PubsandBeer
Red Lion (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Woodforde's - Wherry |  | 5 |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale |  | 4 |
| Hogs Back - Hair of the Hog | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Crown Imperial Stout | | 7 |
| Grand Union - Old Ale II | | 1 |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 7 |  | 1 |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Wheat Beer | | 1 |
| Ossett - Silver King | | 4 |
| Stonehenge - Spire Ale |  | 1 |
| Archers - Swindon Strong Bitter | | 1 |
| Orkney (Sinclair) - Northern Light | | 2 |
| Titanic - Iceberg | | 1 |
| Harviestoun - Dragonfly | | 1 |
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | | 1 |
| Northumberland - Whitley Wobbler | | 1 |
| Cotleigh - Harrier Lite | | 3 |
| Dark Star - Dark Star The Original | | 3 |
| Northumberland - Santa's Surprise | | 1 |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Dark Mild |  | 1 |
| Goacher's - Special House Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hogs Back - Xmas Tipple | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
23 Dec 2005 (Ian)
Andrew and I cycled here from Hamstreet Station as Southern Trains have made the decision to only have 2 services a day from Appledore. Nice enough ride though. First customers here at 12.10 and we had to bang on the door to get in as they were still locked up. Wonderfully atmospheric pub, with the low ceilings, dark cosy rooms and beer on gravity. We sat looking at the Marsh in winter and supping our beer. Excellent lunchtime session
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Union - Old Ale II | 7.60 | | Lots of liquorice, dark roasted malts on the aroma. Very dark ruby colour with thin disappearing head. Bit of dark treacle. Lovely in mouth, bit of warmth from the alcohol and a bit sticky. Good old ale though |
| Goacher's - Crown Imperial Stout | 4.50 | | End of the barrel. Went off after we had the last 2 pints. This explains the quality of this beer which wasn't at its best |
| Northumberland - Santa's Surprise | 4.00 | | Deep amber with no head. Some golden syrup and nice fruit. Some brown sugar. Finish is sweetish. Fine, but not exceptional |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Hogs Back - Xmas Tipple | 4.60 | Not Tried |
25 Jun 2005 (Ian)
Still one of the best pubs I have been to purely for the ambiance of a pub that has not changed in years. Petition is currently running to save the train service to Appledore
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hogs Back - Hair of the Hog | 3.50 | | Unbelievably good for such a weak session beer. Copper coloured with enough flowery hops to make it interesting |
| Northumberland - Whitley Wobbler | 5.00 | | Quite fruity slightly alcoholic sweetness some finishing hop |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Goacher's - Special House Ale | 3.80 | Not Tried | Badged as DSB - Doris' Special Bitter |
| Goacher's - Crown Imperial Stout | 4.50 | Not Tried |
18 Jun 2005 (Martin)
Second days at the summer solistice beer festival and it's a scorcher. Can the beers survive? And why do I keep winning every time at Doris' tombola?
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Crown Imperial Stout | 4.50 | | It's all still here too - bitter dry finshes and dark molasses. And bacon. What an aftertaste too. |
| Woodforde's - Wherry | 3.80 | | It just got better. It was great yesterday, now it's fantastic! All the right fruit, bitterness, aroma and balance but it's shifted a gear and got more intense. Wherry wherry good. |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | | Very very drinkable and quite nutty today but the crown has been stolen (fittingly) by Crown Imperial Stout. |
| Ossett - Silver King | 4.30 | | Straw coloured beer is hoppy all the way through with a nice bitter edge. I'd like to see this more often |
| Dark Star - Dark Star The Original | 5.00 | | Smooth tasting and a bit raisiny but not really up to form. Maybe it's the heat. |
18 Jun 2005 (Ian)
Day 2 of the summer beer festival at this wonderful pub. Sat in the garden on a late Saturday afternoon/early evening listening to a folk/traditional band whilst avoiding the chickens. Did not seem as busy as previous years, but the best beers did start running out.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodforde's - Wherry | 3.80 | | On the Friday night, I rated this as excellent. Well on the Saturday, it got better. More rounded, more fruity. Superb beer that ticks all the right boxes |
| Ossett - Silver King | 4.30 | | Blond citrusy and hoppy. Nice beer |
17 Jun 2005 (Martin)
Doris' traditional summer solstice beer festival. Weather was glorious - you can even camp all weekend in the field adjoining. I didn't.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Crown Imperial Stout | 4.50 | | Creamy smokey bacon and velvet texture. I've had this many times before but it was stunning today. |
| Woodforde's - Wherry | 3.80 | | I don't get to taste this much but when I do it is always a good thing. Citrusy, resinous with berry fruits in there too. A great long aftertaste too. More please. |
| Cotleigh - Harrier Lite | 3.50 | | A rewarding balance of hops and a pleasant nutty aftertaste - just kinda skinny. Guess this is what a light is all about though. I drank this later than Ian and Andy who reluctantly agreed that it had improved since their samples |
| Orkney (Sinclair) - Northern Light | 4.00 | | Pale beer that has the oddest taste of satay sauce/peanuts. Makes you think of Thai food. |
17 Jun 2005 (Andrew)
What a loverly summers evening it was in one of the best pubs I've ever been to. It was their summer beer festival and they had 14 beers on.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | | Wow. Tasted of burnt coffee with a slighly sweet undertone. If you could get better than this I'd want to hear about it |
