The River Ale House (Free House)
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Stephen Harris
Visits Details
22 Mar 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Busy for last 45 minutes of serving and after a somewhat delayed and re-routed trip back from Faversham and so ready to quench my newly found thirst.
| Siren Craft - Memento | 3.80 |  | Fresh on and very good head and lacing and literally foaming was this Berkshire-based bitter from south-west of Wokingham. A thirst-quenching bitterness in the first hit. A moreishly bitter mouthfeel with a maltiness coming to the fore with biscuit and caramel flavourings. A slightly citrusy aftertaste with a long-lasting dry hoppiness. This one had replaced the Bexley ruby bitter which had just gone off before I got in and so well timed. |
| Thornbridge / Thornbridge Hall - Jaipur | 5.90 | Not Tried | |
| Siren Craft - Lumina | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Northern Monk - Sup | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Verdant - Burnthouse | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
20 Mar 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Busy footfall for last 30 minutes of serving with many a regular in and the more occasional visitor as well.
| 360° - Harvest Moon | 5.00 |  | Fresh on this evening and very good head and lacing and lasting on this East Sussex green hop amber ale from east of Haywards Heath. A dry first hit. A fruity and bitter mouthfeel with a malty dryness living on. A late green hopped beer from the end of last summer with malt varieties added to it and then allowed to ferment for longer than your usual green hop pale. |
| Bexley - Redhouse | 4.20 |  | Served with good head and lacing but not holding it for long on this Erith-based ruby bitter. I was told it was only its second night on having put in a late appearance on Wednesday. A malty first hit and a bitterness came to the fore in the mouthfeel. Could taste a touch of sweetness from its biscuit and caramel flavourings but its bitterness lingered. It had a slight kick to it. A further pint required much decanting to bring it back to life. |
| Kent - Twelfth Night | 7.40 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Wealdway IPA | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Brew York - Keras | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Lost Pier - Resting Beach Face | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
20 Mar 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| 360° - Harvest Moon | 5.00 |  | A 2025 green hop ale before the hops have even started growing! |
| Kent - Twelfth Night | 7.40 |  | Just a half knowing how long it had been on |
| Lost Pier - Resting Beach Face | 3.80 |  | Bordering on horrible. Might have been better if had any real condition |
| Bexley - Redhouse | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Iron Pier - Wealdway IPA | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Brew York - Keras | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
18 Mar 2025 (Philip Pirrip)
Late evening visit until close.
| Oakham - Cohort | 4.00 |  | Zesty but simply a variant on a standard Oakham theme |
| Kent - Twelfth Night | 7.40 |  | Tired |
| Iron Pier - Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Five Points - Pale | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Lost Pier - Killer Man Poirot | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Lost Pier - Resting Beach Face | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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.
| 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 | |
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