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Change in Pub Status
This pub has changed substantially and we are now adding visits to its new page, the The Parrot (Young's)
Simple Simon's (Free House)
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| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Union - Honey Porter |  | 2 |
| Grand Union - One Hop Magnum |  | 1 |
| Grand Union - Stout | | 2 |
| Hopdaemon - Incubus | | 1 |
| Theakston - Old Peculier | | 4 |
| Hopdaemon - Golden Braid | | 2 |
| Hogs Back - Hop Garden Gold |  | 1 |
| Nelson - Victory Mild | | 1 |
| Grand Union - Gold | | 2 |
| Weltons - Pinta That 2 |  | 1 |
| Nelson - Pieces of Eight | | 1 |
| Archers - Winter Wonderland | | 1 |
| Archers - Hagley Hall | | 1 |
| Archers - Robin Red Breast |  | 1 |
| Nelson - Admiral's Bitter (aka Paddlesteamer) | Not Tried | 0 |
| McMullen (sometimes latterly brand badged as Rivertown or Whole Hop) - Harvest Moon | Not Tried | 0 |
| Shepherd Neame - Master Brew Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Courage Best Bitter (use Marston's entry now please) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Marston's - Pedigree | Not Tried | 0 |
| Marston's - Bass | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - Morland Old Speckled Hen | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hogs Back - Hair of the Hog | Not Tried | 0 |
| Archers - Negotiator | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Archers - Sky Rocket | Not Tried | 0 |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | Not Tried | 0 |
| Archers - IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hopdaemon - Skrimshander IPA | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
27 Dec 2006 (Ian)
Well once again, this pub proves that it has the best changing beer line up in Canterbury. Oh and one of the best interiors as well. Oh and it does jazz on Saturday nights. Same beer line up as Andrew's visit on the same day.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hopdaemon - Golden Braid | 3.70 | | Not as good as I was hoping for, but the hop was still good. |
| Archers - Winter Wonderland | 5.20 | | Ditto for the Hagley Hall, but to be fair I also lost my notes for this beer, but I do remember being underwhelmed by both |
| Archers - Hagley Hall | 4.50 | | Another instantly forgettable Archer's special. 8-10 different specials a month plus their regulars are surely too much. |
27 Dec 2006 (Andrew)
Still a few chairs free when we arived. This place always seems to have a good beer line up and, in my opinion, is probably the best pub building in Canterbury.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Union - Stout | 4.80 | | Black with a sparse bubbly head. Roasted malt with a sweet, slightly sour, taste. Well ballanced and not sickly. |
| Hopdaemon - Golden Braid | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Archers - IPA | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Archers - Winter Wonderland | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Archers - Hagley Hall | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Hopdaemon - Skrimshander IPA | 4.50 | Not Tried |
21 Dec 2006 (Ian)
One of my favourite pubs. Lovely building, lovely real log fire, nice dark low ceilings, great bar with 9 handpumps and large wooden tables. Fabulous
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theakston - Old Peculier | 5.60 | | Very dark ruby, no head. Is it supposed to be this sour? The it warms up and this lovely dark fruit flavour comes out. Not huge hop, some dryness on end. Some liquorice and a bit of roasted malt with choc and coffee, but the dark fruits dominate. |
| Grand Union - Gold | 4.20 | | Gold, with bubbly off white head. Hay, citrus hp aroma, some juicy malt in mouth with dusty hop on end. Bit of lemon/grapefruit throughout. Refreshing, but not really a winter beer, drunk on the shortest day of the year. |
| Archers - Robin Red Breast | 4.00 | | Mahogany colour, lasting bubbly beige head. Not a huge aroma. Bit watery in mouth, with syrupy red fruit malt. Not a huge amount of hop, it’s just a bit of red syrup in water. Dull, dull, dull. |
| Greene King - Morland Old Speckled Hen | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Grand Union - Honey Porter | 4.90 | Not Tried | |
| Grand Union - Stout | 4.80 | Not Tried |
18 Dec 2006 (Brian)
Called in after finishing the Xmas shopping. It was about 3pm and most of the lunchtime crowd had gone.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theakston - Old Peculier | 5.60 | | Too cold to start, but soon excellent. Had two pints and felt suitably rewarded. |
| Grand Union - Gold | 4.20 | | It certainly is gold. Good fresh hop aroma, but with a significant maltness in the mouth. Bitter, drying aftertaste. |
| Fuller's (part of Asahi Europe) - London Pride | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Grand Union - Honey Porter | 4.90 | Not Tried |
03 Dec 2006 (Ian)
Late Sunday lunchtime and there were several large groups at the tables as well as the usual group of locals at the bar. Part of this pub is now non smoking.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hogs Back - Hop Garden Gold | 4.40 | | Gold colour with disappearing white head. Citrus, dusty hop aroma, delicate satsuma/tangerine fruits in mouth. Dry citrus hoppy finish. Good citrus hoppy kick, juicy and refreshing. Citrus has a real zing. I love the citrus flavours on this. |
