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Claret & Ale (formerly Claret Free House) (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Whitstable - Kentish Reserve |  | 1 |
| Palmers - Tally Ho! | | 3 |
| Titanic - Plum Porter | | 2 |
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | | 10 |
| High House Farm - Auld Hemp |  | 1 |
| Dorking - DB Winter Ruby | Not Tried | 0 |
| Bedlam - Benchmark | Not Tried | 0 |
| King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Poachers Moon | Not Tried | 0 |
| Long Man - Rising Giant | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Session | Not Tried | 0 |
| Palmers - 200 Premium Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Mr. Squirrel | Not Tried | 0 |
| RCH - Steam Lovers | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Hoodwink | Not Tried | 0 |
| King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Kings IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| St Austell - Proper Job | Not Tried | 0 |
| Pilgrim - Luperc Alia | Not Tried | 0 |
| Oakham - Citra | Not Tried | 0 |
| Westerham - God's Wallop | Not Tried | 0 |
| Titsey - Gresham Hopper | Not Tried | 0 |
| Itchen Valley - Itchen Valley Bitter (aka IVB) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Titsey - Leveson Buck | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Pumphouse Pale Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dark Star - Hophead (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Pale Beauty | Not Tried | 0 |
| Shepherd Neame - May Bee | Not Tried | 0 |
| Whitstable - Single Hop Huell Melon | Not Tried | 0 |
| Constellation - Draco | Not Tried | 0 |
| Windswept - Weizen | Not Tried | 0 |
| Bedlam - Smash | Not Tried | 0 |
| Worsthorne - Blackthorne Stout | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Cotleigh - Albatross | Not Tried | 0 |
| Whitstable - Oyster Stout | Not Tried | 0 |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Grandstand Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Triple fff - Moondance | Not Tried | 0 |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Naked Ladies | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
04 Jun 2022 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit until close. An ale swiggers' paradise here.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | Pumpclip badged today as Jubilee IPA. Who needs much more than this as a daily ale |
| Palmers - Tally Ho! | 5.50 | | Lovely nightcapper |
| Dark Star - Hophead (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Shepherd Neame - May Bee | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Constellation - Draco | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Bedlam - Smash | 4.20 | Not Tried |
30 Apr 2022 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close. I could get hooked on the beer swilling, ale quality and atmosphere here and fast professional service.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | First rate |
| Titanic - Plum Porter | 4.90 | | 4½* nearing perfection |
| St Austell - Proper Job | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Oakham - Citra | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Titsey - Gresham Hopper | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Titsey - Leveson Buck | 3.70 | Not Tried |
23 Apr 2022 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit until close. This is a proper ale drinking haunt where excellent real ale is virtually always guaranteed. Worth the bus, tram journey.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | At last found the Palmers certificate above the bar celebrating 1,000,000 pints of this ale sold here. I made my little contribution towards the second million |
| Titanic - Plum Porter | 4.90 | | 4½* probably the best Plum Porter I have ever had |
| Sambrook's - Pumphouse Pale Ale | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Session | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Mr. Squirrel | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Hoodwink | 5.30 | Not Tried |
15 Mar 2022 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit until close. Good crowd in downing lots of real ale.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | Sold by the gallon here |
| Palmers - Tally Ho! | 5.50 | | 4½* bordering on perfect |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Grandstand Bitter | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Naked Ladies | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Bedlam - Benchmark | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Long Man - Rising Giant | 4.80 | Not Tried |
14 Jan 2020 (ChrisE)
12:00 precisely but four others were alredy supping pints by the time that I arrived. A nice friendly pub.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | |
| Palmers - Tally Ho! | 5.50 | Not Tried |
12 Oct 2019 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until midnight close. Some pretty brutal boxing bouts on TV.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High House Farm - Auld Hemp | 3.80 | | Interesting bitter flavours |
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 |  | |
| Windswept - Weizen | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Worsthorne - Blackthorne Stout | 4.90 | Not Tried | |
| Cotleigh - Albatross | 5.00 | Not Tried |
25 Aug 2018 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit until midnight close. Mainly male clientele enjoying a superb beer venue.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | The fact of the matter is .... who needs more than this mid brown English bitter for total happiness? Superb. |
| Palmers - Tally Ho! | 5.50 | | Superb nightcap |
| Itchen Valley - Itchen Valley Bitter (aka IVB) | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Pumphouse Pale Ale | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Pale Beauty | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Whitstable - Single Hop Huell Melon | 4.40 | Not Tried |
07 Feb 2015 (ChrisE)
Late afternoon on a Saturday and fairly busy. Just time for a quick pint before heading off to a nearby party. I have not attempted to list all the beers that were on offer.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | |
| Westerham - God's Wallop | 4.00 | Not Tried |
28 Feb 2014 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. A drinking chum, Parrot, had walked in before me off the same tram.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitstable - Kentish Reserve | 5.00 | | |
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | |
| Palmers - 200 Premium Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| RCH - Steam Lovers | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Kings IPA | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Pilgrim - Luperc Alia | 4.80 | Not Tried |
01 Feb 2014 (ChrisE)
Late afternoon pint whilst on my way to a party. A fair crowd in and sport on the television, which was not obtrusive. A really good atmosphere.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | A good traditional bitter in superb condition. |
| Dark Star - American Pale Ale (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Whitstable - Oyster Stout | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Triple fff - Moondance | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Dorking - DB Winter Ruby | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Poachers Moon | 4.10 | Not Tried |
About the Claret & Ale (formerly Claret Free House)
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 2 |
| 38 |
| 6 |
| 2 |
 | - |
The pub is found in Addiscombe, Greater London, CR0 7AA.
Small low ceilinged pub close to Addiscombe Tram Stop in Bingham Corner, Lower Addiscombe Road. This pub is a regular outlet for Palmers beers. In November 2012 Palmers awarded the pub a certificate for having sold a total of 1,000,000 pints of Palmers Best Bitter (IPA) exceeding any other of its free trade outlets and in later years further greatly exceeded here. 6 handpumps dispense the real ales and always at least 2 ciders served by a walk to the ground floor cellar. Beers in the cellar and due to come on are listed on a wallboard. Changed hands in 2016 with slight change of name from Claret Free House to Claret & Ale but little else has changed. 6 handpumps.
We have visited this pub 27 times, seen 87 different beers and tried 13 of them.
Postcode: CR0 7AA