PubsandBeer
Red Lion (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Hogs Back - OTT Old Tongham Tasty |  | 1 |
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) |  | 2 |
| Hopdaemon - Green Daemon | | 1 |
| Bazens' - Black Pig Mild | | 2 |
| Acorn - Barnsley Bitter | | 1 |
| Archers - Oyster Stout | | 1 |
| Hogs Back - A over T | | 1 |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Old Growler | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Silver Star | | 1 |
| Northumberland - Bedlington Bitter | | 2 |
| Copper Dragon - Golden Pippin | | 1 |
| Hogs Back - Friday 13th |  | 1 |
| Arran (formerly Isle of Arran) - Ale (aka Light) | | 1 |
| Tring - Lady Lemon's Pale Ale | | 1 |
| Hogs Back - Brewster's Bundle | | 1 |
| York (now brewed by and at Black Sheep) - Peaches & Cream | | 1 |
| Surrey Hills - Shere Drop | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | | 4 |
| Goacher's - Best Dark Ale (aka Original) | | 1 |
| Elgood's - Black Dog Mild | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Special House Ale | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Crown Imperial Stout | | 1 |
| Old Mill - Traditional Mild | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Gold Star | | 1 |
| 1648 - Declaration |  | 1 |
| Bridge of Allan - Lomond Gold | | 1 |
| Archers - Strong Dark Mild | | 1 |
| Weetwood - Cheshire Cat | | 1 |
| Eastwood & Sanders - Moonbeam Rider | | 2 |
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | | 2 |
| 1648 - Lammas Ale | | 1 |
| Clark's (sometimes shown as Westgate Brewery) - Henry's Heady Daze | | 1 |
| Bryson's Brews - Union Flag |  | 1 |
| Grand Union - Honey Porter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Northumberland - Gateshead Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hogs Back - Hop Garden Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
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. |
23 Jun 2007 (Andrew)
The Red Lion's summer beer festival. Arrived about 4pm and it was very busy. Sat in the garden to start with then moved inside later on as it started to get chilly.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Star - Hophead was 3.8% (some has also been brewed by Fuller's) | 3.40 | | Golden yellow. Smelt of heather and rich hops. Earthy rich hop bite to it |
| Bazens' - Black Pig Mild | 3.60 | | Ruby black. Big smoaked sweet cheese flavours with short sweet smoaky finish |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Old Growler | 5.00 | | Rich rounded raisen and oak with hair lacquer bite. Rich and warming. |
| Northumberland - Bedlington Bitter | 4.00 | | So good I had a couple of pints of it. Buscuity malt with slightly tart hop. Rich and earthy. Excellent |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | | Sweet coffee mild. Bitter sweet finish |
| Goacher's - Best Dark Ale (aka Original) | 4.10 | | Badged as 'Goachers Dark'. Toasted roasted ruby brown beer. Slightly sweet with an earthy acrid malt bite |
| Goacher's - Crown Imperial Stout | 4.50 | | Smelt of black molases. Tasted of blackcurrent and acrid burnt smoaked tar. |
| Eastwood & Sanders - Moonbeam Rider | 4.70 | | Smelt of the sea with sugar. Sweet rich syrupy with an earthy hop |
28 May 2007 (Ian)
My sister left me her car for the week, so I thought that I had better make the most use of it. Popped in for a half and to find out the date for the summer Beer Festival, which is the 23rd June. Good bunch of locals in.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archers - Strong Dark Mild | 5.00 | | Choc/coffee aroma, toffee, dark syrup flavour in mouth, hoppy dry finish. |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Goacher's - Special House Ale | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Northumberland - Gateshead Gold | 5.00 | Not Tried |
14 Apr 2007 (Ian)
Came down to here across the Marsh from Warehorne on my bike. No traffic and a simple enjoyable ride. I sat in the garden with a guy who'd come down from Essex for the day and had walked from Hamstreet and would be taking in Ivychurch, Old Romney and Brookland before heading back in the evening. We both had our sandwiches in the garden. Quietish day in the pub. Some people in the back room, sprinkling of locals in the front bar. The garden was lovely.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | | Little bit earthy/muddy. Very chocolatey. Finish has great length. Dry charcoal and coffee granules. Better than the Light so gets 3.5/5 |
| Goacher's - Gold Star | 5.10 | | Nice drop of Gold Star. Citrus and alcohol. Nice to drink listening to the birdsong in the garden. |
| Hogs Back - Friday 13th | 4.20 | | Slight haze on an amber/red beer, disappearing head. Herby hoppy aroma with some grapefruit. Reasonable juicy malts in mouth. Tingly, zesty herby citrus hop finish. Very drinkable bitter with an attack of herby grapefruit hop. |
| Hogs Back - Brewster's Bundle | 7.40 | | Half pint from polypin. Belies its 7.4%. Slightly syrupy and sticky. The basic beer itself is relatively easy drinking. Very fruity with strawberry and mulberrys |
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | 3.70 | | Has some caramel/orange malt fruit. Drinkable, soft in mouth but lacks a bit of bite. |
14 Jan 2007 (Ian)
Sunday lunchtime and I popped in for just one drink. Usual mix of locals and the odd visitor drawn by the reputation of this unspoilt gem.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hogs Back - A over T | 9.00 | | Ruby, thin beige head. Gorgeous rich strawberry fruit and grapefruit aroma. Some syrupyness, but utterly wonderful and drinkable with some hop presence on the end. The alcohol never takes over too much. |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Goacher's - Special House Ale | 3.80 | Not Tried | Badged as DSB - Doris' Special Bitter at 3.8% |
| Goacher's - Crown Imperial Stout | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Grand Union - Honey Porter | 4.90 | Not Tried |
About the Red Lion
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 27 |
| 138 |
| 99 |
| 48 |
| 5 |
The pub is found in Snargate, Kent, TN29 9UQ.
****RE-OPENED TUESDAY 1ST JUNE 2021 AND FROM 20TH JULY HOURS ARE 12-3, 6-9 TUESDAY TO SUNDAY ONLY (CLOSED MONDAY) (seating now inside and outside permitted) ***** 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 138 times, seen 207 different beers and tried 128 of them.
Postcode: TN29 9UQ