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The River Ale House (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Special House Ale |  | 2 |
| Kent - Drenched |  | 1 |
| Oakham - Inferno | | 2 |
| Stardust - English Bitter | | 1 |
| Bexley - Mocha Stout | | 3 |
| Oakham - Cohort | | 1 |
| Kent - Twelfth Night | | 3 |
| Five Points - Best | | 1 |
| Five Points - Pale | | 2 |
| Goacher's - Gold Star | | 2 |
| Elusive - Yakima Trail | | 1 |
| Five Points - Best Fuggles Hops | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | | 2 |
| Iron Pier - Bitter |  | 2 |
| Iron Pier - Killick's Mill | Not Tried | 0 |
| Park - Ballet Loop | Not Tried | 0 |
| Bude Coastal - Honey Bear | Not Tried | 0 |
| Iron Pier - Chinook | Not Tried | 0 |
| Park - Winter XPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Lost Pier - Killer Man Poirot | Not Tried | 0 |
| Lost Pier - Resting Beach Face | Not Tried | 0 |
| Oakham - Citra | Not Tried | 0 |
| Lost Pier - Yew | Not Tried | 0 |
| Iron Pier - Wealdway IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Five Points - Brick Field Brown | Not Tried | 0 |
Stephen Harris
Visits Details
18 Mar 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Not overly busy for the last 30 minutes of serving but there were more regulars in and fiddlers in their allotted back area than the previous Tuesday when still very cold at night.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent - Twelfth Night | 7.40 | | Good head and lacing when first served on this dark ale from Birling just outside West Malling, Kent. A fruit-infused body presented itself with a dry maltiness persisting. A few decants became necessary to wake it and for the time I was ready to end on this barley wine of a dark ale. |
| Oakham - Cohort | 4.00 | | Fresh on and so as you would expect, good head and lacing presented itself on this Peterborough pale. A very hoppy first hit mixed with a slight fruitiness. It also had a slight kick to it from all those citrusy infusions from oranges, tropical fruits and red berries. Hardly surprisingly, it had a very packed fruity mouthfeel but mixed with a sweet biscuity maltiness. A moreishly dry hoppy aftertaste lingered on. |
| Iron Pier - Bitter | 4.00 | | Not as good as when on Sunday in terms of its head and lacing on this Northfleet bitter from just outside Gravesend. A first hit of a malty dryness. It had now developed a slight bite to it in the mouthfeel. Perhaps it was those spicy hops rearing their hoppy heads at me! Should have been prepared as had a mild curry-like home-cooked concoction indoors before setting out. A slightly sweetish aftertaste but a malty bitterness won through. One definitely sufficed. |
| Five Points - Pale | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Wealdway IPA | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Lost Pier - Killer Man Poirot | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Lost Pier - Resting Beach Face | 3.80 | Not Tried |
16 Mar 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Not overly busy for last 30 minutes of serving with just the Sunday regulars on parade.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Points - Pale | 4.40 | | Good head and lacing to start with on this Hackney pale. Some 30 minutes after being served it, a gentle decant helped to restore it. A fruity first hit and a tropical fruit-infused mouthfeel with plenty of citrus awash. Lightly sweet and a bit of a citrus kick to it in the aftertaste. One sufficed for me. |
| Iron Pier - Bitter | 4.00 | | Good head and lacing. A bitter first hit on this Northfleet ale just outside Gravesend. Not overly honey and toffee-flavoured as the tasting notes might suggest. A dryish bitterness in the mouthfeel with a spicy hoppiness lingering. I can only describe it as a slightly chewy one as it did not want to just slide down as most beers manage to do. Towards the end it needed a good decant or two to wake up its head and lacing. |
| Kent - Twelfth Night | 7.40 | Not Tried | |
| Elusive - Yakima Trail | 5.80 | Not Tried | |
| Lost Pier - Killer Man Poirot | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Lost Pier - Resting Beach Face | 3.80 | Not Tried |
16 Mar 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent - Twelfth Night | 7.40 | | A strong flavour hit and good nightcap |
| Five Points - Pale | 4.40 | | Good condition but lacking much taste |
| Elusive - Yakima Trail | 5.80 | | Same old same old mild citrus |
| Iron Pier - Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Lost Pier - Killer Man Poirot | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Lost Pier - Resting Beach Face | 3.80 | Not Tried |
15 Mar 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Busy footfall for last 45 minutes of serving with many of the Saturday regulars in and the more occasional also in. Many a beer had been drunk dry earlier as Charlton FC were at home today and on such days there are ham and also cheese rolls on and so I was lucky to add one of the three remaining to my first beer and at just £3.00 a roll.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kent - Twelfth Night | 7.40 | | Labelled on the blackboard hanging up as a barley wine, and just in case you could not see the 7.4% also written up or the pump clip above the blackboard for this dark ale from the Birling-based brewery, north of West Malling. Good head and lacing but did not hang about. A first hit of fruitiness and nuts. A very dry mouthfeel lingered with the odd fruity grape making itself known. |
