PubsandBeer
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The Five Bells (Shepherd Neame)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Shepherd Neame - Master Brew Bitter |  | 1 |
Visits Details
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shepherd Neame - Master Brew Bitter | 3.70 | | Presented with a very good head and lacing and lasting throughout on this Kentish amber-hued bitter from Faversham. A dry bitter first hit with toffee and honeyed hints. A fruity bitterness rising. A hoppy note bobbing up from its herbaceous hops. A hint of biscuity maltiness joining in aided by its pale ale, crystal, and brown malted barley. A dry but hoppy fruitiness on the slide out emanating from its Admiral and Target bittering hops and Goldings giving it its floral and herbal touches with a hint of spices. A prevailing slightly toffee-infused and dried fruity bitterness sliding out. In tip top condition with a very pleasing appearance and mouthfeel. |
About The Five Bells
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
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 | - |
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| 1 |
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The pub is found in Seal, Kent, TN15 0AU.
Originally two terraced cottages and Grade II-listed in 1975, it has served the local community since the early 18th century at 25 Church Road, Seal. Tucked away from the main road to make it a quiet backstreet boozer. It is largely run as a wet pub as only provides lunches between 12pm and 2pm on this mid-afternoon visit in mid-March 2026 when just the one real ale, Master Brew, was on from Shepherd Neame. Very low ceilings and a small bar and an outside men's toilet. A crackling log fire gave it an extra rustic charm on the above visit. Publican, Ratty Webb, ran it in the 1950s in addition to advertising himself as a rat catcher. Seal itself is famed for the first hot air balloon ascent in England in 1825. Classic pub games such as cribbage, shove ha’penny, dating back to the 15th century, where players "shove" coins up a specially marked board to land the coins squarely within designated "beds" to score points, and shut-the-box, a dice game where the objective is to "shut" (flip down) numbered tiles based on dice rolls. The Five Bells remains the only pub in Seal following The Crown Inn in the High Street, a Grade II-listed building, dating back to around 1200, closing its doors in 2014, and The Kentish Yeoman, located at 10-12 High Street, closing in 2010 due to a lack of business and the listed building converting into residential homes. A very pleasant walk is afforded either from the Bat and Ball rail station or Sevenoaks along many side roads, taking in woods and the Wildernesse, a 300-acre residential estate protected as a Conservation Area with the Wildernesse Avenue, famous for its "Waterloo Limes"- an avenue of lime trees planted in 1815 to commemorate a visit by the Duke of Wellington, and Wildernesse House, a Grade II listed Georgian mansion, originally built in 1680 and serving various roles, including as a hospital for wounded servicemen during both World Wars and a school for the blind (Dorton House) until 2013.
We have visited this pub once, seen 1 beer and tried it.
Postcode: TN15 0AU