The River Ale House (Free House)
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Stephen Harris
Visits Details
02 Jun 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening until close. Very quiet in both rooms.
Canterbury Ales (sometimes badged as Canterbrew) - The Friar's Ale | 4.30 |  | Little life. A chore to down |
Oakham - OPA Original Pale Ale | 4.00 |  | 2nd out of new cask. Very fresh and went flat in glass almost immediately |
Redemption - Urban Dusk | 4.60 | Not Tried | Holding on there |
Canterbury Ales (sometimes badged as Canterbrew) - The Pardoner's Ale | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
Moor - Stout | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
Pig & Porter - Whispering Grass | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
01 Jun 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
A good few regulars in for the last 30 minutes of serving.
Moor - Stout | 5.00 |  | First day on and presenting with good head and lacing on this stout originally from the Levels and Moors area of Somerset where the brewery originated and relaunched in 2007 and from 2014 based behind Bristol's Temple Meads Rail Station. A smokey coffee-infused and dark chocolatey first hit. A dry bitterness dominating the mouthfeel with the odd malty note joining in with hints of liquorice and dark fruit. A moreish bitterness lingering on. |
Kent - Pale | 4.00 |  | Good head and lacing and almost lasting on this Kent-based pale from Birling, north of West Malling, and on its second night on. A hoppy first hit. A subtle fruitiness presented itself alongside its hoppiness. A dry hoppy bitterness pervaded the mouthfeel and lingered on. |
Redemption - Urban Dusk | 4.60 |  | Fresh on today was this Tottenham bitter and came with some head and lacing but this soon legged it out its pint glass. A fruity first hit. A fruity sourness pervaded the mouthfeel, not unlike rhubarb, and made it not that appetising to my taste buds. It appeared murky to look at though not described as unfined. I did try taking it back unsuccessfully due to its murkiness but it was flagged up by the barman as just fresh on and fruity! A far cry from the Kent Cobnut I had so much enjoyed recently. A medicinal aftertaste and one sufficed. Will only drink again after trying a sample first of Redemption. |
Oakham - White Dwarf | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
Canterbury Ales (sometimes badged as Canterbrew) - The Pardoner's Ale | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
Pig & Porter - Whispering Grass | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
Two Flints - Daydream | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
01 Jun 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
Kent - Pale | 4.00 |  | Less crisp than I have known it |
Moor - Stout | 5.00 |  | Full bodied |
Oakham - White Dwarf | 4.30 | Not Tried | Ran out |
Redemption - Urban Dusk | 4.60 | Not Tried | Much criticised by another |
Canterbury Ales (sometimes badged as Canterbrew) - The Pardoner's Ale | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
Pig & Porter - Whispering Grass | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
Two Flints - Daydream | 4.50 | Not Tried | Ran out |
30 May 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall with just a few regulars in including a few of the Friday regulars and the less occasional out the back for the last 30 minutes of serving.
Kent - Cobnut | 4.10 |  | Second night on for the second barrel of this ruby ale from Birling in Kent, and north of West Malling, and still maintaining very good head and lacing and keeping to the end. Have not tried much else since its first barrel's appearance last Sunday and so know the script pretty well by now! A malty first hit. A bitter maltiness reigning on the taste buds. A moreishly bitter dryness coupled with a sweetness from those molasses it was made with lingering on. Unusual for two barrels of the same to follow consecutively but certainly a fan of this dark malty bitter! |
Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
Oakham - White Dwarf | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
Oakham - Citra | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
Pig & Porter - Whispering Grass | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
Three Acre - Session Pale | 3.70 | Not Tried | It was off when I got here as confirmed by a fellow regular who was really enjoying it. It then appeared after closing for serving and having been taken off due to the barman admitting it was shaken up due to it being accidentally nudged by him and so reawakening its sediment. The regular's comment was: "You stupid boy, Pike!" The barman was too young to make the connection with Dad's Army! |
Pig & Porter - Funky Claude Porter | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
29 May 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall for last 30 minutes of serving with just a couple of handfuls of regulars in.
Kent - Cobnut | 4.10 |  | New barrel of this ruby ale from Birling in Kent, north of West Malling, on this evening and so very good head and lacing presented and lasting well without a single decant needed. It has just replaced its twin barrel that was put on Sunday for Charlton FC's victory at Wembley. A superbly malty first hit. A bitterness rising up alongside a subtle sweetness from its molasses flavouring. A bitter and malty-infused dryness lingering. |
Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 |  | Second night on for this Maidstone pale ale and holding its head and lacing well some half an hour after being served. A dry hoppy first hit from its East Kent hops. A malty hoppiness pervading the mouthfeel aided by its Maris Otter malts and lingering. |
Oakham - White Dwarf | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
Oakham - Citra | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
Three Acre - Session Pale | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
Pig & Porter - Funky Claude Porter | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
29 May 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
Oakham - White Dwarf | 4.30 |  | The ubiquitous standard Oakham flavour |
Kent - Cobnut | 4.10 |  | Apparently a second cask of Cobnut sold consecutively |
Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
Oakham - Citra | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
Three Acre - Session Pale | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
Pig & Porter - Funky Claude Porter | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
28 May 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 |  | Never my favourite Goacher's ale. Drank with hardly noticing |
Oakham - White Dwarf | 4.30 |  | The changed recipe took something away from this ale |
Oakham - JHB | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
Kent - Cobnut | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
Pig & Porter - Funky Claude Porter | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
Mighty Oak - Katzenjammer | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
27 May 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
Mighty Oak - Katzenjammer | 4.50 |  | Good but did not excite me |
Oakham - JHB | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
Oakham - White Dwarf | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
Mighty Oak - Jake the Snake | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
Kent - Cobnut | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
Pig & Porter - Funky Claude Porter | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
Two by Two - The Dandy Lion | 5.30 | Not Tried | |
27 May 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Thankfully nothing like as busy as Sunday night when Charlton FC went up a league that day in the final against Leyton Orient at Wembley. Just a handful or two of hardened regulars in and minus the usual fiddlers out the back for the last 30 minutes of serving.
Kent - Cobnut | 4.10 |  | Not as good as when first sampled on Sunday when fresh on but still coming up with plentiful head and lacing in first being poured and almost holding on until the end was this Birling-produced ruby ale from north of West Malling in Kent. Still the same moreishly smokey and malty-infused first hit on its third day on. A pleasant bitterness rising up among the malts and a dry bitter hoppiness lingering. Although the tasting notes suggest sweet in smell, I prefer to taste my beers and did not detect the no doubt sweet molasses at all also in the taste by all accounts! |
Oakham - JHB | 3.80 | Not Tried | Wins the award this evening for being variously described as here:
on badge: a bitter;
on blackboard alongside badge: a session pale;
on governor's tasting notes: a golden. |
Oakham - White Dwarf | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
Mighty Oak - Jake the Snake | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
Pig & Porter - Funky Claude Porter | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
Mighty Oak - Katzenjammer | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
Two by Two - The Dandy Lion | 5.30 | Not Tried | |
26 May 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close. Just a small dogends of a bank holiday weekend group of regulars imbibing.
Oakham - JHB | 3.80 |  | A once trendsetting ale now seems so ordinary |
Oakham - White Dwarf | 4.30 |  | Drank with hardly noticing |
Mighty Oak - Explorer | 3.80 |  | This is making an attempt to have a USP taste |
Mighty Oak - Jake the Snake | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
Kent - Cobnut | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
Pig & Porter - Funky Claude Porter | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
Two by Two - The Dandy Lion | 5.30 | Not Tried | |
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