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The River Ale House (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Siren Craft - Memento |  | 1 |
| Oakham - North to South (collaboration with Orkney) | | 2 |
| Anspach & Hobday - The Ordinary Bitter (was 3.7%) |  | 2 |
| Bexley - Bursted Session Bitter (was 3.8%) | | 3 |
| Castle Rock - Brian Clough | | 4 |
| Brew York - Keras | | 1 |
| Mighty Oak - Kings (was 3.9% before 2013) | | 3 |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Kashpur (collaboration with Salopian) | | 2 |
| Vocation - Heart & Soul | | 1 |
| Bexley - Spike Island |  | 3 |
| Vocation - Sun Drift | Not Tried | 0 |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Cocoa Wonderland | Not Tried | 0 |
| Vibrant Forest - Summerlands (was 3.5%) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mighty Oak - Red Kite | Not Tried | 0 |
| Siren Craft - Soundwave IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Anspach & Hobday - Hop Pickers' Pale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Ossett - World Hop Series New Zealand | Not Tried | 0 |
| Mighty Oak - Helios | Not Tried | 0 |
| Oakham - Endless Summer | Not Tried | 0 |
| 360° - Session IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Vale - Electric Sheep | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
02 Sep 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Very busy footfall for a change for last 30 minutes of serving with a few regulars in among the more numerous occasional. Even one of the many fiddlers out the back was back with us after a good month's absence.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 | | Fresh on and a welcome appearance after the recent Anspach & Hobday's The Ordinary Bitter hanging on since last Friday. This Berkshire bitter, from north-west of Finchampstead and south-west of Wokingham, presented much lively appeal. Head and lacing, very good, and lasting, superb with not a single decant required throughout its premier night's performance. A pleasantly very bitter first bite. A very mild fruitiness rising but a dependable moreishly hoppy bitterness pervading with a hint of maltiness joining in with biscuit and caramel flavouring to boot. A tasty dry hoppy bitterness playing out and making my lips smack open and shut with its great dry hoppy qualities lent by its touch of Cascade dry-hop at its climax before sailing down my hatch. Extremely moreish and so could do no more but remain stuck to it! |
| Oakham - Endless Summer | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Vocation - Heart & Soul | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Bexley - Spike Island | 5.30 | Not Tried | |
| Castle Rock - Brian Clough | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Vale - Electric Sheep | 4.30 | Not Tried |
01 Sep 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vocation - Heart & Soul | 4.40 | | New cask today - good condition. Not my type of beer as pretty rabid lemon juice |
| Castle Rock - Brian Clough | 4.20 | | Condition good. Best of the evening |
| Mighty Oak - Kings (was 3.9% before 2013) | 4.20 | | Sat flat in glass with no condition left |
| Oakham - Endless Summer | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Anspach & Hobday - The Ordinary Bitter (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Bexley - Spike Island | 5.30 | Not Tried |
31 Aug 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall for last 30 minutes of serving with just a handful of regulars in.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mighty Oak - Kings (was 3.9% before 2013) | 4.20 | | Fresh on this Sunday was this Essex Citra Pale from Maldon with the micro open from 1pm. Head and lacing, very good, and lasting, good. A fruit-infused first bite. A dry hoppiness aided by lashings of Citra and winning over its fruitiness emanating from hints of passion fruit, nectarine and orange peel. A touch too full of a citrusy note for me personally and veering up from the citric acid found in these fruits but its dry hoppiness made it sufficiently moreish to carry on in the face of a few others that had been on for a good few days. |
| Oakham - Endless Summer | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| 360° - Session IPA | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Anspach & Hobday - The Ordinary Bitter (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Bexley - Spike Island | 5.30 | Not Tried | |
| Castle Rock - Brian Clough | 4.20 | Not Tried |
31 Aug 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mighty Oak - Kings (was 3.9% before 2013) | 4.20 | | Basic citrussy hop based job |
| Castle Rock - Brian Clough | 4.20 | | Lively, good head and lacing |
| Bexley - Spike Island | 5.30 | | Ultra cloying with little condition. Had this so much better before |