| Stardust - English Bitter | 4.00 | | What an amazing co-incidence to have the very same beer as the one of just two in the Windsor micropub earlier. There is also only ever one bitter on at any one time in the River Ale House. To remind me, it is from just outside Windsor going west some six miles and at White Waltham. It is said to have first brewed in September 2016 and so has been around for a good few years. Fresh on was this Berkshire bitter with good head and lacing. A dry bitter first hit. Despite roasted caramel mentioned in the tasting notes, it was not sweet in the mouthfeel and with a moreish dry bitterness lingering. |
| Oakham - Citra | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Five Points - Pale | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Elusive - Yakima Trail | 5.80 | Not Tried | |
| Lost Pier - Yew | 4.50 | Not Tried |
13 Mar 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Very busy footfall for last 30 minutes of serving. The back was crammed with a local club after their meeting and all the usual regulars were present out the front along with the more occasional in as well.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Special House Ale | 3.80 | | Fresh on and in very fine form. Superb head and lacing which lasted throughout. This Maidstone bitter is a mix of their Fine Light brew and Best Dark ales. A hoppy bitter first hit. Not a single fruit was harmed in its making as just a dry, old-fashioned bitterness in the mouthfeel with a hoppiness lingering. |
| Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | | This pale from Maidstone was almost at the end and yet had only just come on the night before. So, a few regulars at least had done their hardest to quench their thirsts with this one! Still holding good head and lacing. A very resinous and hoppy first hit and a fruity follow-up in the mouthfeel. I believe just one other customer got to be served this after my chance tasting of it and before there was no more out of this barrel. |
| Kent - Drenched | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Bexley - Mocha Stout | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Park - Winter XPA | 4.10 | Not Tried |
13 Mar 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Special House Ale | 3.80 | | Basic bitter job |
| Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | Not Tried | Ran out as I was in the queue to order |
| Kent - Drenched | 3.00 | Not Tried | |
| Bexley - Mocha Stout | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Park - Winter XPA | 4.10 | Not Tried |
12 Mar 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | | Not my favourite Goacher's ale but this was very good tonight |
| Five Points - Best Fuggles Hops | 4.10 | | |
| Kent - Drenched | 3.00 | | Powerful taste for a 3%er |
| Five Points - Brick Field Brown | 5.40 | Not Tried | |
| Bexley - Mocha Stout | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Chinook | 4.20 | Not Tried |
11 Mar 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall for last 30 minutes of serving on this very wintry night and following the mini-heatwave of last weekend and the lead-up to it. Just a handful of regulars in and even the fiddlers were down on their usual numbers in the rear seating area!
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Points - Best | 4.10 | | Fresh on literally when I got here was this Hackney-based best bitter and so a touch sharp. Good head and lacing. Although it has caramel and biscuit flavourings, it was not sweet in the mouthfeel. A hoppiness came to the fore and a moreish dryness lingered. |
| Bexley - Mocha Stout | 5.50 | | My second tasting of this Erith-based brewery's stout, having first sampled on Sunday, and was not disappointed. The third night on and still holding its head and lacing. A sweetish bitter first hit from that chocolatey flavouring. A coffee-infused dryish aftertaste followed. |
| Five Points - Brick Field Brown | 5.40 | Not Tried | |
| Bude Coastal - Honey Bear | 4.90 | Not Tried | |
| Park - Ballet Loop | 3.60 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Chinook | 4.20 | Not Tried |
09 Mar 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Quiet footfall for last 30 minutes of serving with just a handful or two of regulars in.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | 3.70 | | Fresh on and brimming with head and lacing and which this Maidstone bitter held to the bottom of the glass. A lightly bitter first hit. A dry hoppy mouthfeel lingering. |
| Oakham - Inferno | 4.00 | | Second night on for this Peterborough-based Golden and still very good head and lacing. A fruity and hoppy mouthfeel combined and it had a medicinal kick setting in from its citrus flavourings. |
| Bexley - Mocha Stout | 5.50 | | Fresh on today was this Erith-based stout and so also brimming with head and lacing. A sweetish first hit with chocolate flavourings. A malty and coffee-infused mouthfeel and so hence its name as a chocolate-flavoured variant of caffè latte. It had a pleasant dryness lingering. |
| Five Points - Brick Field Brown | 5.40 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Killick's Mill | 5.30 | Not Tried | |
| Park - Ballet Loop | 3.60 | Not Tried |
09 Mar 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oakham - Inferno | 4.00 | | Massively zingy mouthfeel |
| Bexley - Mocha Stout | 5.50 | | A big flavour hit, albeit a half was enough |
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | 3.70 | | Definitely uninspiring |
| Five Points - Brick Field Brown | 5.40 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Killick's Mill | 5.30 | Not Tried | |
| Park - Ballet Loop | 3.60 | Not Tried |
About The River Ale House
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 11 |
| 659 |
| 1545 |
| 452 |
 | 35 |
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 1231 times, seen 1772 different beers and tried 1032 of them.
Postcode: SE10 0RJ