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The River Ale House (Free House)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Riverhead - Spring Pale |  | 2 |
| Siren Craft - Memento | | 2 |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - West Coast IPA (collaboration with Burning Sky) | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | | 1 |
| Five Points - XPA | | 1 |
| Goacher's - 1066 Old Ale | | 6 |
| Tonbridge - Connor's Ruby Ale | | 3 |
| Salopian - Day in a Life |  | 1 |
| Mighty Oak - Explorer | | 1 |
| Siren Craft - Lumina |  | 1 |
| Leatherbritches - Citra Pale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Squawk - Mallard | Not Tried | 0 |
| Iron Pier - Harlequin | Not Tried | 0 |
| Squawk - Mariana | Not Tried | 0 |
| Iron Pier - Wealdway IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Kent - Session Pale | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
27 Jun 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Not overly busy for last 30 minutes of serving. We waited patiently as we attempted to enter for three dogs and their three owners to come out. Just a sprinkling of regulars in and the less frequent when my faithful hound and I ambled in.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 | | Third night on for this best bitter from Finchampstead, south-east of Reading, in Berkshire. Head and lacing, surprisingly good. Holding onto it, fair. A good bitter first bite on it minus its maltiness from yesterday. The sourness gone also from my previous visit and so very poor. The odd biscuity and caramel-flavouring also not as pronounced. Far less fruit-infused in its hoppiness. It has improved for me from yesterday's visit in my general synopsis. Still a dry bitterness from the odd Cascade hop or two. A citrus-fruity kick in its finale not now evident thankfully and so very poor. |
| Goacher's - 1066 Old Ale | 6.70 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Wealdway IPA | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Explorer | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Riverhead - Spring Pale | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Squawk - Mariana | 5.30 | Not Tried |
26 Jun 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Not overly busy for last 30 minutes of serving save for a group of six who were preferring to stand close to the bar but not quite blocking it from the rest of us.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 | | Second night on for this best bitter from Finchampstead, south-east of Reading, in Berkshire. Head and lacing and holding onto it, good. A bitter malty first bite. A slightly astringent sourness rising up among the odd biscuity and caramel-infused maltiness. A fruit-infused hoppiness from its English hops winning over. In its finale, a dry bitterness aided by a touch of Cascade hop veering up but a good citrus-fruity kick prevailing and strong. |
| Riverhead - Spring Pale | 4.20 | | This Riverhead brew from Marsden, south-west of Huddersfield, was perhaps my first tasting of it. Riverhead is a brewpub which opened in 1995 and owned from 2009 by the Ossett Brewery, south-west of Wakefield and south of Leeds. The Riverhead range is brewed independently from Ossett. Second night on and head and lacing, fair. Not lasting. A first bite of mildly fruit-infused hoppiness. Its fruitiness on the taste buds was moderate; its hoppiness rising up, strong. A note of apricot and mandarin, lasting. Slightly too overly fruited for my liking. |
| Goacher's - 1066 Old Ale | 6.70 | Not Tried | |
| Five Points - XPA | 4.00 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Iron Pier - Wealdway IPA | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Explorer | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Harlequin | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Squawk - Mariana | 5.30 | Not Tried |
26 Jun 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverhead - Spring Pale | 4.20 | | Shown wrongly on beer board as Ossett. Good condition but weak on flavour |
| Goacher's - 1066 Old Ale | 6.70 | | Nearing end of cask after 7th day on and tired |
| Mighty Oak - Explorer | 3.80 | | New cask on. I picked up few if any of the tasting notes' flavours |
| Five Points - XPA | 4.00 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Iron Pier - Wealdway IPA | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Harlequin | 3.90 | Not Tried | Somehow still truckin' |
| Squawk - Mariana | 5.30 | Not Tried |
24 Jun 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Quite a crowd in for the last 30 minutes of serving with a mix of regulars dotted about among the less frequent. No electronic background music as the fiddlers seemed to be fully charged up strumming and otherwise squeezing and blowing into their instruments out the back.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Points - XPA | 4.00 | | Had better from Five Points from Hackney but fresh on and so gave it a good go. Very good head and lacing visible and staying intact. A lightly fruity first bite off this extra pale ale and perhaps just a touch too fresh and lively for its own good. A citrus-infused hoppiness rising up aided by its US and Australian hops, namely Citra and Galaxy. Hints of orange, peach and passionfruit bobbing up and down on the tongue before then veering downwards aided by a moderately dry bitterness pervading the hoppy infusions and lingering. |
| Goacher's - 1066 Old Ale | 6.70 | | Just a small half sufficed for me having first tried it on Sunday and now its fifth night on. Only moderate head and lacing and not holding as it had done two days before. It seemed to come with a smokey first hit this time around on this Maidstone barley wine of a strong ale. Its fruit cake flavours then veering up and before sliding down with a sherry-like infusion. A moderately dry maltiness lingering on the palate. |
| Iron Pier - Wealdway IPA | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Harlequin | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Tonbridge - Connor's Ruby Ale | 3.40 | Not Tried | Literally just taken off on asking for it when I first got here. |
| Squawk - Mariana | 5.30 | Not Tried |
24 Jun 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close. The back room Irish fiddlers had accompaniment from a few varied other instruments tonight.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - 1066 Old Ale | 6.70 | | Its strength keeps it as good on its 5th day |
