PubsandBeer
The Star (Greene King)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Buntingford - Hallowe'en |  | 1 |
| Mighty Oak - Venom | | 1 |
| Mighty Oak - Dry Bones | | 1 |
| Hadrian and Border - Farne Island Pale Ale | | 1 |
| Milton - Devil Rides Out | | 1 |
| Milton - Devil In Disguise | | 1 |
| Kirkby Lonsdale - Crafty Mild | | 1 |
| Greene King - Abbot Reserve | | 1 |
| Surrey Hills - Ranmore Ale | | 1 |
| Godalming Beerworks - Ravenscroft Best Bitter |  | 1 |
| Timothy Taylor - Golden Best (was 3.5%) | | 1 |
| Warwickshire Beer Co. (Bakehouse) - Malt Loaf | | 1 |
| Tring - Hocus Pocus | | 1 |
| Tillingbourne - Black Troll | | 1 |
| Black Hole - Titan | | 1 |
| Greene King - Personal Best | | 2 |
| Tring - Devil On Horseback | | 1 |
| Hanlons (formerly O'Hanlon's) - Red Ale | | 1 |
| Hogs Back - Surrey Nirvana | | 1 |
| Elgood's - EP | | 1 |
| Wadworth - Boundary |  | 1 |
| Verulam - Hoppy Halloween | | 1 |
| Milestone - St George's Legend | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - Caritas | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - Hardys & Hansons Olde Trip | Not Tried | 0 |
| St Austell - Tribute | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hogs Back - Tongham TEA (previously T.E.A.) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Exmoor - Stag (superseded by 4.8% version) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Bowler | Not Tried | 0 |
| Everards (see entries against Joule's & Robinsons whilst its new brewery was being built) - Equinox | Not Tried | 0 |
| Great Newsome - Fine Fettle | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - St Edmund's | Not Tried | 0 |
| Exe Valley - Edward Darke's Vanilla Stout | Not Tried | 0 |
| Exmoor - Gold | Not Tried | 0 |
| Wadworth - 6X | Not Tried | 0 |
| Rudgate - Jorvik Blonde | Not Tried | 0 |
| Triple fff - Pressed Rat & Warthog | Not Tried | 0 |
| Greene King - Gangly Ghoul | Not Tried | 0 |
| Falstaff - Smiling Assassin | Not Tried | 0 |
| Belhaven - Howell at the Moon | Not Tried | 0 |
| Milestone - Black Pearl | Not Tried | 0 |
| B&T (Banks & Taylor's) - Golden Fox | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sambrook's - Junction | Not Tried | 0 |
| Triple fff - I Can't Remember ! | Not Tried | 0 |
| Elgood's - Plum Porter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Belhaven - Robert Burns Scottish Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Firebird - Idaho 7 - single hop pale ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Hop Back - Redsell's EKG | Not Tried | 0 |
| Nightjar (formerly Slightly Foxed) - But Not As We Know It - Next Generation Bitter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Tring - MoonGazer | Not Tried | 0 |
| Ridgeway - Golden Cross | Not Tried | 0 |
| Tring - Bring Me Sunshine | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
05 Apr 2025 (Hogan Sampling)
Second visit of the outing and the first to this real ale house in Godalming. Neither done the pub nor this picturesque market town before. It involved just over 3 miles of cross-country walking along marked footpaths alongside a golf course and then a very sharp descent and past farmland before joining up with Catteshall Lock, complete with canal boats, and along parts of the River Wey. Our party of two were never quite so ready to sit down again and quench our thirsts. This was a beer-house from about 1830 by all accounts. Packed with real ales to choose from and punters too and perhaps not all of them were the ones we saw punting along earlier in Godalming's direction on the nearby waterways. Up to 14 real ales can be on at weekends and even 10 midweek from the latest. I counted 12 on our visit and opted for two local ales and with one brewed on the premises. A friendly welcome and prompt service from the attentive bar staff on our arrival late afternoon having left Bramley's Jolly Farmer a good hour and a half earlier. This old-fashioned real ale house is local CAMRA Pub of the Year 2024, holds beer festivals at Easter and Halloween and is home to Godalming Beerworks.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hogs Back - Surrey Nirvana | 4.00 | | Good head and lacing on this session IPA from the Tongham-based brewery, 6 miles west of Guildford. A first hit of a fruity grape. Could almost have been a wine with that fruit-infused mouthfeel. According to the tasting notes it was grapefruit that was at work in it. A hoppy dry and citrusy sweet aftertaste then persisted. |