| Oakham - Endless Summer | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| 360° - Session IPA | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Anspach & Hobday - The Ordinary Bitter (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | Not Tried |
30 Aug 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Busy footfall for last 30 minutes of serving with many a regular on parade alongside the less regular.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anspach & Hobday - The Ordinary Bitter (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | | 2nd night on for this Bermondsey bitter. Head and lacing, good. Lasting, good. A lightly bitter first bite. A gentle dry bitterness rising with a fruity note or two joining in. The merest hint of a malty sweetness coming to the fore with a biscuity caramel-infused flavouring. A dry hoppiness playing out aided by its US Chinook hops. |
| Castle Rock - Brian Clough | 4.20 | | 2nd day on for this Nottingham-based pilsner-style pale brewed to celebrate the best manager England never had. Head and lacing very good. Lasting, good. A fruited hoppy first bite. A dry bitterness rising and a good fruitiness kicking in with floral and herbal notes. A pleasant hoppy bitterness sailing off. |
| Bexley - Spike Island | 5.30 | | Good head and lacing but not quite lasting on only its second day on, on this Erith-based dry stout from the neighbouring Bexley borough. A coffee-infused first bite. A malty explosion then erupting onto my taste buds and pervading throughout. A dark chocolatey dry bitterness sailing off. |
| Oakham - Endless Summer | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| 360° - Session IPA | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Vocation - Sun Drift | 4.60 | Not Tried |
29 Aug 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Similar to Thursday night and for Friday's last half-hour of serving, as in a real turnout of regulars including some of the more occasional regulars all on parade. Just 4 real ales on from the usual 7 with 3 hangers-on gone and with 2 also gone since yesterday. One or two in earlier were obviously very thirsty!
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anspach & Hobday - The Ordinary Bitter (was 3.7%) | 3.40 | | Fresh on this day, in referring to not just the late afternoon/evening time opening of Monday to Thursday at 4pm, since on Friday this micro opens at 2pm. This Bermondsey-based bitter was marked on the blackboard as Anspach & Hobday's The Ordinary Bitter at 3.4% and yet the tasting notes referred to it as The Golden Bitter at 4.0%. The tasting notes were corrected for the following day as The Ordinary Bitter but showing 3.7% when it is 3.4%. Head and lacing, very good, and lasting good. A fruit-infused bitter first bite. A hoppy fruited bitterness rising from its US Chinook hops. A biscuity maltiness winning over and a bitter dryness lasting. |
| Bexley - Spike Island | 5.30 | | Fresh on was this Erith-based dry stout from the neighbouring Bexley borough and so it was delivered with its creamy head. Head and lacing, very good, and lasting, good. As in all recent Bexley bitters sampled here, as in Redhouse and Bursted, a definite maltiness shining through. The odd dark chocolatey note or two getting in on the act for my taste buds from its malty depths. A coffee-infusion also rising and a dry bitterness playing out. |
| Castle Rock - Brian Clough | 4.20 | | Fresh on and head and lacing very good and lasting, good. This Nottingham-based pale commenced with a very dry bitter first hit. A dry hoppiness rising and a fruity bitterness sailing off. Brewed by Castle Rock to celebrate the best manager England never had! |
| Mighty Oak - Helios | 4.00 | Not Tried |
28 Aug 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Busy footfall for last 30 minutes of serving with mainly regulars on parade.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakham - North to South (collaboration with Orkney) | 4.30 | | Fresh on this evening. Presenting good head and lacing and lasting throughout. A dry fruity first bite on this Peterborough-based brewery's pale and a collaboration with Orkney Brewery, north of John o' Groats in Scotland. A fruity hoppiness rising ably assisted by its Jester and Harlequin hops, and said to be of a new generation of UK hops with New World flavours and so characteristic of hops grown in the US, Australia and New Zealand. A hint or two of tropical fruits bobbing up and down and the odd blackcurrant getting in on the act. A grapefruit-infused bitterness sailing off. |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Kashpur (collaboration with Salopian) | 5.70 | | Also fresh on this evening was this pale from Salopian Brewing Company, north of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, and a collaboration with the Derbyshire brewery, Thornbridge, from Bakewell, south-west of Sheffield. Head and lacing, very good, and lasting, good. A fruit-infused piney hoppiness in its first bite. A hoppy fruitiness rising with hints of citrus and tropical fruits and a dry hoppiness winning over. It has for my taste buds flavouring akin to a dry white wine taste in its finale with a grapefruit or two in on the act. Thornbridge's Jaipur was in on the mix with Salopian's Kashmir to make their joint-anniversary beer. Salopian came about in 1995 while Thornbridge can trace its early beginnings back to 2005. |