| Five Points - XPA | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Wealdway IPA | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Harlequin | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Tonbridge - Connor's Ruby Ale | 3.40 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Squawk - Mariana | 5.30 | Not Tried |
23 Jun 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - 1066 Old Ale | 6.70 | | Just about holding up as good on its 4th day on |
| Salopian - Day in a Life | 4.30 | | Flat, lifeless then ran out soon after |
| Siren Craft - Lumina | 4.20 | | No off flavours but flat, lifeless and rather unpleasant |
| Five Points - XPA | 4.00 | Not Tried | Came on very much at last knockings |
| Iron Pier - Harlequin | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Tonbridge - Connor's Ruby Ale | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Squawk - Mariana | 5.30 | Not Tried |
22 Jun 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
A good helping of Sunday regulars for the last 30 minutes of serving.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - 1066 Old Ale | 6.70 |  | Third night on and a good creamy head and lacing and lasting throughout on this Maidstone-based dark old ale. It was noticeably darker than the Tonbridge ruby ale enjoyed just before but similar in flavouring to a degree. The first bite was like chewing into a fruit-cake pervaded by a subtle caramel-infused sweetness. Certainly a barley wine as the tasting notes testify and produced every winter since 1983 and described as a strong winter ale. Strange it should be served in the height of summer but its strength has no doubt aided it to keep. A moreishly malty dark fruitiness, no doubt from some red berries in on the mix, veering up with the odd sweet note or two from its marmalade and treacle flavourings. A dry moderate bitterness lingering. Very moreish but one sufficed! |
| Tonbridge - Connor's Ruby Ale | 3.40 | | Second night on and still very good head and lacing and staying the course on this ruby ale by this East Peckham-based brewery, north-east of Tonbridge. A bitter and malty first bite. A pleasant and subtle infusion of plum flavouring bobbing up and down on the taste buds and a malty bitterness lingering. |
| Siren Craft - Lumina | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Harlequin | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - West Coast IPA (collaboration with Burning Sky) | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Salopian - Day in a Life | 4.30 | Not Tried |
22 Jun 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - 1066 Old Ale | 6.70 | | 3rd day on and holding up fine |
| Tonbridge - Connor's Ruby Ale | 3.40 | | Charity ale in the Irish red rather malty style |
| Siren Craft - Lumina | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Harlequin | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - West Coast IPA (collaboration with Burning Sky) | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Salopian - Day in a Life | 4.30 | Not Tried |
21 Jun 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall for my belated arrival some 10 minutes before closing time after a train delay getting back from my outing to Broadstairs with two other real ale enthusiasts.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonbridge - Connor's Ruby Ale | 3.40 | | I was recommended this ruby bitter by a Saturday regular and not in the least disappointed as punches above its weight at just 3.4% and the price reflecting its lesser gravity at £4.30 with the CAMRA 30p discount. It has just replaced the Goacher's Fine Light which was still on, and on its fourth day, about an hour earlier. Fresh on and so positively brimming with head and lacing and lasting throughout. Brewed by this East Peckham-based brewery, north-east of Tonbridge, this is a one-off in aid of a local youngster with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, an incurable disease. All proceeds are going to the Duchenne UK charity to aid their on-going research. A very malty first hit. A pleasant bitterness rising up and a hint of plum favouring to my taste buds but not sweet. A bitter dryness winning over and lingering. Not tried it before and hope they might repeat it again. |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - West Coast IPA (collaboration with Burning Sky) | 5.50 | | Third night on and some head and lacing on show but not lasting on this India Pale Ale collaboration between Thornbridge, north-west of Bakewell and south-west of Sheffield, and Burning Sky Brewery at Firle, north-west of Eastbourne. An oily hoppy-infused first bite to it. A dry hoppiness rearing up and persisting and full of citrus and tropical fruit flavours. A definite touch of wood resin flavouring not unlike the Greek white wine, Retsina, to my taste buds, and where pine resin from the wooden vessels helped keep air out and in so doing, infused the wine within. |
| Goacher's - 1066 Old Ale | 6.70 | Not Tried | |
| Kent - Session Pale | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Lumina | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Salopian - Day in a Life | 4.30 | Not Tried |
20 Jun 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall on this balmy summer's Friday evening for last 30 minutes of serving with a mix of some of the all-time regulars and the Friday-only regulars on parade.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | 3.70 | | Third night on and holding its head and lacing is this Maidstone-based pale amber bitter and lasting. A first hit of a bitter dryness. A moreish hoppiness hitting the taste buds. Not my favourite Goacher's but did not want anything too strong before being up early the following day for the coast and so did just the job. Its bitterness winning over the hops and a pleasant dryness lingering. |
| Goacher's - 1066 Old Ale | 6.70 | Not Tried | |
| Kent - Session Pale | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Leatherbritches - Citra Pale | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - West Coast IPA (collaboration with Burning Sky) | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Squawk - Mallard | 4.50 | Not Tried |
About The River Ale House
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 11 |
| 674 |
| 1636 |
| 473 |
| 38 |
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 1295 times, seen 1796 different beers and tried 1044 of them.
Postcode: SE10 0RJ