| Godalming Beerworks - Ravenscroft Best Bitter | 4.10 | | This best bitter brewed on the premises by Godalming Beerworks (GBW), set up in 2021, came with good head and lacing and almost completely hung on throughout. A first hit of fruit-infused bitterness. A dry fruity hoppiness from its Challenger and Styrian Goldings then came to the fore on the mouthfeel. It was first brewed in a secret location in Godalming according to the tasting notes and where a raven was spotted overhead hence its naming. I detected the odd red berry flavouring in its fruitiness and no doubt the odd red berry or two would have gone down well with the raven, too! According to the GBW website, one of the oldest UK records of a brewer of "byere" as then spelt that was outside of London was of a John George in Godalming in 1483. The last brewery in the town survived until 1887 but that has all changed now. |
| Wadworth - 6X | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Triple fff - Pressed Rat & Warthog | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| St Austell - Tribute | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Falstaff - Smiling Assassin | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Milestone - Black Pearl | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Sambrook's - Junction | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Elgood's - Plum Porter | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Firebird - Idaho 7 - single hop pale ale | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Nightjar (formerly Slightly Foxed) - But Not As We Know It - Next Generation Bitter | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Ridgeway - Golden Cross | 4.40 | Not Tried |
18 May 2018 (ChrisE)
A good evening and a great atmosphere spoiled only by the smell of cooking fat. Excellent friendly service here tonight. A friend of mine did not initially believe me when I told him that this is a Greene King pub.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hadrian and Border - Farne Island Pale Ale | 4.00 | | I really liked this. |
| Kirkby Lonsdale - Crafty Mild | 3.60 | | A good traditional Dark Mild. |
| Black Hole - Titan | 4.40 | | |
| St Austell - Tribute | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Hogs Back - Tongham TEA (previously T.E.A.) | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Hardys & Hansons Olde Trip | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Nethergate (was Nethergate Growler for a while then name reverted) - Bowler | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Great Newsome - Fine Fettle | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Exe Valley - Edward Darke's Vanilla Stout | 4.50 | Not Tried |
03 May 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening. Took 10 minutes to be served.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timothy Taylor - Golden Best (was 3.5%) | 3.40 | | £3.70 pp steep for low gravity ale |
| Greene King - Hardys & Hansons Olde Trip | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Tring - MoonGazer | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Tring - Bring Me Sunshine | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Milestone - St George's Legend | 4.00 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Caritas | 4.00 | Not Tried |
13 Jan 2013 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening until almost last knockings. The answers from the Sunday evening quiz being announced.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene King - Abbot Reserve | 6.50 | | Excellent nightcap although a long time until bed |
| Elgood's - EP | 4.30 | | Very malty, very yeasty |
| B&T (Banks & Taylor's) - Golden Fox | 4.10 | Not Tried | |
| Triple fff - I Can't Remember ! | 6.00 | Not Tried | |
| Belhaven - Robert Burns Scottish Ale | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Hop Back - Redsell's EKG | 3.90 | Not Tried |
06 Nov 2012 (Philip Pirrip)
Mid evening visit. I was struck by the superb range of ciders and perries which they sell here but tonight was a beer night for me.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surrey Hills - Ranmore Ale | 3.80 | | Very oily hop mouthfeel |
