The River Ale House (Free House)
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Stephen Harris
Visits Details
01 Dec 2024 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall but for a few Sunday regulars in for last 30 minutes of serving.
Mighty Oak - Captain Bob | 3.80 |  | Good head and lacing to begin with but decanting needed towards the end. A very malty first hit with a lingeringly dry mouthfeel. |
Pig & Porter - Jumping Frog | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
Elusive - Pineapple Head | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
Mighty Oak - Top Hat | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
Redemption - Townend Farm Green Hop Cascade | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
30 Nov 2024 (Hogan Sampling)
Busy footfall for last 45 minutes of serving with many a Saturday regular in.
Mighty Oak - Captain Bob | 3.80 |  | Very good head and lacing. Slightly fruity first hit with a sweet mouthfeel and a lingering dryness. |
Mighty Oak - Top Hat | 4.30 |  | A head and lacing to begin with but soon disappeared. A dry first hit with the merest hint of chocolate in this porter with a malty aftertaste. |
Redemption - Townend Farm Green Hop Cascade | 3.80 |  | Minimal head and lacing. Quickly lost it. A chewy sort of mouthfeel with a touch of citrus fruits. One sufficed. |
Pig & Porter - Jumping Frog | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
Elusive - Pineapple Head | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
Stardust - Easy Pale Idaho 7 | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
28 Nov 2024 (Hogan Sampling)
Busy footfall for last 30 minutes of serving with many a regular in.
Bexley - Redhouse | 4.20 |  | Also new on and so a good frothy head and lacing. A very malty first hit. Not sweet at all despite being described in the notes as biscuity with caramel flavouring. It held its head and lacing well but towards the end it was encouraged by a couple of decants. A bitter aftertaste prevailed. |
Stardust - Easy Pale Idaho 7 | 3.80 |  | New on and so good head and lacing but not much of a flavour in the mouthfeel. Not sure I got its fruity aroma as described in the tasting notes either. |
Mighty Oak - Wonkey Donkey | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
New Bristol - My Nelson Romance | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
360° - Double Decker | 4.90 | Not Tried | |
28 Nov 2024 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close. Grim choices and after two halves moved to cider.
Bexley - Redhouse | 4.20 |  | New cask on today, great head just not to my taste. Grim range tonight here pushed me to move to cider |
Stardust - Easy Pale Idaho 7 | 3.80 |  | Clean tasting, new cask today |
Mighty Oak - Wonkey Donkey | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
New Bristol - My Nelson Romance | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
360° - Double Decker | 4.90 | Not Tried | |
27 Nov 2024 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall with just a few regulars in for last 30 minutes of serving.
Mighty Oak - Wonkey Donkey | 4.30 |  | Good head and lacing. Only its first night on. First hit was a sweet one from the floral and herbal flavouring. Good conditioning with a wholesome, full-bodied mouthfeel lingering. |
Oakham - Sunset | 5.30 |  | 3rd night on and holding its head and lacing well. A resinous mouthfeel with a hint of maltiness in its moreish aftertaste. |
Oakham - Cool Eyes | 3.40 |  | 2nd night on for me and still a good head and lacing. First hit was hoppiness with a fruity mouthfeel and a lasting dryness. |
Southwark - Bermondsey Best | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
New Bristol - My Nelson Romance | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
360° - Double Decker | 4.90 | Not Tried | |
27 Nov 2024 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
Mighty Oak - Wonkey Donkey | 4.30 |  | Really failed to offer the flavours in the tasting notes |
New Bristol - My Nelson Romance | 4.50 |  | Condition good, flavour profile bland |
Oakham - Sunset | 5.30 |  | A tasty full bodied brew |
Southwark - Bermondsey Best | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
Oakham - Cool Eyes | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
360° - Double Decker | 4.90 | Not Tried | |
26 Nov 2024 (Hogan Sampling)
Busy with some of the regulars in and fiddlers out the back for last 30 minutes of serving.
Oakham - Sunset | 5.30 |  | Very good head and lacing like the Oakham "Cool Eyes". First hit of slight sweetness with a dry, oily aftertaste that is a bit like many of the recent green hop beers I have sampled. |
Oakham - Cool Eyes | 3.40 |  | Very good head and lacing. First hit of dryness with a mildly fruity mouthfeel. It had a dry, moreish aftertaste. |
360° - Double Decker | 4.90 |  | Good creamy head and lacing in this milk stout. A sweet, minty mouthfeel like an After Eight Chocolate and so with a lingeringly sweet aftertaste. One half sufficed. |
Kent - The Quiet American | 4.20 |  | Almost last out of the barrel and so only with a slight head and lacing. Minus the conditioning that would come with above. Not much flavour and basically very flat. |
Southwark - Bermondsey Best | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
26 Nov 2024 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
Oakham - Sunset | 5.30 |  | A strong full bodied citrus pale |
Oakham - Cool Eyes | 3.40 |  | Good but thin gruel |
360° - Double Decker | 4.90 |  | Vanilla dominated - fresh on today |
Southwark - Bermondsey Best | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
Kent - The Quiet American | 4.20 | Not Tried | Ageing |
24 Nov 2024 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
Oakham - Green Devil IPA | 6.00 |  | Menu sheet and pumpclip keep showing Cask Aged version but no evidence that is this not the non-cask-aged version. Slightly tiring but still a good hit |
Vibrant Forest - Black Forest | 4.90 |  | One was quite enough |
Kent - The Quiet American | 4.20 |  | Pretty bland pale |
New Bristol - The Joy of Sesh IPA | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
Pig & Porter - Cosmic Jive | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
Mighty Oak - Bearskin | 4.00 | Not Tried | Ran out |
24 Nov 2024 (Hogan Sampling)
Very low footfall for last 30 minutes of serving and not helped by Storm Bert. Just a few hardened regulars in.
Kent - The Quiet American | 4.20 |  | 2nd night on as put in a very belated first appearance on Saturday evening. Superb head and lacing. A very sharp, hoppy first hit with a dry, moreish mouthfeel which meant another followed. |
Vibrant Forest - Black Forest | 4.90 |  | Had tried a half the night before for the first time. Was good and so repeated the pattern and not disappointed with the head and lacing but some 20 minutes after ordering, a gentle decant woke up its bubbles. A moreishly chocolatey and hint of expresso mouthfeel with a pleasantly dry aftertaste. |
Mighty Oak - Bearskin | 4.00 |  | I was warned this was probably the last one out. So I was surprised it came up with still a good head and lacing. Like all good beers which have reached the barrel's end, not to be queued up for but minus any queue thanks to Storm Bert's tail-end this evening. Bless it, its head and lacing held on until half way down the pint. Still the very old-fashioned bitter mouthfeel and nothing else but minus the good conditioning afforded over the previous two nights when fresh on. |
New Bristol - The Joy of Sesh IPA | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
Oakham - Green Devil IPA Cask Aged | 6.00 | Not Tried | |
Pig & Porter - Cosmic Jive | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
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