| Grand Union - Stout | 4.80 | | Black colour with tan head. Liquorice on aroma. Choc, dark roasted malt aroma. More liquorice and mocha coffee in mouth. Harsh roasted malt on end. Full of flavour stout. Pretty intense for a UK beer. Good choccy stout. |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Morland Old Speckled Hen | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Courage Best Bitter (use Marston's entry now please) | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried |
11 Nov 2006 (Brian)
Sat by the fire and read the Guardian. Great.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hopdaemon - Golden Braid | 3.70 | | Superb fresh cut grass and hay. Straw coloured and livelier than I remember. Perfect balance of bitter fruit and malt. It has the feel of a summer pint though, not one for a grey November day in front of a wood fire. |
| Theakston - Old Peculier | 5.60 | | I had this on Wednesday and this was just as good. Like a bar of Old Jamaica. |
| Greene King - IPA (was 3.6%) | 3.40 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Hogs Back - Hair of the Hog | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Archers - Sky Rocket | 4.20 | Not Tried |
08 Nov 2006 (Brian)
Quiet early evening. When it's dark outside and the wood fires are burning this pub takes on a timeless and cosy charm. It's certainly the best pub in Canterbury when it's not too full.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hopdaemon - Incubus | 4.00 | | Slight prickle in the mouth, excellent fruit and malt balance. Not my favourite hopdaemon but it's still excellent in comparison with other beers generally. |
| Theakston - Old Peculier | 5.60 | | Too cold to start, but then dark rum and slight sweetness. I love this beer but at 5.7 I only need a couple. Cost £3.30 by the way. |
| Greene King - Morland Old Speckled Hen | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Pedigree | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Hogs Back - Hair of the Hog | 3.50 | Not Tried | |
| Archers - Negotiator | 5.00 | Not Tried |
28 Oct 2006 (Andrew)
Busy as Jazz Notes were in. That dummer's face as he plays is fantastic.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Union - Honey Porter | 4.90 | | I liked this a lot. Sweet oysterish like richness followed by lots of roasted dark malts. |
| Nelson - Victory Mild | 3.50 | | Low hop to this dark mild. Sweet. |
| Shepherd Neame - Master Brew Bitter | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Courage Best Bitter (use Marston's entry now please) | 4.00 | Not Tried | Don't see this very often these days |
| Marston's - Pedigree | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Grand Union - One Hop Magnum | 4.50 | Not Tried |
28 Oct 2006 (Ian)
Lovely pub. Classic FM on the radio during the day. People still in the garden even at end of October. Usual mix of locals and tourists. In the evening Jazz Notes were playing again. We sat at a table with a couple of German women from Stuttgart who come over every year for the Canterbury Festival.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Union - Honey Porter | 4.90 | | Some molasses, some sweetness, some sourness. Black with tan head. Lots of choc and coffee and roasted malts but that juicy sourness too. Great porter. |
| Grand Union - One Hop Magnum | 4.50 | | Clear gold with lasting off white head. Hoppy aroma. Lovelyin mouth, right balance of pale biscuity malt with some later juicyness. Then dry hop finish. Hop is slightly astringent on aroma, but reasonably subtle on end. Utterly drinkable. Hop shows a little sherbert on finish. Another nice beer in this series |
| Shepherd Neame - Master Brew Bitter | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Eagle (formerly Wells & Young's, formerly Charles Wells, formerly Wells) - Courage Best Bitter (use Marston's entry now please) | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Pedigree | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Marston's - Bass | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Nelson - Victory Mild | 3.50 | Not Tried |
26 Aug 2006 (Ian)
My last stop on a mammouth pub crawl. I was a bit worse for wear by this point and forgot where the toilets were even though I sat right next to them. I do like this pub, lovely cosy pub helped by the low dark wood beams and red brick work. Interesting to see a McMullens beer outside of Hertfordshire.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weltons - Pinta That 2 | 3.60 | | Copper colour with disappearing white head. Toffee apple aroma with more apple juice than malt toffee in mouth. Slight hop/toffee aroma and green apple, quite full in mouth with dry earthy hop finish. Touch of smoked apple wood. Decent session bitter. |
| Nelson - Pieces of Eight | 3.80 | | Copper colour with lasting bubbly beige head. Citrus hop aroma, some yeast. It's an appley/yeasty bitter. Some caramel. Watery in mouth. Hop on finish is not particularly dry and only vaguely hoppy |
| Nelson - Admiral's Bitter (aka Paddlesteamer) | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| McMullen (sometimes latterly brand badged as Rivertown or Whole Hop) - Harvest Moon | 4.00 | Not Tried |
About the Simple Simon's
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
| 3 |
| 34 |
| 26 |
| 29 |
| 5 |
The pub is found in Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2AG.
Old building with a lovely bricked garden.
We have visited this pub 48 times, seen 67 different beers and tried 47 of them.
Postcode: CT1 2AG