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The River Ale House (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Pig & Porter - Caravan (was 3.6%) |  | 2 |
| 360° - Bluebell Sussex Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Vocation - Pride & Joy | | 2 |
| Oakham - North to South (collaboration with Orkney) |  | 1 |
| Castle Rock - Loophole | | 1 |
| Rudgate - Sunbeam | | 1 |
| Leigh on Sea - Legra Pale | | 2 |
| White Rose (Sheffield) - Stairlift To Heaven | | 1 |
| Milestone - Cromwell Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Oakham - Kingdom Stout | | 1 |
| Wantsum - Hurricane | | 2 |
| Pig & Porter - Apparition Stout | | 2 |
| Siren Craft - Memento |  | 2 |
| Milestone - Cromwell Golden Extra | | 1 |
| Mighty Oak - Oscar Wilde Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Pig & Porter - Skylarking | Not Tried | 0 |
| Monkey - Sea Wall | Not Tried | 0 |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Jungle Juice | Not Tried | 0 |
| Pig & Porter - Whispering Grass | Not Tried | 0 |
| Kent - Zingiber | Not Tried | 0 |
| Vibrant Forest - Paper Room | Not Tried | 0 |
| Vocation - Bread & Butter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Oakham - Green Devil IPA Cask Aged | Not Tried | 0 |
| Siren Craft - Lumina | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
13 Sep 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
This Saturday had witnessed a good few customers earlier and so a change around of beers due to Charlton FC at home playing against Millwall and drawing 1-1. Not that busy for the last 45 minutes of serving with just the Saturday regulars in among a few of the more hardened.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milestone - Cromwell Best Bitter | 4.40 | | Fresh on today was this Nottinghamshire amber bitter from Cromwell, north of Newark-on-Trent. Head and lacing, good, and lasting, good. A very dry bitter first hit. A hoppy bitterness rising aided by its Challenger, Progress and Goldings hops. A dry malty sweetness playing out. Milestone began selling its brews in 2005 and is named after the milestone on the road opposite the brewery. |
| Oakham - Kingdom Stout | 5.00 | | Also fresh on today, this Peterborough cask aged* stout presented very good head and lacing and lasting well. A dry malty first hit from its five different malts. A very dry bitterness rising with fruity hints. Spicy, floral and herbal notes detected. A superb hoppiness from its UK hops, Challenger and Fuggles, sailing out to sea with the odd malty note for good measure. *With it being cask aged, following the initial fermentation, the tired yeast cells are removed to eradicate undesirable aromas and flavours. Fresh yeast is introduced to follow the “Krausening” method. The beer is racked in casks and "aged" for at least 6 weeks and cellared like a fine wine to allow development of its flavours and conditioning. |
| Kent - Zingiber | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Vocation - Bread & Butter | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Oakham - Green Devil IPA Cask Aged | 6.00 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Lumina | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Vibrant Forest - Paper Room | 4.80 | Not Tried |
12 Sep 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Many a regular among the more occasional for the last 30 minutes of serving.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 360° - Bluebell Sussex Best Bitter | 4.30 | | Fresh on today is this East Sussex-based best bitter from Sheffield Park, east of Haywards Heath. Very good head and lacing and lasting to the very end. A malty bitter first bite. A hoppy bitterness rising and a hoppiness positively bouncing with its fruitiness, aided by its East Kent Goldings, Fuggles and Cascade hops. A pleasant malty bitterness, from its helpings of English malt, sailing out down the estuary. |
| Kent - Zingiber | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Rudgate - Sunbeam | 3.60 | Not Tried | |
| Vibrant Forest - Paper Room | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Apparition Stout | 4.40 | Not Tried |
11 Sep 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
A good few regulars on parade among the more occasional for last 30 minutes of serving.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vocation - Pride & Joy | 4.80 | | Second night on for this Hebden Bridge-based American pale from north-west of Huddersfield. Very good head and lacing and lasting. A dry hoppy first hit. A good mix of fruited flavours rising including mango, tropical citrus and blueberry. A spicy dry fruitiness sailing out. |
| Rudgate - Sunbeam | 3.60 | | Second night on for this North Yorkshire pale ale from Tockwith, west of York. Head and lacing, good, and lasting, good. A hoppy and mildly fruity first hit. A pleasant hoppy note or two rising and a tropical fruitiness playing out. The brewing was set up in 1992. |
| Wantsum - Hurricane | 4.50 | | Second night on for this IPA from St Nicholas at Wade, outside Birchington-on-Sea, and presenting good head and lacing and lasting. A very, very fruity first hit. A good hoppy note or two jumping with excitement from its Mosaic and Citra hops. A fruitiness winning over with a good citrus punch rising and lasting. |
