The River Ale House (Free House)
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Stephen Harris
Visits Details
14 Sep 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Ticking over with the Sunday regulars on show for last 30 minutes of serving.
| Pig & Porter - Yes, No, Wait, Sorry! | 4.00 |  | Fresh on and good head and lacing but not lasting on this Tunbridge Wells' bitter from High Brooms, just north-east of Tunbridge Wells. A very malty bitter first bite. A dry bitterness rising with a biscuity maltiness. Hints of toffee and dried berry fruit emerging onto my palate. A moreishly pleasant hoppiness, aided by its Bramling Cross and Fuggles hops, sailing out. |
| 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 | |
| Oakham - Kingdom Stout | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
14 Sep 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Oakham - Green Devil IPA | 6.00 |  | Zingy and full on aroma |
| Oakham - Kingdom Stout | 5.00 |  | Tasty stout |
| Kent - Zingiber | 4.10 |  | I could not detect any ginger in taste. Near flat with no head or lacing |
| Vocation - Bread & Butter | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Lumina | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Pig & Porter - Yes, No, Wait, Sorry! | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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 | |
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