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The River Ale House (Free House)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Anspach & Hobday - The Ordinary Bitter (was 3.7%) |  | 2 |
| Canterbury Ales (sometimes badged as Canterbrew) - The Friar's Ale | | 3 |
| Elusive - Crusade |  | 1 |
| Goacher's - Gold Star |  | 1 |
| Kent - Cain and Abel | | 1 |
| Kent - Nelson Revolution | | 3 |
| Mighty Oak - Jake the Snake | | 1 |
| Mighty Oak - Kings (was 3.9% before 2013) | | 5 |
| Mighty Oak - Otter Chaos | | 1 |
| Siren Craft - Broken Dream Breakfast Stout | | 4 |
| Siren Craft - Fashionably Late (collaboration with Steam Town) | | 1 |
| Siren Craft - Memento |  | 2 |
| Ten Tun - James Maybe | | 1 |
| Anspach & Hobday - Bermondsey Pale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Pig & Porter - Yes, No, Wait, Sorry! | Not Tried | 0 |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Made Glorious Summer | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
10 Aug 2026 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canterbury Ales (sometimes badged as Canterbrew) - The Friar's Ale | 4.30 | | Holding up as yesterday's |
| Kent - Cain and Abel | 3.30 | | Flat in glass. Nothing here to taste. Thought I would give it a try |
| Anspach & Hobday - The Ordinary Bitter (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | | Little condition. Thin gruel |
| Siren Craft - Broken Dream Breakfast Stout | 6.50 | Not Tried | Record breaking? |
| Mighty Oak - Otter Chaos | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Elusive - Crusade | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Made Glorious Summer | 5.80 | Not Tried | On but not advertised as on! |
09 Aug 2026 (Hogan Sampling)
A couple of tables of hardened Sunday regulars on parade for the last half an hour of serving.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canterbury Ales (sometimes badged as Canterbrew) - The Friar's Ale | 4.30 | | 2nd beer of this visit: Also fresh on and within five minutes of my arriving. Also, very good head and lacing on this Kentish Session IPA from south-west of Canterbury near Chartham. A hoppy fruited first hit aided by its East Kent Goldings hops lending an earthy, honey-like fruit sweetness, and Jester sourced from West Kent, adding modern, punchy tropical fruit and berry flavours for me. A resinous oily hoppiness prevailing with a honey flavouring mixed in. A hoppy fruitiness competing with its malty nuttiness and with the latter derived from its malted barley and local and international malts also aiding its toffee infusions. A lingering bitterness sliding out. Served in fine fettle with much lasting conditioning and very good head retention. |
| Anspach & Hobday - The Ordinary Bitter (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | | 1st beer of this visit: Fresh on and displaying a very good head and lasting lacing on this amber-coloured bitter from the 2013-launched Bermondsey brewery which still operates some brewing and its Arch House taproom in its railway arch in Bermondsey, South London, but their main brewing operation has moved to their larger site in Croydon in 2020. A fruity sweet first bite. A hoppiness rising with flavours for me of pine, resinous spice and dark fruits and derived from its traditional British East Kent Goldings for bittering and its late-boil fruitcake flavours, alongside lashings of American Chinook hops for its piney, spicy hints. A malted bitterness winning over with a biscuity, toffee-infused and caramel sweetness tantalising my taste buddies and emanating from its Maris Otter, Flaked Barley behind its head retention, Flaked Maize/Corn behind its touch of sugar, Light Crystal malt behind its toffee sweetness, and Dark Crystal malt aiding its colour and burnt caramel flavours. A hoppy fruited note paddling out. Served in very good nick with good conditioning and head retention. |
| Siren Craft - Broken Dream Breakfast Stout | 6.50 | Not Tried | |
| Kent - Cain and Abel | 3.30 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Otter Chaos | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Elusive - Crusade | 4.00 | Not Tried |
09 Aug 2026 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canterbury Ales (sometimes badged as Canterbrew) - The Friar's Ale | 4.30 | | Fresh on tonight so zesty |
| Mighty Oak - Otter Chaos | 4.60 | | OK. I did not pick up the Citra hopping. Lost head and lacing quickly |
| Elusive - Crusade | 4.00 | | Nothing much of flavour, little condition. |