| Pig & Porter - Caravan (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Apparition Stout | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Oakham - North to South (collaboration with Orkney) | 4.30 | Not Tried |
11 Sep 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakham - North to South (collaboration with Orkney) | 4.30 | | Good condition but not an ale to my taste |
| Wantsum - Hurricane | 4.50 | | Bordering on poor. Something wrong with taste and quite flat in the glass |
| Rudgate - Sunbeam | 3.60 | Not Tried | |
| Vocation - Pride & Joy | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Caravan (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Apparition Stout | 4.40 | Not Tried |
09 Sep 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Busy footfall for last 30 minutes of serving with a sprinkling of regulars on parade among the more occasional and the Tuesday fiddlers out the back plucking their strings.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leigh on Sea - Legra Pale | 3.80 | | Second evening on for this Leigh on Sea single hop pale ale from Essex. Head and lacing, very good, and lasting, fair. A fruit-infused first bite. A good Citra hop-infusion rising with citrus notes abounding. Definite grapefruit flavours running riot. A fruity bitter finish with a touch of maltiness from its Maris Otter and Torrified Wheat. |
| Pig & Porter - Caravan (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | | Now the third day on. Head and lacing, good, but lasting, poor. A good decant or two needed. This Tunbridge Wells' bitter came with a very malty bitter first bite. Its caramel and toffee infusions lending it a sweetness in among its maltiness. Tangerine notes emanating from its yeast and hops. A hoppy bitterness aided by its English hops, East Kent Goldings and First Gold, and a malty note or two playing out. This bitter was still moreish to my taste buds but only a pale imitation of its former self compared to when sampled on its premier day. |
| Milestone - Cromwell Golden Extra | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Vocation - Pride & Joy | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Whispering Grass | 5.50 | Not Tried | Was all consumed and so taken off on this visit. |
| Pig & Porter - Apparition Stout | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Castle Rock - Loophole | 4.30 | Not Tried |
09 Sep 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leigh on Sea - Legra Pale | 3.80 | | Just a bag of Citra hops. Getting boring now |
| Vocation - Pride & Joy | 4.80 | | 2nd pint out of a new cask just put on. Much drier and less harsh bittering than many citrus jobs |
| Milestone - Cromwell Golden Extra | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Caravan (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Whispering Grass | 5.50 | Not Tried | Ran out |
| Pig & Porter - Apparition Stout | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Castle Rock - Loophole | 4.30 | Not Tried |
07 Sep 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
A good few regulars in for the last 40 minutes of serving and a very welcome change of bitter greeted me to my delight.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pig & Porter - Caravan (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | | Fresh on today and presenting very good head and lacing and lasting throughout without a single decant needed. This Tunbridge Wells' bitter packed a very malty bitter first hit. A slightly sweet touch from the caramel and toffee infusions in its malts. A good fruity note rising from its tangerine hints in its yeast and hops. A pleasantly hoppy bitterness gently bobbing along aided by its English hops: East Kent Goldings and First Gold. Lashings of maltiness aided this bitter's final voyage downwards for me. Very moreish and so stuck to it but for a half of stout from the same brewer. |
| Pig & Porter - Apparition Stout | 4.40 | | Also fresh on was this Tunbridge Wells' stout and head and lacing to start with but not managing to hold onto it. A dry smoky first bite. A good chocolatey maltiness rising from its depths and a moreishly dry bitterness from its US Willamette hops, derived from English Fuggle hops and noted for their woody incense and red berry hints, winning over and playing out. |
| Milestone - Cromwell Golden Extra | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Whispering Grass | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Castle Rock - Loophole | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Jungle Juice | 3.50 | Not Tried |
07 Sep 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Rock - Loophole | 4.30 | | Condition good but just not far off being raw lemon juice |
| Milestone - Cromwell Golden Extra | 4.50 | | OK but flat |
| Pig & Porter - Apparition Stout | 4.40 | | No apparent condition, making it a chore to finish |
| Pig & Porter - Caravan (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Whispering Grass | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Jungle Juice | 3.50 | Not Tried |
