PubsandBeer
Red Lion (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Hogs Back - OTT Old Tongham Tasty |  | 1 |
| Hopdaemon - Green Daemon |  | 1 |
| Goacher's - Gold Star | | 1 |
| Archers - Oyster Stout | | 1 |
| Copper Dragon - Golden Pippin | | 1 |
| Acorn - Barnsley Bitter | | 1 |
| Whitstable - Oyster Stout | | 1 |
| Westerham - Finchcocks Original | | 2 |
| Goacher's - Silver Star | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale |  | 3 |
| Old Mill - Traditional Mild | | 1 |
| Northumberland - Bedlington Bitter | | 1 |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Best Dark Ale (aka Original) | | 1 |
| York (now brewed by and at Black Sheep) - Peaches & Cream | | 1 |
| Tring - Lady Lemon's Pale Ale | | 1 |
| Bazens' - Black Pig Mild | | 1 |
| Surrey Hills - Shere Drop | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Special House Ale | | 1 |
| Arran (formerly Isle of Arran) - Ale (aka Light) | | 1 |
| Elgood's - Black Dog Mild | | 1 |
| Clark's (sometimes shown as Westgate Brewery) - Henry's Heady Daze |  | 1 |
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | | 1 |
| Weetwood - Cheshire Cat | | 1 |
| 1648 - Declaration | | 1 |
| Bridge of Allan - Lomond Gold | | 1 |
| 1648 - Lammas Ale | | 1 |
| Hogs Back - Hop Garden Gold |  | 2 |
| Eastwood & Sanders - Moonbeam Rider | | 1 |
| Bryson's Brews - Union Flag | | 1 |
| Northumberland - Fog on the Tyne | Not Tried | 0 |
| Archers - Farmer's Boy | Not Tried | 0 |
| Whitstable - East India Pale Ale (or EIPA) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Westerham - Summer Perle | Not Tried | 0 |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - She Sells Sea Shells | Not Tried | 0 |
| Westerham - Audit Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
01 Aug 2009 (Andrew)
What a great pub this is.We sat in the garden, all alone except for the exotic birds, and enjoyed to secluded sub-tropical atmosphere. I think the garden here is the best I've come across. When we were getting our drinks Doris chatted to us about the 8 beers she had on. She seemed very pleased they were all from Kent and that her locals had been enjoying them so much. Doris's; 8 Kent Beers; Jane driving - ace!
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitstable - Oyster Stout | 4.50 | | Rich, burnt, oily, sooty, hint of tartness. Smelt of sour green appleskin (in a good way). Really very nice. |
| Goacher's - Best Dark Ale (aka Original) | 4.10 | | Good, malty, strong tasting Dark. Goachers for the Goachers drinker |
| Westerham - Finchcocks Original | 3.50 | | Hint of lime, bit of biscuit, herby. |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Whitstable - East India Pale Ale (or EIPA) | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Westerham - Summer Perle | 3.80 | Not Tried | Had a sip of Jane's and it was lovely |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - She Sells Sea Shells | 4.70 | Not Tried | |
| Westerham - Audit Ale | 6.20 | Not Tried |
31 May 2009 (Chris S)
Pub number two on an outing around the marsh and east sussex. 1st time i've been here-heard so much about it. Lovely to sit out in the garden in the sunshine and enjoy two beers here, the pub was nice and busy-even at 12:30! The pub is so wonderful and has such a nice feel to it.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | | Really nice beer, obly has a sip (gulp) of someone elses as i was half way down my pint when this new on came on. Would not have guess it was 5%- very drinkable, quite light maybe as it was the first one out |
| Hogs Back - Hop Garden Gold | 4.40 | | Not as nice as i've had before, but drinkable |
11 Oct 2008 (Ian)
Second stop on my Saturday tour. I ended up sat outside on one of the concrete bollards that holds the cross of St George flag whilst talking on the phone to work. Which was a shame as I wanted to have a bit of a break. Very busy Saturday lunchtime which was good to see.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | | Very chocolatey, but good. |