| Siren Craft - Broken Dream Breakfast Stout | 6.50 | Not Tried | |
| Kent - Cain and Abel | 3.30 | Not Tried | |
| Anspach & Hobday - The Ordinary Bitter (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | Not Tried |
08 Aug 2026 (Hogan Sampling)
Just a table or two of regulars in for the last three-quarters of an hour of serving mixed with the occasional on parade.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | | 2nd beer of this visit: Good head and lasting lacing on this Kentish pale from Kent's oldest microbrewery and established in 1983 in Maidstone, close to Hayle Mill before moving to an industrial estate in Tovil, Maidstone in 1990. Gold Star Ale was originally released in 1993 also at 5.1% ABV to celebrate the brewery's 10th anniversary. Made entirely out of locally sourced ingredients to present a classic Kentish real ale as it should be, a fruited hoppiness in this golden coloured pale’s first bite and rapidly rising. A white wine-like grapey flavouring joining in from its East Kent Goldings hops. Its Maris Otter barley lending sweet malt flavours. A resinous hoppiness prevailing with herbal, fruity and subtle apple-infused hints and dancing out. Served in very good nick. |
| Ten Tun - James Maybe | 4.30 | | 1st beer of this visit: Second day on and very good head and lacing to start with and almost lasting on this American-style golden pale ale from Alton, Hampshire, where the Ten Tun Tap House operates an on-site microbrewery from 2023. A lightly fruited first hit. A fruited hoppiness rising from its Mosaic hops, a modern variety, originating from the Yakima Valley in Washington State, USA. My taste buddies were suitably entertained by an array of tropical fruit including mango, papaya and passionfruit alongside bursts of tangerine, grapefruit and lemon. Also, in on the act were hints of blueberry, dark blackcurrant, peach and apricot. A lively hoppy note throughout before its downwards passage with a piney, resinous note lingering and finished off with a subtle earthy, grassy and green tea-infused flourish. Good conditioning throughout. |
| Siren Craft - Broken Dream Breakfast Stout | 6.50 | Not Tried | |
| Kent - Cain and Abel | 3.30 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Elusive - Crusade | 4.00 | Not Tried |
06 Aug 2026 (Hogan Sampling)
Usual regulars on parade for the last half an hour of serving mixed with a few of the lesser spotted.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mighty Oak - Kings (was 3.9% before 2013) | 4.20 | | 1st beer of this visit: Its fourth night on and still displaying good head and lasting lacing on this Essex golden pale ale from Maldon and where brewing moved to in 2001 following being set up in 1996 in Brentwood, Essex. A citrusy first hit. A fruited hoppiness rising from its US Citra hops, and joined by Slovenia’s Aurora, and the US hops, Cascade and Chinook. Its Maris Otter Pale and Caramalt aiding an underlying malty sweetness. A slightly sour fruited note in there but no off-flavours detected from its fruit salad mix of passion fruit, nectarine and orange peel. A fruity sweetness prevailing and a sharp bitter hoppy note waving on its sail out. Served in good nick but somewhat overly fruited for me. |
| Siren Craft - Broken Dream Breakfast Stout | 6.50 | | 2nd beer of this visit: Now its 6th or 7th day on and so was not surprised it had little head or lacing lasting on this breakfast stout from the 2013-launched brewing operation in Finchampstead in Berkshire. I instead bought it for its rich flavours and where it commenced with a malty smoky first bite. US Apollo hops came at me with their grapefruit, lime and orange peel flavours. These hops dissolve during boiling leading to this stout’s bitterness due to being high in alpha acids, the chemical compounds in hop resin. A touch of earthiness, woodiness and cannabis* and light spices also there. Espresso coffee, dark chocolate, caramel, toffee, vanilla and dark fruits emerging from its Malted Barley, Wheat and Oats and aided by chocolate malt and lactose (milk sugar). A dry chocolatey maltiness prevailing on my taste buds. *Hops and cannabis are botanical cousins of the same Cannabinaceae family and share the exact same aromatic chemical compounds called terpenes. |
| Mighty Oak - Jake the Snake | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Anspach & Hobday - Bermondsey Pale | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Kent - Nelson Revolution | 5.50 | Not Tried |