06 Sep 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall for last hour of serving with just a few regulars among the more occasional in. The barman explained that it had been busier earlier.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Rose (Sheffield) - Stairlift To Heaven | 4.30 | | I cannot recall coming across a White Rose ale before. It was set up in 2007 and sharing premises with Sheffield Brewery. In 2008 brewing had moved to Little Ale Cart. Then White Rose brewed in Mexborough at premises with Imperial Brewery before moving in 2018 to its own premises using a new seven-barrel plant. This Mexborough-brewed straw coloured pale ale, from south-west of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, presented good head and lacing as fresh on today and its lacing lasted throughout. A mildly fruited and hoppy first hit. A good dry hoppiness rising with a hint of citrus. A fruity dry hop or two sailing out. Not overly infused with flavour I thought for 4.3% and being just its first day on. |
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 |  | Surprised to see it still on and now on its fifth day. The barman gave me a taster first and told me there were only about 4 pints remaining in the cask. This micro opens at 12 noon on Saturday unlike at 4pm Monday to Thursday and from 2pm on Friday and so even more amazed still on. Head and lacing, now poor, and holding it, not a chance. This Berkshire bitter from north-west of Finchampstead and south-west of Wokingham presented a dry bitter first bite. Its lip-smacking crispness all gone as indeed all life in it. Still the odd fruity note there in among its hoppy bitterness. The biscuity, caramelly malt now far less pronounced. All conditioning gone and no punchiness left. Doing its best to hang onto its dry Cascade hoppiness. Only just palatable and so moved onto what everyone else was on, too, and a fresh one on today! |
| Mighty Oak - Oscar Wilde Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Skylarking | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Milestone - Cromwell Golden Extra | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Jungle Juice | 3.50 | Not Tried |
05 Sep 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Busy footfall for last 30 minutes of serving with a stalwart of the local CAMRA branch holding their 80th birthday. They had done a few other micros earlier by all accounts from about mid-day with a good party of friends and many still here at the finale drinking hole. Many a musical record in honour of his love of Radio Caroline was being played including this station's outgoing theme at the end of each broadcast early on which was Jimmy McGriff's jazz standard, "Round Midnight". Radio Caroline was the British pirate radio station founded in 1964. It was set up at first to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the UK and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly. The station never became illegal as such due to operating outside any national jurisdiction. But the Marine Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967 made it illegal for a British subject to associate with it. It successfully operated using five different ships with three different owners from 1964 to 1990, and then via satellite from 1998 to 2013. Since August 2000, Radio Caroline has broadcast via the internet and by the occasional restricted service licence.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 | | Now the fourth day on and I say day since this micro opens at 2pm on Friday unlike at 4pm Monday to Thursday. Surprisingly, still holding its head and lacing well and lasting to the end. This Berkshire bitter from north-west of Finchampstead and south-west of Wokingham presented a very bitter first bite. Not as good a lip-smacking crispness about it as when tried the evening before. A fruity hint pervading its moreishly hoppy bitterness. Still a biscuity, caramelly malt or two leaping up. Not the same conditioning as on its premier night or third night but still exerting a good punchiness. A lasting dry hoppiness care of its Cascade hops. Palatable enough to still stick to it! |
| Mighty Oak - Oscar Wilde Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Skylarking | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Milestone - Cromwell Golden Extra | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Monkey - Sea Wall | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Jungle Juice | 3.50 | Not Tried |
About The River Ale House
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 15 |
| 754 |
| 2040 |
| 662 |
| 58 |
The pub is found in East Greenwich, Greater London, SE10 0RJ.
Micropub in Woolwich Road in a former street corner lingerie and hosiery business premises and which opened on 13th September 2017. Comprises a front room with bar counter and with real ales and ciders served on gravity dispense from a temperature controlled cellar room behind the bar, and a rear room down one step. Each day a pre-prepared paper ale menu sheet, with tasting notes, is provided to every table. Bare-board flooring throughout and all seating at wall mounted high settles and hand made wooden high tables. CAMRA card holders' discount on pints and halves of real ale and cider. Card payments accepted. SPBW London Pub of the Year 2019. Local CAMRA branch 2019, 2022 and 2024 Pub of the Year and its Cider Pub of the Year too in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. CAMRA Greenwich District Pub of the Year 2024.
We have visited this pub 1630 times, seen 1966 different beers and tried 1158 of them.
Postcode: SE10 0RJ