| Hogs Back - Hop Garden Gold | 4.40 |  | I had to pour half a pint away I'm afraid. |
| Archers - Farmer's Boy | 3.80 | Not Tried |
02 Sep 2008 (Ian)
I got here before Phil, so I chatted to Doris about the Women's Land Army from WWII and how they have just been formally recognised for the work they did during the war. Phil and I then sat outside and talked about the world beer scene as we are want to do.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westerham - Finchcocks Original | 3.50 | | For such a low ABV beer, this had tons of flavour. Good yeasty, sulphur, Burton snatch aroma, good caramel malt in mouth and then some hard hop on the finish. Superb. I had 2 pints. |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Northumberland - Fog on the Tyne | 4.10 | Not Tried |
11 Jul 2008 (Ian)
My plan was to have one or two at the Woolpack Inn at Warehorne and then come down here, but by the time I left the Woolpack I didn't get here til 8.40 and I wanted to catch the 9.00 train home, so I had a fast pint and left. Not very busy which is a concern.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1648 - Declaration | 4.10 | | Bit dusty on aroma, grassy dusty but good white stone fruit flavour, a bit like quite a few of the 1648 beers I've had. Reasonably drinkable, decent hop sting on finish. |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Goacher's - Special House Ale | 3.80 | Not Tried | Labelled as DSB |
21 Jun 2008 (Ian)
Doris' annual summer solstice beer festival. Very busy due to the North Surrey Camra branch coach load. Martin and I sat in the garden having a great time as usual.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hogs Back - OTT Old Tongham Tasty | 6.00 | | Lovely. Dates, choc, molasses, treacle, but not syrupy, still dryish. Bit of spice, nutmeg. Smooth, not harsh, a kind of treacle sponge cake with nutmeg. Fantastic. I love this, I love how it makes you feel. Beer of the day and I had it 3 times? |
| Acorn - Barnsley Bitter | 3.80 | | Proper brown bitter, good dry malt, lovely bitter beer and one of my favourite session beers. |
| Goacher's - Silver Star | 4.20 | | Still very very good. Bit of tea but right in the middle of Gold Star and Fine Light. |
| Old Mill - Traditional Mild | 3.40 | | Dark ruby mild. Curious mild. Roasty, but an unusual roasty deep malt mild. Some dark fruits, plums/dark cherry. In fact quite black cherry really. Quite distinctive and pleasant. |
| Tring - Lady Lemon's Pale Ale | 4.30 | | Copper colour. Expected it to be lemony and it isn't. More of a best bitter. A good best bitter, some lemony hop. Fine best bitter. |
| Bridge of Allan - Lomond Gold | 5.00 | | Inoffensive strong golden beer, belies it's strength, decent hoppy finish. But nothing special. This was Robert the barman's beer of the festival. |
| Clark's (sometimes shown as Westgate Brewery) - Henry's Heady Daze | 3.60 | | Pale gold, lasting off white head. Typical pale gold citrusy beer. Bit of dusty hop on end. Bit of tea. Not very interesting. |
| Bryson's Brews - Union Flag | 3.90 | | Gold, no head. Bit of plastic, bit grim. Nothing wrong with it, bit of condition, some lemon, some pale malts. Just not my thing. |
10 May 2008 (Ian)
Final stop on my cycle ride. I sat in the garden enjoying the sunshine and chatting to a guy in a Granville Island brewery Tshirt that comes from Vancouver.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elgood's - Black Dog Mild | 3.60 | | Probably just behind Moorhouses Black Cat and Potbelly Beijing Black as my favourite mild, very tasty. |
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Hogs Back - Hop Garden Gold | 4.40 | Not Tried |
05 Apr 2008 (Ian)
After deciding not to come here for lunchtime (too much sport on TV), I thought that I should as I haven't been for a bit. Doris turned 79 on 2nd April, but still opened up. Mind you there were some people waiting, but Doris wanted to be sure she was ready before unbolting the door. Showers and blue sky, lambs gambolling in the fields, hedgerows in bud. Spring.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey Hills - Shere Drop | 4.20 | | I recommended this to everyone coming in. Very hoppy and in great condition. Good bitter. |