| Goacher's - Crown Imperial Stout | 4.50 | | Tasted like smokey bacon crisps. What a stout this is. |
| Woodforde's - Wherry | 3.80 | | I love this beer. It had a fantastic rounded bitter taste with a slight metalic/peaty twang. Pale copper coloured and loverly. |
| Ossett - Silver King | 4.30 | | Very pale yellow with a strong alcohol taste and bitter with a tart edge. Osset is always a winner |
| Dark Star - Dark Star The Original | 5.00 | | Very rich ruby coloured beer. Quite nice but tasted too much like of raisen and sherry for me |
| Cotleigh - Harrier Lite | 3.50 | | Goes down well. The initial taste is quiet sharp and a bit 1 dimensional but it had a very satisfying finish |
| Stonehenge - Spire Ale | 3.80 | | A very pale yellow bitter that tasted of dough. It also had a slightly soapy bitter aftertaste |
| Orkney (Sinclair) - Northern Light | 4.00 | | Pale yellow bitter that tasted mildly of peanuts, elder flower and lime |
17 Jun 2005 (Ian)
Summer Soltice Beer Festival. Annual event with 14 beers on over the Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. Glorious weather, the garden and Romney Marsh were an absolute picture. Great place to try some different beers. Pub has not changed in years and is extremely snug and full of interesting memorabilia
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | | Dark ruby colour, burnt malt with coffee and chocolate balanced in mouth with some hops to give a drying finish. Lots of flavour for a mild and a beer this light in alcohol |
| Goacher's - Crown Imperial Stout | 4.50 | | Burnt malty nose, slightly alcoholic, good beer, good blance. Slight creaminess with a very dry aftertaste. Being really picky, it could do with a bit more fruit |
| Ossett - Silver King | 4.30 | | Pale gold beer. Hoppy citric blond beer reminiscent of so many of Ossett's superb range. Bit sherberty with long bitter citric acidic finish. Some pine nuts. Lovely |
| Woodforde's - Wherry | 3.80 | | Copper brown beer, resiny hop nose, very distinctive of wherry, with good raspberry and citrus flavours. Some acids to balance fruit. A little thin, but a good hoppy finish. Just misses out on a 5 due to the fact that the pint I had at the Crabble Corn Mill was better |
| Dark Star - Dark Star The Original | 5.00 | | Dark ruby colour. Last time I had this was at the White Cliffs beer festival where I scored it a 5/5 Exceptional. This is not quite how I remember it, but it still had some lovely raisiny fruit, some coffee flavours. Very rich very smooth and good balance. Sweetish hedgerow black fruit. |
| Mad Squirrel (formerly Red Squirrel) - Wheat Beer | 4.50 | | Reddish copper colour. Smell of a wheat beer. Quite rich, some sweet fruit and then really bitter hop finish. Very interesting and nice to have something very different. Good balance and well made |
| Titanic - Iceberg | 4.10 | | Opaque gold beer, smells of nettles and boiled vegetables. Vegetal finish with hoppy bitterness. Most bizarre wheat beer I have ever had. Had a pint and a half later in the evening at the Yew & Ewe where is was served more chilled and was extremely refreshing |
| Harviestoun - Dragonfly | 3.60 | | Amber coloured with typical Harviestoun American hop nose. Some lemon fruit, then that very distinctive hop finish which is drying. Good, but not my favourite Harviestoun which is Bitter and Twisted. |
| Cotleigh - Harrier Lite | 3.50 | | Amber coloured. Bit nutty, but a bit thin in mouth. Very nice hop finish. I really like Cotleigh beers, but this was just a bit too light for me |
25 May 2005 (Ian)
Still a real gem run lovingly by the same family for decades. No food, no music, just a place where time stood still. Lovely garden. Up to 4 beers served on gravity
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Fine Light Ale | 3.70 | | Golden, tight white head, malty. Can be good but this had a thinnish finish |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | Not Tried |
07 May 2005 (Andrew)
Got there at 7 when it should have just opened but because of a local steam fair it had been open a while and was faily busy. Everything about this pub is fantastic - the setting, the interior, the beer and the owner and her family.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Crown Imperial Stout | 4.50 | | This is the best pint of this wonderful stout I've had ever. It was full of body with a burnt edge. I wouldn't be surprised if it could stand up without the aid of the glass. |
| Goacher's - Real Mild Ale | 3.40 | | A bit thin but then it's my own fault because the landlord told me it wasn't ready yet but because I begged him for a pint of it he gave in (what a great bloke he is). |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 7 | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Dark Mild | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Archers - Swindon Strong Bitter | 5.00 | Not Tried |
07 May 2005 (Ian)
Still a wonderful gem of an unspoilt pub on Romney Marsh. Very atmospheric. Up to 4 beers on gravity. Owned by same family for nearly 100 years and lovingly cared for.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goacher's - Crown Imperial Stout | 4.50 | | Balck in colour. Chocolate malt nose. Smokey, charcoal. Full in mouth, some acids with bitter burnt amlt on finish. |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - No. 7 | 3.80 | | Golden brown colour. Perfumed piney hoppy nose. Thinnish in mouth, hoppy finish with longish dryness. A little spice/ginger on finish. Good session beer |
| Archers - Swindon Strong Bitter | 5.00 | | Russett colour. Flowery hops and sweet nose. Fullish in mouth, sweet alcohol, syrupy. Alcohol on the finish with a drying hop flavour. Some light raisiny malt fruit |
| Ramsgate Brewery (Gadds') - Dark Mild | 4.00 | | Very dark ruby colour. Some hops and malt, bit thin in mouth, some malty dark fruit on finish. Bit thin altogether |
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