Boddingtons Cask | 4.00 | | 1st beer of this visit: Now its third day on but still exhibiting superb head and lacing and lasting the whole journey from being supped from a pint glass of this Boddingtons cask ale, relaunched in 2025 and now brewed at the Greengate Brewery in Middleton Junction, Greater Manchester.* A fellow regular relayed that it used to be called the “Cream of Manchester” and this sums up its recent reincarnation with a creamy foaming head! It would be truly wonderful if all bitters by their third day on had even half of the life of this one in terms of head and lasting lacing. Unlike its dry hoppy first hit two days earlier, now an unmistakably fruited but not sweet first bite. Still a gentle bitter hoppiness rising. Credit due to its Jester hops alongside traditional Goldings working their magic in the brewing. A citrusy fruity note somewhat now over-pronounced for my taste bud’s delectation. Still its hints of caramel and toffee. For me, not an old-fashioned enough hoppy tasting bitter to make it to stand out with the dry hopping notes in bitters I adore. Do not get me wrong, as its crystal malt is doing its stuff alongside the fruity notes of grapefruit. Perhaps it has been over-fruited in its reincarnation but again, do not get me wrong, as it was my pleasure in seeing it holding its life, head and lacing, and flavouring which has matured like a good Stilton from its first day on three days earlier. A hoppy bitterness still sailing out among its citrusy fruity notes. Moreish, yes, but not my own personal ideal bitter as it should be, as here over-fruited for my taste buds. *This marked the first time the cask version was brewed in Manchester since 2012 and at the city's oldest operating brewery, founded 1828, and located just miles from the original Boddingtons Strangeways site. |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Jaipur | 5.90 | Not Tried | |
| Tonbridge - Blonde Ambition | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Brew York - Hop Cat Citra Pale | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Brew York - Centennial Valley | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Elusive - Velocity Valley | 4.30 | Not Tried |
10 Mar 2026 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close. The fiddlers were playing dutifully in the back room.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonbridge - Blonde Ambition | 4.20 | | Lively, zingy |
| JW Lees (see also Lees) - Boddingtons Cask | 4.00 | | New cask on late in evening. Very zingy mouthfeel but lacking serious body |
| Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | | Slight haze and low on condition |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Oatmeal Stout | 4.60 | | Tiring. OK on taste |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Seashore Blues | 4.00 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Tonbridge - Country Best | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Brew York - Hop Cat Citra Pale | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Guava Pale | 4.50 | Not Tried |
10 Mar 2026 (Hogan Sampling)
Especially busy footfall for the fiddlers out the back for the last half an hour of serving, and a good few hardened regulars noted out the front.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonbridge - Blonde Ambition | 4.20 | | 2nd beer of this visit: Fresh on this evening and exhibiting a very good head and lacing and lasting on this East Peckham-brewed Kentish blonde. A slightly fruited first hit. A hoppy bitterness winning over with touches of citrus and spicy flavours emanating from its combination of Kent-grown Challenger and First Gold hops. A dry fruited hoppiness sailing out. Presented in top condition. |
| JW Lees (see also Lees) - Boddingtons Cask | 4.00 | | 1st beer of this visit: Literally just on as I walked in as another customer was still finishing the last Tonbridge Country Best. A creamy head and lacing to die for and for the whole performance on this Boddingtons cask ale relaunched in 2025 and now brewed at the Greengate Brewery in Middleton Junction, Greater Manchester. This marked the first time the cask version was brewed in Manchester since 2012 and at the city's oldest operating brewery, founded 1828, and located just miles from the original Boddingtons Strangeways site. A dry hoppy first bite. A gentle bitter hoppiness rising aided by Jester hops alongside traditional Goldings. A fruity note tap dancing on my taste buds. A hint of caramel and toffee from its Crystal Malt alongside its fruity notes of grapefruit in on the act. A hoppy dryness sailing out. Very moreish indeed and so stuck to it but for a recommended half of a Tonbridge Blonde Ambition. |
| Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Oatmeal Stout | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Seashore Blues | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Brew York - Hop Cat Citra Pale | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Guava Pale | 4.50 | Not Tried |
08 Mar 2026 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Oatmeal Stout | 4.60 | | Good head although quite thin body |