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | 3.70 | | Just a bit flat really in terms of flavour, malty, but little hop. Still popular with the regulars. |
| Elgood's - Black Dog Mild | 3.60 | Not Tried |
27 Oct 2007 (Ian)
October autumn equinox beer festival. Great lunchtime session with mixture of locals and people dropping in from all parts of the county and London types too. Lots of people with dogs for some reason. 6 beers on, all in excellent condition.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hopdaemon - Green Daemon | 5.00 | | I had two pints of this and enjoyed them both immensely. Very drinkable lager style beer. |
| Archers - Oyster Stout | 4.80 | | Probably the best Archers beer I've had. So roasted it almost tore my tongue off at the end. Good fullness. |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | | Very chocolatety |
| Goacher's - Special House Ale | 3.80 | | Badged as Doris' Special Bitter. Very good malty Goacher's flavour. |
| 1648 - Lammas Ale | 4.20 | | Just a little in poor condition, drinkable though. |
23 Jun 2007 (Ian)
Doris' Summer Solstice festival has become somewhat of an institution locally. This was another highly enjoyable day sat in the garden enjoying the sun which we were blessed with even though the rest of the country was in the middle of floods. Here with Andrew, Jane, Martin and Adrian.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Dragon - Golden Pippin | 3.90 | | Very pale gold. Enormously drinkable session bitter. Good condition and enough bitterness to keep you coming back. |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | | Very bitter, very hoppy, maybe a little thin in the body. |
| Bazens' - Black Pig Mild | 3.60 | | Ruby colour with thin beige head. Brambly blackberry with lots of smoky dark malts. Really quite intense for a dark mild. Lots of chewy coal dust. |
| Arran (formerly Isle of Arran) - Ale (aka Light) | 3.80 | | Quite a fruity pale ale. Some earthy hop, some nice citrus too. Fine session beer with good pear drop hop flavour. Good condition. |
| Northumberland - Bedlington Bitter | 4.00 | | Very good bitter. Copper. Decent bitterness. Good fruit, hop, malt mix. |
| York (now brewed by and at Black Sheep) - Peaches & Cream | 3.90 | | Gold, no head. Lots of peachy/apricot fruit. Fine, decent, golden beer with good peach/apricot flavours throughout. |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | | Bit flat and not perfect. Some roasted malt. Ruby mild. Not great condition. |
| Weetwood - Cheshire Cat | 4.00 | | Gold, clear, lasting white head. It's a blond beer, decent citrus hop and condition. Bit lagery. Fine. |
| Eastwood & Sanders - Moonbeam Rider | 4.70 | | Yeasty aroma, decent hop. Citrus. Bit flat and not very good. |
About the Red Lion
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 28 |
| 141 |
| 101 |
| 48 |
| 5 |
The pub is found in Snargate, Kent, TN29 9UQ.
One of the best pubs in England. It's in CAMRA's national pub inventory because it hasn't really changed much in the last 100 years. In fact in 2011 the Jemison family celebrated 100 years of running the pub. All beers are on gravity and Goacher's is a regular. It's locally known as Doris's after the last landlady. Before that it was Alf's. A 20 minute (no more no less) brisk walk from / to Appledore railway station. Local CAMRA branch Pub of the Year 2015. The handpumps atop the pewter bar counter were used once upon a time but not now. Extensive garden for fair-weather use. Regrettably Doris died in April 2016. The pub closed for some weeks as a result of the bereavement. Re-opened, hopefully forever, on Saturday 11th June 2016. Presume it will soon become known as Kate's! Card payments now accepted here.
We have visited this pub 142 times, seen 215 different beers and tried 129 of them.
Postcode: TN29 9UQ