PubsandBeer
The Duck (Free House)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Wantsum - Saint Nicholas |  | 1 |
| Tonbridge - Rustic | | 1 |
| Adnams - Ghost Ship | | 1 |
| Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Blue Top |  | 1 |
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Northdown - Papworth Victory Best Bitter | | 1 |
| Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Copper Top | | 1 |
| Curious (formerly Chapel Down Winery) - Curious IPA (keg) | | 1 |
| Tonbridge - Traditional | | 1 |
| Whitstable - Pearl of Kent | | 1 |
| Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Red Top |  | 1 |
| Breakwater - Samphire Gold |  | 1 |
| Tonbridge - Blonde Ambition | Not Tried | 0 |
| Timothy Taylor - Landlord | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
30 Dec 2024 (Andrew)
Walked here from Lower Hardres. It had only opened recently and other than a delivery driver it was empty. Friendly staff. The beers are under the bar so it's not obvious there are any. A copper plaque on a wooden post on the bar lists the "ales" - I only spotted that after I sat down.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wantsum - Saint Nicholas | 5.80 | | Heavy cinnamon. Sweet red apple mouth feel. Low hopping. On gravity with a cooling jacket. |
22 Jan 2023 (Andrew)
We came for a walk around the lanes and ended up here. Very busy with a large group of either farmers or people on a shoot - couldn't tell which. Friendly staff doing a great job juggling lots of orders.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curious (formerly Chapel Down Winery) - Curious IPA (keg) | 5.60 | | Cold fizzy citrus beer |
26 Oct 2019 (Jack William)
Early lunchtime. My first visit since it reopened. Very similar layout to before - log fire on the go. Just one couple having an early lunch. Everything looks right in this pub - but it always seems to lack atmosphere. Shame.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northdown - Papworth Victory Best Bitter | 4.20 | | Straight from the cask - an interesting bitter with quite a sharp bite. |
20 Jul 2019 (Magnus Greel)
Mid to late afternoon fairly quiet just a few groups in the extensive beer garden here.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Red Top | 3.80 | | Warm sweet and cloying |
| Breakwater - Samphire Gold | 4.20 | | Malty flat warm and lifeless made this hard to finish |
01 Oct 2017 (Jack William)
Closed. Notice in window - "please bear with us while we refurbish the pub".
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|
06 Dec 2015 (Andrew)
Our traditional Christmas walk goes from Lower Hardres to the Duck and back. This is a very friendly pub. It was busy with lots of people eating and drinking but the land lady went out of her way to find us a seat. Great pub.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonbridge - Rustic | 4.00 | | On gravity. Really good dark malty bitter. |
| Timothy Taylor - Landlord | 4.30 | Not Tried | Jane had this and it was great. On gravity too |
| Tonbridge - Blonde Ambition | 4.20 | Not Tried |
28 Apr 2015 (Jack William)
Early Tuesday evening - quite busy with diners with a quite nice buzz. Beer straight from the cask - but only one ale ready (3 max, plus a cider).
Nice to see this rather remote pub open - it has a bit of a chequered past in recent years.
Current opening times:
Tue to Fri 1200 to 1500 and 1730 to 2300
Sat 1200 to 2300
Sun 1200 to 2100
Closed Monday
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tonbridge - Traditional | 3.60 | | Gravity fed - Good malt/hop balance - session ale. |
24 Nov 2013 (Andrew)
I watched On Her Majesty's Secret Service yesterday and it put me in mind of The Duck Inn with its Fleming connection. We arived about 12:30 and the friendly owners engineered us a seat by the fire. The rest of the pub started filling up with diners rapidly.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey's - Sussex Best Bitter | 4.00 | | On form. Gravity served |
| Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Copper Top | 4.10 | | Gravity served and perhaps lacking a touch of condition but still good |
14 Feb 2013 (Mick)
After a successful visit last week I thought I would take another look. Very food biased but with good ale on gravity who cares?
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adnams - Ghost Ship | 4.50 | | Very nice, not to sure to start but it quickly grew on me. Unmistakeably Adnams, yeasty, peppery with a long finish. Gravity serving suits this beer. |
| Whitstable - Pearl of Kent | 4.50 | Not Tried |
09 Feb 2013 (Mick)
Noticed that Andrew had been here and found some real ale so decided to take a look.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitstable - Pearl of Kent | 4.50 | | OK, nothing spectacular, good hops. |
| Old Dairy (being contract brewed after it closed) - Blue Top | 4.80 | | Nice enough,on gravity, a bit tired perhaps. |
About The Duck
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | - |
| 7 |
| 10 |
| 3 |
| 1 |
The pub is found in Pett Bottom, Kent, CT4 5PB.
Once Ian Fleming's local pub or at least allegedly. The interior is split into a long front bar with a more restauranty room at the end. Closed September 2023 claiming rising costs. Reopened Friday 1st November 2024 with new hope.
We have visited this pub 16 times, seen 44 different beers and tried 20 of them.
Postcode: CT4 5PB