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Rack of Ale (Free House)
We believe this building is NO LONGER a pub
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Titanic - Plum Porter |  | 3 |
| Otley - O4 Columbo |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Curious (formerly Chapel Down Winery) - Curious Brew (keg) | | 1 |
| B&T (Banks & Taylor's) - Shefford Blonde | | 1 |
| Hambleton - New World Pale Ale | | 1 |
| Plain Ales - Inndulgence (superseded by 5.2% version) | | 1 |
| Naylor's - Cratchit's Cracker | | 1 |
| Goddards - Wight Squirrel | | 1 |
| Big Hand - Savanna |  | 1 |
| Tír Dhá Ghlas - Pig's Ear | | 1 |
| Titanic - Raspberry Wheat | | 1 |
| Bushy's - Humbug | | 1 |
| Lincoln Green - Sherwood | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Best Dark Ale (aka Original) | | 1 |
| Brewster's - Rutterkin (superseded by 5% version) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Three B's - The Bees Knees | Not Tried | 0 |
| Grainstore - Rutland Beast | Not Tried | 0 |
| Wold Top - Wolds Way Pale Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Titanic - Chocolate & Vanilla Stout | Not Tried | 0 |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Courage Directors (use Banks's entry now please) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Plain Ales - Inndulgence | Not Tried | 0 |
| Timothy Taylor - Landlord | Not Tried | 0 |
| Ilkley - Mary Christmas | Not Tried | 0 |
| Bath Ales - Gem Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hanlons (formerly O'Hanlon's) - Stormstay Premium Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Dark Star - Partridge Best Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Bespoke - Brass Monkey Black IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Titanic - Steerage | Not Tried | 0 |
| Portobello - White City | Not Tried | 0 |
| Caledonian - Flying Scotsman (superseded by 3.5% version) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Tír Dhá Ghlas - 50 001 | Not Tried | 0 |
| Otter - Amber | Not Tried | 0 |
| Westerham - British Bulldog "BB" (was 4.3%) | Not Tried | 0 |
| RCH - Hewish Mild | Not Tried | 0 |
| Potbelly - Beijing Black | Not Tried | 0 |
| House Beer - Rack House Ale House Amber | Not Tried | 0 |
| Plain Ales - Inncognito | Not Tried | 0 |
| Westerham - Finchcocks Original | Not Tried | 0 |
| Great Newsome - Frothingham Best Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hop Fuzz - Old American Pale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Westerham - 1965 Special Bitter Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Romney Marsh - Cinque Porter | Not Tried | 0 |
| RCH - Steaming Santa | Not Tried | 0 |
| Peerless - Jack Frost Blond | Not Tried | 0 |
| Wantsum - Black Prince | Not Tried | 0 |
| Cairngorm - White Lady | Not Tried | 0 |
| Loddon - RB Reading Best | Not Tried | 0 |
| Tír Dhá Ghlas - Pigs Ear (a.k.a. Pigs Ear Summer Ale) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Titanic - Lifeboat Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Bridestones - Citra Red | Not Tried | 0 |
| Springhead - Left Lion | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
03 Sep 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening and I settled here for the duration having been told here that The Lanes is closed on Sundays for a while at the moment for family reasons. Nice and quiet here and time for typical Micropub conversations.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | |
| Goacher's - Best Dark Ale (aka Original) | 4.10 | | |
| Tír Dhá Ghlas - Pig's Ear | 3.80 | |
09 Jun 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Mid evening visit, known CAMRA faces holding court.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Green - Sherwood | 4.40 | | Just about OK, lacking head and condition |
| Wantsum - Black Prince | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Tír Dhá Ghlas - Pigs Ear (a.k.a. Pigs Ear Summer Ale) | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Springhead - Left Lion | 4.00 | Not Tried |
07 Apr 2017 (Jack William)
Early evening - jolly.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titanic - Plum Porter | 4.90 | | Wow. |
| B&T (Banks & Taylor's) - Shefford Blonde | 3.90 | | |
| Hambleton - New World Pale Ale | 3.90 | | Lovely dryness. |
| Great Newsome - Frothingham Best Bitter | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Romney Marsh - Cinque Porter | 4.20 | Not Tried |
15 Dec 2016 (Jack William)
Early evening - just one other in. Landlady bemoaning that the opening of the Breakwater brewery and tap tonight had stolen all her customers. Wonderful mural of the sklyline of Dover that I haven't seen before - covering nearly half of one wall.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naylor's - Cratchit's Cracker | 4.20 | | Nice and lemony. |
| Curious (formerly Chapel Down Winery) - Curious Brew (keg) | 4.70 | | Advertised as "on pump" - lively and bright. |
| Big Hand - Savanna | 3.90 | | A bit lifeless. |
10 Dec 2016 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. The place is going off the Micropub beam here now with music booming from the rear room.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bushy's - Humbug | 5.00 | | For some reason wrongly described here as Mount Murray Brewery. If only the pub would display the pumpclip attached to the beer blackboard |
| RCH - Hewish Mild | 3.60 | Not Tried | |
| Naylor's - Cratchit's Cracker | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Big Hand - Savanna | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| House Beer - Rack House Ale House Amber | 4.10 | Not Tried | Barmaid could not or would not say what this beer was so no go |
16 Jul 2016 (Stephen Harris)
My little group of three move on here and we find the front part of this little pub busy but the back room empty. We realise we are following a similar itinerary to a large group of Peterborough CAMRA folk.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titanic - Plum Porter | 4.90 | | A delicious beer that is always a good choice. |