06 Aug 2026 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close. Mainly hardened locals in.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mighty Oak - Kings (was 3.9% before 2013) | 4.20 | | Struggled with this. Little condition and a rather sour taste |
| Kent - Nelson Revolution | 5.50 | | Loss of condition with time on tap |
| Mighty Oak - Jake the Snake | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Broken Dream Breakfast Stout | 6.50 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Anspach & Hobday - Bermondsey Pale | 3.40 | Not Tried |
04 Aug 2026 (Hogan Sampling)
Very quiet footfall with just a table and a half of hardened regulars for the last three-quarters of an hour of serving but for a straddle of fiddlers also in low turnout out the back and certainly no exaltation of larks emanating from their musical cacophony. There was only one lesser spotted eagle! CONTINUED FROM HEADING FOR SIREN CRAFT MEMENTO: But a very sharp, apple-tinged bitterness rising which was also noted by another sampling it. This means it was put on too soon whilst still going through its second fermentation and which could have been simply avoided. A chore to finish and even though I had tried a tiny taster and so passed it then. It is the guvnor’s house policy not to accept returned beer regardless of off-flavours or lifelessness detected, in the guvnor explaining “it is, what it is!” One most certainly sufficed. Will it recover by its second or third day on remains to be seen? Certainly, its malty notes of toasted bread and caramel shone through and from its Malted Barley and Wheat aiding a biscuity, caramel base but not as intended, its head retention. As for a hint of dark orchard fruits and apricots and a berry hit or two from its dry hopping at the end, I think the sour apple, acetaldehyde flavouring over-ruled those more subtle tastes the brewer intended. I have much enjoyed this beer’s earthy, grassy bitterness with a subtle herbal hoppiness but not on this occasion. Its English hops are designed to lend this beer its bitterness, and a dry-hop addition of American Cascade hops are intended to lend a citrusy note. Served too early sums it up and so a chore therefore.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mighty Oak - Kings (was 3.9% before 2013) | 4.20 | | 2nd beer of this visit: Second night on for this golden-coloured Citra pale from Maldon, Essex, and where brewing moved to in 2001 following being set up in 1996 in Essex’s Brentwood. A fellow regular remarked it was too fresh when tried the day before and so another example of a beer put on too quickly. Good head and lacing retention by contrast with the Memento bitter and lasting all the way. A hoppy fruitiness in its first bite from its primary use of US Citra hops, alongside Aurora, Cascade and Chinook. A gentle hoppy fruitiness rising and none too tropical with passion fruit and nectarine ruling the waves on my tongue. A gentle malty note joining in care of its Maris Otter Pale and Caramalt. A hop-infused orange zest fruitiness sailing out. Timed it obviously just right to enjoy it on its second day on. |
| Siren Craft - Broken Dream Breakfast Stout | 6.50 | | 3rd beer of this visit: Now either its fourth or fifth day on and not holding its head and lacing for long on this breakfast stout from Finchampstead in Berkshire where brewing and set up in 2013. A malty, chocolatey first bite. Its smoky flavours have vastly diminished for me since first trying it on Sunday. My taste buddies preparing to do battle with the onslaught of US Apollo hops with their grapefruit, lime and orange peel flavours in their infantry. High in alpha acids, the chemical compounds in hop resin, these hops dissolve during boiling leading to this stout’s bitterness. Did I get its earthiness, woodiness, touches of cannabis* and light spices? To a degree but its fruity battalion won for me. Flavours coming up from the rear of espresso coffee, dark chocolate, caramel, toffee, vanilla and dark fruits emanating from its maltiness comprising Malted Barley, Wheat and Oats and aided by chocolate malt and lactose (milk sugar). Certainly, a dry malty chocolatey note hanging on in there for me. Again, as on Sunday, not holding its head and lacing and now no doubt due to its days on. *What do hops and cannabis have in common? They are botanical cousins of the same Cannabinaceae family and share the exact same aromatic chemical compounds called terpenes. |