| Greene King - Hardys & Hansons Olde Trip | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - St Edmund's | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Rudgate - Jorvik Blonde | 3.80 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Gangly Ghoul | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Belhaven - Howell at the Moon | 4.00 | Not Tried | Pumpclip implies this is brewed by Howell's Fine Lothian Ales when surely it comes from Greene King's Belhaven brewery in Dunbar! |
27 Oct 2012 (Martin the Mildman)
Halloween beer festival in progress with beer on stillage to the rear, from the cellar and on handpump. Pub suitably decorated for the occasion.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mighty Oak - Venom | 4.70 | | Black stout with a smooth well rounded roast malt flavour. A little hoppiness for balance. My score 16/20. |
| Mighty Oak - Dry Bones | 3.80 | | Pale bitter with a strong combination of citrus hop and biscuity malt. Fairly fruity finish. My score 16/20. |
| Buntingford - Hallowe'en | 4.10 | | A dark ruby porter style beer with a full bodied fruity and hoppy flavour with some bittersweet maltiness. My score 15/20. |
| Milton - Devil Rides Out | 5.50 | | An excellent malty black strong mild in the style of Sarah Hughes. Fruity finish. My score 17/20. |
| Milton - Devil In Disguise | 5.50 | | Version of Devil Rides Out with extra chocolate giving an even deeper malt flavour. Full flavoured and smooth finish. My score 17/20. |
| Tillingbourne - Black Troll | 3.70 | | A ruby red bitter with good citrus hop character and a dryish bitter finish. My score 15/20. |
| Tring - Devil On Horseback | 4.00 | | Amber bitterwith a good balance of fruity hop and biscuity malt. Good bitter finish. My score 15/20. |
| Tring - Hocus Pocus | 4.20 | | Sweet amber ale with fairly low hopping. Slight hint of butterscotch (diacetyl). My score 15/20. |
| Verulam - Hoppy Halloween | 4.00 | | Pale, hoppy and bitter. My score 14/20. |
10 Sep 2012 (Philip Pirrip)
Mid to late evening visit. An Irish style folk group were jamming by the door and were excellent.
My visit prompted by regular past London Drinker magazine advertisements and Mr 'arris's post for yesterday.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanlons (formerly O'Hanlon's) - Red Ale | 4.50 | | |
| Greene King - Personal Best | 4.30 | | One of two beers on gravity from the cellar. Orange tang golden ale |
| Exmoor - Gold | 4.50 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - Hardys & Hansons Olde Trip | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Everards (see entries against Joule's & Robinsons whilst its new brewery was being built) - Equinox | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - St Edmund's | 4.20 | Not Tried |
09 Sep 2012 (Stephen Harris)
Just a handful of customers at the beginning of the Sunday lunch hour. Much discussion of plumbing and painting amongst the regulars at the bar.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warwickshire Beer Co. (Bakehouse) - Malt Loaf | 4.60 | | Chestnut-coloured. Very richly malty with a bit of fruit. |
| Greene King - Personal Best | 4.30 | | Golden coloured. Lack of aroma means the strongly citrus hop taste comes as a surprise. Greene King discover hops shock! |
| Wadworth - Boundary | 4.00 | | Amber / brown in colour. Harmless. |
| Greene King - Hardys & Hansons Olde Trip | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Exmoor - Stag (superseded by 4.8% version) | 5.20 | Not Tried | |
| Everards (see entries against Joule's & Robinsons whilst its new brewery was being built) - Equinox | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Greene King - St Edmund's | 4.20 | Not Tried | |
| Hanlons (formerly O'Hanlon's) - Red Ale | 4.50 | Not Tried |
About The Star
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | - |
| 9 |
| 12 |
| 2 |
 | - |
The pub is found in Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1EL.
An ancient little pub in Church Street between church and high street, and handy for the railway station, in pretty Godalming. A small snug bar at the front, comfortable lounge/dining area and a garden at the rear. Renowned for its twice-yearly beer festivals and for its cider and perry selection. Hard to spot that it is a Greene King pub. Was at one time a Courage tied house. Sports 4 handpumps but these often carry 2 pump clips indicating further beers served by gravity dispense direct from the cellar.
We have visited this pub 8 times, seen 52 different beers and tried 22 of them.
Postcode: GU7 1EL