| Bexley - Bursted Session Bitter (was 3.8%) | 3.40 | | 3rd evening on for this Bexley dark amber bitter from Erith but now lacking much of its sparkle just two evenings earlier. Head and lacing, fair, and lasting, poor. I got back into my decanting mode having had the evening off needing to do this on Tuesday when fresh on. A very dry bitter first bite. A hoppy bitterness rising aided by its Kentish hops. A lightly fruited maltiness coming to the fore and now with a hint of toffee flavouring. It sailed out still with its very old-fashioned bitterness prevailing. Not so moreish as when fresh on a couple evenings before as not so full of conditioning and so just one more sufficed before sampling a few new ones on. |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Cocoa Wonderland | 6.80 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Soundwave IPA | 5.60 | Not Tried | |
| Brew York - Keras | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Helios | 4.00 | Not Tried |
28 Aug 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Kashpur (collaboration with Salopian) | 5.70 | | New cask on today. A good condition dry pale |
| Oakham - North to South (collaboration with Orkney) | 4.30 | | New cask on today. Not too much of a citrus bomb |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Cocoa Wonderland | 6.80 | Not Tried | Will it last forever |
| Siren Craft - Soundwave IPA | 5.60 | Not Tried | |
| Bexley - Bursted Session Bitter (was 3.8%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | Got cask label checked as confusion over ABV. It is now a beer duty avoider ale |
| Brew York - Keras | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Helios | 4.00 | Not Tried |
27 Aug 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close. Evening finished with a bottle of Orval to pander to my wish for beer bitterness.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brew York - Keras | 3.50 | | No real USP but good condition, on fresh today |
| Bexley - Bursted Session Bitter (was 3.8%) | 3.40 | | OK but little condition or flavour |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Cocoa Wonderland | 6.80 | Not Tried | Soldiering on |
| Mighty Oak - Red Kite | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Soundwave IPA | 5.60 | Not Tried | |
| Anspach & Hobday - Hop Pickers' Pale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Ossett - World Hop Series New Zealand | 4.40 | Not Tried |
26 Aug 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Busier than I have see recently for the last 30 minutes of serving with a mix of the Tuesday regulars, the more occasional and the fiddlers out the back.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bexley - Bursted Session Bitter (was 3.8%) | 3.40 | | Fresh on this evening was this lively Bexley dark amber bitter from Erith. It came as a relief after the very tired Siren Craft Memento bitter the evening before that certainly tasted as though it was at its end. This one presented very good head and lacing and not a single decant was called for. I almost had to stop myself from decanting out of habit and not out of need as in this case. Its abundant lacing lasted throughout its tasty performance. A very bitter first bite to it. A fine hoppy bitterness rising aided by its Kentish hops. A touch of maltiness presenting itself but nothing like as malty as the Bexley Redhouse bitter that was on for 5 nights the week before and so perhaps a tad too malty for many including me was the Redhouse! This one by comparison hit all the right notes on my taste buds and not in the least fruity, although said to have soft fruity notes and a hint of toffee which I could not readily detect. It came as how I like it and from this very old-fashioned bitter-tasting beer. A good balanced malty bitterness playing out. Very moreish and so stuck to it. |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Cocoa Wonderland | 6.80 | Not Tried | |
| Vibrant Forest - Summerlands (was 3.5%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Mighty Oak - Red Kite | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Soundwave IPA | 5.60 | Not Tried | |
| Anspach & Hobday - Hop Pickers' Pale | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Ossett - World Hop Series New Zealand | 4.40 | Not Tried |
About The River Ale House
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 12 |
| 700 |
| 1796 |
| 537 |
 | 44 |
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 1417 times, seen 1858 different beers and tried 1084 of them.
Postcode: SE10 0RJ