Quick info
About THE ALE HOUSE
On John St in Stroud, The Ale House is a pub that has run as a free house since 2012. The bar pours a wide range of cask and real ales, including guest beers, and serves 1/3 pint measures so drinkers can try several in one visit. It has been named CAMRA pub of the year. The kitchen prepares food on site, with sandwiches, main meals such as sausage and mash with onion gravy, and a three-course roast lunch. The building is old, spacious and high-ceilinged, and it hosts live music. Billiards is played on site, though there are no games machines or pool table. Cribbage, dominoes, backgammon and shove halfpenny are the other pub games on offer.
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Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention cask ales, sunday roast, sausage and mash and guest beers.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention cask ales, sunday roast, sausage and mash and guest beers.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers return to The Ale House mainly for its range of real and cask ales, with guest beers and third-pint measures that let drinkers sample several. Close behind is the food: a three course Sunday roast with half a roast chicken and chocolate mousse, a curry, and sausages and mash with onion gravy, all described as home cooked, tasty and generous. Others point to the old building with its high ceiling, an inner courtyard with covered seating and heaters, live music, billiards, and friendly bar staff. Child and dog friendly comes up too. The caveats are sharp. One diner found the sausage, mash and gravy lumpy, aggressively salty and oddly flavoured, and says to come for a pint rather than a meal. Another calls the place soulless, citing signs listing rules about children, spills and being tipsy, and says the unbranded glassware made the pours taste off. Even so, one reviewer ordered the same sausages and mash on two visits and called it very good.
Customer Review Summary
Reviewers return to The Ale House mainly for its range of real and cask ales, with guest beers and third-pint measures that let drinkers sample several. Close behind is the food: a three course Sunday roast with half a roast chicken and chocolate mousse, a curry, and sausages and mash with onion gravy, all described as home cooked, tasty and generous. Others point to the old building with its high ceiling, an inner courtyard with covered seating and heaters, live music, billiards, and friendly bar staff. Child and dog friendly comes up too. The caveats are sharp. One diner found the sausage, mash and gravy lumpy, aggressively salty and oddly flavoured, and says to come for a pint rather than a meal. Another calls the place soulless, citing signs listing rules about children, spills and being tipsy, and says the unbranded glassware made the pours taste off. Even so, one reviewer ordered the same sausages and mash on two visits and called it very good.
Featured reviews
- Ray Robinson
“Don’t let the high overall rating trick you if you are looking for dinner. This pub is highly rated for its cask ales, but the kitchen is a massive letdown. I ordered the sausage, mash, and gravy, and it felt like being served reheated slops from the day before. The gravy was incredibly lumpy, the sausages had a really weird taste, and the mash was both lumpy and aggressively salty. It was entirely inedible. Come here for a pint, but absolutely do not eat here.”
- Rachael Beattie-Hinton
“Very strange place. Gets stars for the huge, beautiful old building, and the friendly barmaid. However the place is totally soulless, the building is not being used very sympathetically or effectively in most parts. There are signs everywhere with various rules on, summed up as: - kids allowed but not welcome (we don’t have kids and avoid places with them usually, but either welcome them or don’t) - don’t spill drinks - don’t be tipsy and if so, call it a night And on and on… The bar has promise with the beers they offer but the glassware is all unbranded and cheap, so none of the pours are good and taste off. Food menu sounded decent but didn’t eat, and unfortunately given the vibe here and what is available not far away wouldn’t rush back.”
- Colin
“Spacious high ceiling old building with fantastic range of real ales, so not too surprising it has been CAMRA pub of the year. Inner courtyard area with covered area, plants and heaters.”
- Paul Webster
“Just had a 3 course Sunday lunch here that was excellent. Tomato and basil soup, half a roast chicken, veg and potatoes and a chocolate mousse. The food was really well prepared and presented, couldn't fault anything. Also great atmosphere and service. Highly recommended”
- Richard E
“I visited twice during a stay in Stroud. There's an excellent range of cask ales (6 when I visited) and the home cooked food was very good. I had the sausages & mash with lashings of onion gravy for £11. Highly recommended.”
Hours
- Monday
- Tuesday
- Wednesday
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Good to know
“The Ale House is a proper pub, offering well-kept beer, proper pub food and a warm welcome. Established in 2012 we are a traditional Local Free House, a social meeting room, selling quality ales, wines & lagers and locally sourced food. As a traditional pub, beer is the main ingredient, but homemade food is also served 7 days a week. With a choice of sandwiches or main meals, all our food is prepared and made on site. We welcome dogs, ramblers & cyclists - and also anyone who fancies some friendly faces on arrival. No games machines, no pool table and no cordon bleu food menu to distract the taste buds - chat’s the thing here - or perhaps a relaxing newspaper read, cribbage, dominoes, backgammon or shove halfpenny.”
- AccessibilityWheelchair-accessible entrance · Wheelchair-accessible seating · Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Amenities
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Show more amenities
- Accessibility· 2
- Wheelchair-accessible seating
- Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Location
Bars near THE ALE HOUSE
- The Old Fleece4.59341.4 miReservationsWheelchair accessibleOutdoor seating
sunday roast, vegetarian options, cask ale selection
- Vine Tree Inn4.73761.7 mi£20–30ReservationsWheelchair accessibleOutdoor seating
rear pub garden views, craft beer selection, lamb gyros and souvlaki
- The Woolpack Inn4.61,1161.9 mi£10–60
devilled kidneys, english snail salad, burger
| Place | Rating | Distance | Price | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE ALE HOUSE | 4.4493 | — | — | cask ales, sunday roast, sausage and mash |
| The Old FleeceReservations · Wheelchair accessible · Outdoor seating | 4.5934 | 1.4 mi | — | sunday roast, vegetarian options, cask ale selection |
| Vine Tree InnReservations · Wheelchair accessible · Outdoor seating | 4.7376 | 1.7 mi | £20–30 | rear pub garden views, craft beer selection, lamb gyros and souvlaki |
| The Woolpack Inn | 4.61,116 | 1.9 mi | £10–60 | devilled kidneys, english snail salad, burger |
The 3 nearest bars by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
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