PubsandBeer
The Hope (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Hophead (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) |  | 1 |
| Moorhouse's - Black Cat Mild |  | 1 |
| King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Horsham Best Bitter | | 2 |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Little Cracker | | 1 |
| Otley - Dark-O | | 1 |
| Windsor & Eton - Conqueror | | 2 |
| Kissingate - Valley Mild |  | 1 |
| Dark Star - Victorian Ruby Mild | | 1 |
| Two Bridges - Inkpen Mild | | 1 |
| Castle Rock - Black Gold Mild | | 1 |
| Hop Back - Old Master | | 1 |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Mild | | 1 |
| White - White Gold | | 1 |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Thoroughly Modern Mild |  | 1 |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Old Chap | | 1 |
| King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Kings Royal Mild | | 1 |
| Oakleaf (now see Fallen Acorn entries) - Blake's Heaven | Not Tried | 0 |
| Titanic - White Star (superseded by 4.5% version - see separate entry) | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
01 Sep 2011 (Martin the Mildman)
Visit by the Thursday evening mild drinkers where we were made to feel very welcome and provided with some excellent beer.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moorhouse's - Black Cat Mild | 3.40 | | Top condition here with a good chocolate and liquorice malt character and a dryish finish. My score 16/20. |
| Castle Rock - Black Gold Mild | 3.80 | | Dark brown with a dark chocolate malt character and also a little hop bitterness in the finish. My score 15/20. |
| Windsor & Eton - Conqueror | 5.00 | | Hoppy black IPA with a good mix of dark malts and citrus hops. My score 15/20. |
19 May 2011 (Martin the Mildman)
First day of the pub's Mild for May festival with 9 casks of mild on stillage.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Victorian Ruby Mild | 6.00 | | Strong ruby mild with lots of malt flavours of roast and toffee with some nuttiness. Some hop bitterness evident in the finish. My score 15/20. |
| Hop Back - Old Master | 4.30 | | Dark brown stronger mild with nutty and chocolate malt flavours and some hop bitterness in the finish. My score 15/20. |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Mild | 3.70 | | Just plain "Mild", this is a lighter brew, red/amber in colour with a fruity flavour. Some malt eveident and a little citrus hop in the finish. My score 15/20 with B for quality as it was a little hazy. |
| Kissingate - Valley Mild | 4.00 | | Dark brown mild with some roasty malt flavours and a slight yesty flavour. The finish is quite dry. My score 15/20 with B quality as there was some hazyness. |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Thoroughly Modern Mild | 6.00 | | Full flavoured amber strong mild with quite a lot of bitter malt flavours and rather high hoppiness for a mild, but it is a modern one I suppose. My score 14/20. |
| King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Kings Royal Mild | 3.60 | | Amber in colour, some malt character but also quite a lot of bitterness. The finish is bitter and quite dry. My score 14/20. |
12 Dec 2010 (ChrisE)
A busy Sunday lunchtime with a good mix of drinkers and diners.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Hophead (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.80 | | I had to wait while they flushed the lines, and put a new cask of, but it was worth it. Hophead at its very best. |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Little Cracker | 5.00 | | |
| Windsor & Eton - Conqueror | 5.00 | | A superb black IPA full of flavour. |
| King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Horsham Best Bitter | 3.80 | | |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Old Chap | 4.20 | |
16 Sep 2010 (Martin the Mildman)
An already busy locals pub was further swelled by the ranks of the Thursday evening mild drinkers club.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| White - White Gold | 4.90 | | Well balanced strong golden ale with a fairly bitter hop finish. My score 15/20. |
| Two Bridges - Inkpen Mild | 3.50 | | Black and very malty with a burnt caramel/toffee and toast flavour just a little over dominant. Dryish finish. My score 15/20. |
07 Sep 2010 (thebrewingman)
Early evening visit before football at Carshalton Athletic. Fairly quiet with a smattering of Tonbridge Angels real ale fans.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Beer (formerly W.J. King) - Horsham Best Bitter | 3.80 | | A tasty pint of of bitter that looked like a bitter. |
| Otley - Dark-O | 4.00 | | A very distinct taste which grew as the pint was supped. Slightly smokey with hints of liquorice. |
| Oakleaf (now see Fallen Acorn entries) - Blake's Heaven | 7.00 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Hophead (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Titanic - White Star (superseded by 4.5% version - see separate entry) | 4.80 | Not Tried |
About The Hope
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 12 |
| 48 |
| 31 |
| 5 |
 | - |
The pub is found in Carshalton, Greater London, SM5 2PR.
Town pub in West Street with an island bar surrounded by several distinct drinking areas. Handy for Carshalton Athletic FC. CAMRA Greater London Regional Pub of the Year 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019 and in 2023 too. Last 4 finalist of the CAMRA National Pub of the Year competition 2013. SPBW London Pub of the Year 2016. Most recently local CAMRA branch Pub of the Year 2022 & 2023. 7 handpumps but with an increasing propensity to sell craft keg beers. Initially run by a share-owning co-operative (32 shareholders) on a 20 year free of all tie lease from Punch Taverns. Reported in June / July 2015 CAMRA London Drinker magazine that the freehold had now been purchased.
We have visited this pub 25 times, seen 112 different beers and tried 76 of them.
Postcode: SM5 2PR