| Phipps NBC - IPA | 4.30 | | Poured flat. Chore to finish with its sour bittering |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Seashore Blues | 4.00 | | Same as last time on a week or two ago - poured flat in glass with little life |
| Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Tonbridge - Country Best | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Brew York - Hop Cat Citra Pale | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Heart of Taiheke | 4.40 | Not Tried |
08 Mar 2026 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall for last half an hour of serving, and minus our usual Sunday evening barman who plays, best he can, requested tracks in accordance with his set theme, with just a table or two of the regulars on parade among a couple of the odd occasional.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Oatmeal Stout | 4.60 | | 2nd beer of this visit: Second day on and still coming with a superb head and lacing and kept it until the very end did this Ramsgate-brewed oatmeal stout. A very dry but not overly malty first hit. A hoppy bitterness tinged with maltiness rising derived from its crushed malted oats, alongside its brown malt, to aid its creamy head. A gentle fruitiness climbing up assisted by its Kent-grown Fuggles hops. Perhaps the merest hint of chocolate, coffee and roasted barley joining in on the slithering downwards but not in the least overly pronounced. One of the best stouts for a while for me! |
| Tonbridge - Country Best | 4.00 | | 1st beer of this visit: Second day on and still in excellent form was this Kent-based traditional amber-coloured bitter from East Peckham, north-east of Tonbridge itself. Very good head and lacing and lasting the whole performance in my glass. A moreishly dry bitter first hit. A hoppiness rising from its Kent-grown Fuggles and Pilgrim hops with ever so mildly fruited, floral and spicy notes. A not overly-done maltiness with gentle hints of caramel and toffee joining in for good measure. A markedly dry but pleasantly bitter hoppiness sliding out. Still in top form on its second day on. |
| Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Phipps NBC - IPA | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Seashore Blues | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Brew York - Hop Cat Citra Pale | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Heart of Taiheke | 4.40 | Not Tried |
07 Mar 2026 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall for the last half an hour of serving with just a sprinkling of the Saturday regulars on parade among a few of the more occasional.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonbridge - Country Best | 4.00 | | First day on for this Kent-based amber-coloured traditional bitter from East Peckham, north-east of Tonbridge itself. Displaying a very healthy head and its lacing sticking to the glass the whole way. A hoppy bitter first hit. Its hoppiness climbing high. A gentle floral and spicy infusion mixed with hedgerow fruits such as the odd blackberry emanating from its Kent-grown Fuggles and Pilgrim hops. A gentle maltiness winning over with touches of caramel and toffee. A pleasantly dry bitter hoppiness paddling out. In top form in every way, to look at, to taste and the right sort of moreish mouthfeel. Many of the other Saturday regulars were also very taken by it. Interesting I should have had it so very recently in the Compass Ale House in Gravesend about an hour earlier where it seemed to taste slightly more sweet but just as good to my taste buds as here. |
| Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Oatmeal Stout | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Phipps NBC - IPA | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Tonbridge - Easy Street Pale | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Seashore Blues | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Heart of Taiheke | 4.40 | Not Tried |
About The River Ale House
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 14 |
| 747 |
| 2018 |
| 645 |
 | 58 |
The pub is found in East Greenwich, Greater London, SE10 0RJ.
Micropub in Woolwich Road in a former street corner lingerie and hosiery business premises and which opened on 13th September 2017. Comprises a front room with bar counter and with real ales and ciders served on gravity dispense from a temperature controlled cellar room behind the bar, and a rear room down one step. Each day a pre-prepared paper ale menu sheet, with tasting notes, is provided to every table. Bare-board flooring throughout and all seating at wall mounted high settles and hand made wooden high tables. CAMRA card holders' discount on pints and halves of real ale and cider. Card payments accepted. SPBW London Pub of the Year 2019. Local CAMRA branch 2019, 2022 and 2024 Pub of the Year and its Cider Pub of the Year too in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. CAMRA Greenwich District Pub of the Year 2024.
We have visited this pub 1605 times, seen 1952 different beers and tried 1149 of them.
Postcode: SE10 0RJ