| Caledonian - Flying Scotsman (superseded by 3.5% version) | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Otter - Amber | 4.00 | Not Tried |
26 May 2016 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until 2215. Just a few in and was entertained by an impromptu piano recital and sort of singsong. Healthy 20% CAMRA discount tonight.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titanic - Plum Porter | 4.90 | | |
| Titanic - Raspberry Wheat | 4.70 | | As flat as a bloomin' pancake but lots of flavour in an alcopop sort of way |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Courage Directors (use Banks's entry now please) | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Timothy Taylor - Landlord | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Bath Ales - Gem Bitter | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Dark Star - Partridge Best Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Titanic - Steerage | 3.80 | Not Tried |
05 Feb 2016 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Quick one before Dover Winter Ales Festival visit. Far more beers on than usual obviously to complement to nearby festival and pub was packed. Irritating to find confusing beer descriptions on the menu board with many not showing their brewery name but the county or town of origin instead e.g. Merseyside instead of Peerless and Kettering instead of Potbelly. Beer names were shortened too in some cases. Just makes selection tiresome. Easy solution - fix a pumpclip on the blackboard next to the beer.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otley - O4 Columbo | 4.00 | | |
| Westerham - British Bulldog "BB" (was 4.3%) | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Potbelly - Beijing Black | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Westerham - Finchcocks Original | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Westerham - 1965 Special Bitter Ale | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Peerless - Jack Frost Blond | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Loddon - RB Reading Best | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Bridestones - Citra Red | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Three B's - The Bees Knees | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Wold Top - Wolds Way Pale Ale | 4.00 | Not Tried |
17 Dec 2015 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Only customer after the other customer left. Dog-ends of a beer festival with all ales priced at £2 pp. Had a quick look at the Back Rack - the new area of leather sofa seating at the very rear of the house.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goddards - Wight Squirrel | 4.30 | | |
| RCH - Steaming Santa | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Cairngorm - White Lady | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Titanic - Lifeboat Ale | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Brewster's - Rutterkin (superseded by 5% version) | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Grainstore - Rutland Beast | 5.30 | Not Tried | |
| Titanic - Chocolate & Vanilla Stout | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Titanic - Plum Porter | 4.90 | Not Tried | |
| Plain Ales - Inndulgence | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Ilkley - Mary Christmas | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Hanlons (formerly O'Hanlon's) - Stormstay Premium Ale | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Bespoke - Brass Monkey Black IPA | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Portobello - White City | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Tír Dhá Ghlas - 50 001 | 5.50 | Not Tried | Named after a preserved Dover lifeboat. I am taking a punt that this was brewed by Tír Dhá Ghlas - a local brewery; the blackboard and printed menu said Ty Glas brewery and I can not find one in Wales or indeed anywhere. Too much of a coincidence and prompted by a lateral thinking fellow contributor to this site |
30 Oct 2015 (ChrisE)
A good friendly crowd in tonight. The extension at the rear is progressing well. We had the sound of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon playing on the pub's sound system. There was also a beer called Pig's Ear on sale but I am not sure which of the possible breweries it was from, I must remember to take my distance glasses with me in future so that I can read chalked up menus from my seat.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain Ales - Inndulgence (superseded by 5.2% version) | 4.20 | | |
| Plain Ales - Inncognito | 4.80 | Not Tried | |
| Hop Fuzz - Old American Pale | 4.20 | Not Tried |
About the Rack of Ale
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | - |
| 20 |
| 24 |
| 9 |
 | - |
The pub is found in Dover, Kent, CT16 1DF.
First Micropub in Dover, as a conversion of a former shop in Park Place just off Ladywell - previously Kenneth Bird Opticians. Opened on Thursday 10th October 2013. A long narrow venue with wall mounted high bench seats on both side walls and high slatted tables to match. Several lower tables and chairs towards the rear. Brightly lit washing up area at the back leads to the real ales and ciders gravity stillage room for the casks. In autumn 2015 a further area of comfortable sofa seating was added at the very rear - called the Back Rack. Real ale menu takes the form of oval blackboards for each ale on rear wall plus a larger oblong menu board for ciders and other availables. Heavíly hop adorned high on the walls and even some hops in the unisex toilet. Operates a loyalty card scheme for multiple purchases for all, and gives a healthy Monday to Thursday CAMRA discount on real ales and ciders in pints and halves. Ceased trading after close of business on Saturday 2nd December 2017 allegedly after a proposed rent hike which was unacceptable to the licensee.
We have visited this pub 34 times, seen 104 different beers and tried 38 of them.
Postcode: CT16 1DF