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Claret & Ale (formerly Claret Free House) (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Palmers - Tally Ho! |  | 4 |
| Titanic - Plum Porter | | 2 |
| Palmers - 200 Premium Ale | | 1 |
| Butcombe - Rare Breed (or Adam Henson's Rare Breed) | | 1 |
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | | 10 |
| High House Barn (formerly High House Farm) - Auld Hemp |  | 1 |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Pale Beauty | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Whitstable - Single Hop Huell Melon | Not Tried | 0 |
| Shepherd Neame - May Bee | Not Tried | 0 |
| Windswept - Weizen | Not Tried | 0 |
| Constellation - Draco | Not Tried | 0 |
| Worsthorne - Blackthorne Stout | Not Tried | 0 |
| Bedlam - Smash | Not Tried | 0 |
| Cotleigh - Albatross | Not Tried | 0 |
| Skinner's (now brewed by Goodh) - Betty Stogs Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Grandstand Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Wantsum - Jubilee | Not Tried | 0 |
| Twickenham (also uses sub-brand Old Hands) - Naked Ladies | Not Tried | 0 |
| Palmers - Dorset Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| Bedlam - Benchmark | Not Tried | 0 |
| Palmers - Copper Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Long Man - Rising Giant | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dorking - Surrey XPA (was 3.8%) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Session | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Junction | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Mr. Squirrel | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dorking - Pacific Pale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Hoodwink | Not Tried | 0 |
| St Austell - Proper Job | Not Tried | 0 |
| Oakham - Citra | Not Tried | 0 |
| Itchen Valley - Itchen Valley Bitter (aka IVB) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Titsey - Gresham Hopper (was 3.7%) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Pumphouse Pale Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Titsey - Leveson Buck | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
27 Jun 2022 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit until close. Serendipitously met two London Drinker magazine pioneers and had missed one of the early CAMRA HQ Chairmen by minutes too.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | Just a tad off its best |
| Palmers - Copper Ale | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Junction | 4.50 | Not Tried | Came on at last knockings |
| Titsey - Gresham Hopper (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Dorking - Surrey XPA (was 3.8%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Dorking - Pacific Pale | 4.40 | Not Tried |
25 Jun 2022 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening visit until close. A number of empty tables tonight. Paul McCartney at Glastonbury live on the large TV, for a whistle and sing-a-long.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | |
| Palmers - Tally Ho! | 5.50 | | In lovely condition |
| Palmers - Dorset Gold | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Palmers - Copper Ale | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Dorking - Surrey XPA (was 3.8%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Wantsum - Jubilee | 4.30 | Not Tried |
11 Jun 2022 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmers - 200 Premium Ale | 5.00 | | An appropriate last pint nightcapper |
| Butcombe - Rare Breed (or Adam Henson's Rare Breed) | 3.80 | | |
| Palmers - IPA (Best) | 4.20 | | |
| Skinner's (now brewed by Goodh) - Betty Stogs Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Constellation - Draco | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Wantsum - Jubilee | 4.30 | Not Tried |
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 was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | 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 (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | 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 Barn (formerly 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 |
About the Claret & Ale (formerly Claret Free House)
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 5 |
| 280 |
| 165 |
| 23 |
 | 1 |
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 and similarly certificated with 1,250,000th in 2019. 6 handpumps dispense the real ales and always at least 2 ciders served by a walk to the ground floor cellar, the latter of late not being real ones however. 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. Regular winner of the local CAMRA branch Borough Pub of the Year award. Local CAMRA branch Pub of the Year 2024.
We have visited this pub 220 times, seen 314 different beers and tried 104 of them.
Postcode: CR0 7AA