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 |  | 1st beer of this visit: Fresh on with minimal head and lacing and not lasting on this Berkshire bitter from Finchampstead and where brewing was founded in 2013. It is thankfully unusual for a real ale to be so tired from the outset. Perhaps it was still going through its second fermentation? That is what brewers call "green beer" and which is an unconditioned product that has not finished its process. When a cask is tapped before the secondary fermentation is complete, the beer will completely lack a lasting head and lacing, and where yeast has not produced enough gas yet, leaving the liquid under-carbonated and lifeless. If the yeast is still actively struggling to finish fermentation, it releases fatty acids which destroy the foam-positive proteins needed to sustain a head. Beer served even mid-fermentation has too much active yeast suspended in the liquid. A tell-tale sign of not being ready to drink is a cloudy pint for a beer not intended to be cloudy where the finings and yeast have not had enough time to settle to the bottom of the cask. This appeared from my visual inspection not to be the case. Active yeast produces diacetyl during early fermentation and needs time to reabsorb this chemical. Did I detect in this unintended green beer diacetyl, noted for its butter or butterscotch flavours? They were not off-flavours as such but not in the least moreish flavours either. But there was a hint of sour green apples, referred to as acetaldehyde, about it suggesting the beer was pulled from the cellar before the maturation phase finished. Another reason for tasting/looking tired but clear in appearance is where the porous soft spile in the top of the cask has been left for too many days so allowing the naturally created gas to escape continuously into the room, causing the beer to be flat. A shame as Memento is actually not a bad bitter when served right. A dry maltiness in its first bite. CONTINUED UNDER GENERAL COMMENTS HEADING, AS INDICATED. |
| Mighty Oak - Jake the Snake | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Anspach & Hobday - Bermondsey Pale | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Kent - Nelson Revolution | 5.50 | Not Tried |
04 Aug 2026 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close. Birthday boy's birthday eve.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent - Nelson Revolution | 5.50 | | Haze job but still best on of all I tried here tonight |
| Mighty Oak - Kings (was 3.9% before 2013) | 4.20 | | Slight improvement after yesterday's |
| Siren Craft - Broken Dream Breakfast Stout | 6.50 | | Full on taste but no condition |
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 | | First day on, not right but no off flavours |
| Mighty Oak - Jake the Snake | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Anspach & Hobday - Bermondsey Pale | 3.40 | Not Tried |
03 Aug 2026 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close. Low Monday footfall.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent - Nelson Revolution | 5.50 | | Milkshake looking haze but I enjoyed it more than I expected |
| Mighty Oak - Jake the Snake | 4.00 | | Little if any condition |
| Mighty Oak - Kings (was 3.9% before 2013) | 4.20 | | First day on, a Mr Average ale |
| Siren Craft - Broken Dream Breakfast Stout | 6.50 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Anspach & Hobday - Bermondsey Pale | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Fashionably Late (collaboration with Steam Town) | 4.50 | Not Tried |
02 Aug 2026 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siren Craft - Fashionably Late (collaboration with Steam Town) | 4.50 | | Condition good but in same old same old citrus. Where is the USP? |
| Siren Craft - Broken Dream Breakfast Stout | 6.50 | | Poured like a Shrove Tuesday pancake. So unappetising when like this |
| Mighty Oak - Jake the Snake | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Anspach & Hobday - Bermondsey Pale | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Yes, No, Wait, Sorry! | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Kent - Nelson Revolution | 5.50 | Not Tried |
About The River Ale House
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 15 |
| 795 |
| 2182 |
| 738 |
| 63 |
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 1761 times, seen 2032 different beers and tried 1199 of them.
Postcode: SE10 0RJ