BITE user comments - beerbiker
Comments by beerbiker
!!! CLOSED !!!
Finally it may have been put out of its misery...If only we could have a decent pub in the village.
17 Aug 2012 16:39
I just love the Rothaus Pils ( having stayed at the Rothaus brewery ) along with the mega cask ales. Worth seeking out.
Also just of the Downs Link long distance trail so ideal for a swift one if riding or walking that.
9 Mar 2012 15:15
The Partridge, Partridge Green
Clean & friendly local.
An excellent pub with a good selection of lunchtime snacks including (if you ask) Blackpudding and cheese rolls ;-)
Truely GREAT beers from Dark Star just down the road & always an interesting guest on.
Ideal stop for cyclist (road) and mountain bikers / hikers using the Downs Link from Guildford / Horsham / Shoreham with a path popping out opposite the pub. Also signed from the Downs Link.
9 Mar 2012 15:06
Visited on the 27th December for beer and a meal.
Some great beers,Enville White & Ale both well served and in excellent condition.
Food however was another thing! Table was reserved for 12.30, we arrived at 12.15 and ordered by 12.20 but the food did not arrive until 13.30 !!!
I now know that there had been a local point to point on.
The owners or management should have known and put on more staff or if they are going to have a reservation system take care of those who took the time to book.
In my opinion the management need shooting.
Would I visit again? Yes, the beer was great but I'd have to think twice about eating there.
5 Jan 2012 21:09
Three visits over the Christmas period and as always fabulous beer and toasted black pudding baps. Very busy on Xmas Eve & Xmas Day lunchtime but a little quieter on Boxing Day.
Beers tried; All Nations/Shires - Dabley,Dabley Gold & Redneck all excellent. Mortons Essington Old Ale, very good & Titanic Stout which was stunning all weekend.
Local CAMRA pub of the year again & definately a CAMRGB (Campaign for Really Good Beer) favorite.
Good to see Jim & all the locals again as they always make us feel so welcome. Can't wait for the next visit.
5 Jan 2012 21:00
At the risk of a verbal attack I think some of you are missing the point being made here. All Sara has done is critisize CAMRA not slag them off. She has simply made a point that many think but do not say.
If CAMRA cannot take it, think and change then that's where the problem is, NOT with the Royal Oak.
If anybody on the Royal Oak is slagging off CAMRA it has been me, but I was a member for many years & will be eternally grateful for what they did to save real ale for the likes of me. However it has been time for change for a long while.
CAMRA have done well but now are not fit for purpose, they can change but it must come from within. If it doen't then they may as well change their name.
CAMRA - The Campaign for Real Alienation
11 Feb 2011 21:10
First visit here over new year.
3 beers tried, Hobsons - Twisted Spire (v good), Ludlow - Gold (good) & Shires - Seven Gorgeous (good).
Food, fantastic & huge portions, good menu.
Very friendly mix between a pub & a gastropub. Light & airy conservatory to eat in + seating in the main pub. Great garden for warmer days.
Close to the Tar Museum & the Great Hay Incline, good parking & just off the Silkin Way cycle way.
Accomodation looks good value as well.
9 Jan 2011 19:45
Disappointing visit this time, 5 beers & the nearest to a local brew was Wye Valley HPA...Well served though.
9 Jan 2011 19:39
At last another great visit to All Nations over new year. Good to see all the usual locals in their usual spots in this excellent pub.
3 beers tried, Shires - Seven Gorgeous, Dabley Gold & Three Tuns - Clerics Cure, all in excellent condition & well served. All soaked up with the usual black pudding & cheese toasty prepared by Linda despite being on her own, thanks to Jim being off recovering from his recent knee op. Good luck of that Jim hope to see you up and about again soon.
If you are ever in the area or at Blists Hill Museum you really must pay this little piece of UK beer history a visit, for this is what pubs used to be like & maybe how they should still be. A true gem...
9 Jan 2011 19:32
What a great 'beer tasting' quiz evening, 13 real ales + 5 bottled beers along with some general beer knowledge questions. Organised by landlady Sara & James from Dark Star the quiz was won by the Surrey CAMRA guys JUST!!! All for just 3 quid a head & we got snacks as well to soak up the beer.
A truely great evening and something many others pubs should consider.
30 Dec 2010 18:21
Lovely couple of beers today;
Arundel Old Ale - 4.6
Adur Merry Andrew - 6.2
Is it me or is it a coincidence that Mr Grumpy hasn't posted on BITE since May and the box on the bar at the Royal Oak marked 'Mr Grumpys one way to Sheffield' has disappeared?
Seriously though what has happened to Mr Grumpy?
11 Dec 2010 17:59
All you BITE members,if you were not at the SOaks for the pub premier of the BeerTickersFilm then you can't call yourselves real ale enthusiasts. What a great evening it was with Phil & Anna from 'beertickers'. Thanks Ken for putting it on during his great beerfest.
Very noticable that those 'head in the sand' chiefs at CAMRA refused to have anything to do with it or even show it at the GBBF 2010! Wake up guys.
29 Aug 2010 23:58
Yippeeeeeeeeeeeee....Beer Fest starts today...
What a beer list you have Ken, well done.
Looking forward to seeing all you 'BITE' members there over the weekend - Good, Bad, Ugly or not, Pleasant or Objectionable...Remember its about enjoying the beer and the company...So for once shut up & chill.
27 Aug 2010 08:25
Whoooops!!! Sorry about that, you are quite correct, it should read CRAB & I should proof read better before pressing the post button...
18 Aug 2010 08:46
wealdman Your's is yet another moronic posting on a pub reviewing site by one of the in-breeds!
Get a life guys or, better still, get a beer, and get over it!
15 Aug 2010 10:01
Just to save any confusion for those looking for this truely excellent but well hidden REAL ALE pub, it's actually in Sussex! not Surrey as sussexfox suggests. Maybe he should synchronize his GPS a little better!
Sorry, thats Royal Oak humour, hardly offensive though.
13 Aug 2010 14:02
Direct message from sussexfox to me!!!
'rattled my cage' - you couldn't even if you tried...
but I seem to have rattled yours by some straight and honest talking!
hence, your post/complaint (on an aside) on the main site!!
grow up old man and realise that you are not always right....and also that commenting on PM's mystifies others who simply don't know what you're talking about....
Now I ask you all, is this what this site is all about?
13 Aug 2010 09:08
Since writing my little post in favour of Ken & the S'Oaks I have received 2 direct messages from somebody who calls himself sussexfox. He tells me that I have used this website to 'spout off' in his 1st, and I'm gibbering in his 2nd!!!
Well, lets hope the next time he crosses the county line the Surrey Hunt are waiting for him.
I didn't think this site was about personnal insults, well somebody needs to talk to sussexfox I feel.
12 Aug 2010 19:29
I have to say I don't get all this 'have a go at the S'Oaks' thing thats going on at the moment. It hasn't changed in years, it has always served good food prepared & cooked in the kitchin, thats never going to be quick - If you want quick (fast food) try Burger King.
The beer has always been the best quality in Surrey & some years the South East, OK there is a bias to the north but Ken is a Northern lad. Talking of Ken, yes he has his moments, but don't we all? He is never rude and he will never tell you where to go, like some landlords will, if he is a little short with you, you normally deserve it I'm affraid.
Re the 'pub is full of CAMRA members', well I disagree, it's full of people who like good beer, good wine, good food & good choice.
Bar staff - Auntie Eileen is not Kens misses! She lives down the road and has worked there for years - We all love her and wouldn't swop her for anybody, she has here own pace but is always jolly unlike a lot of pub staff I have met in other pubs. Also, you try getting staff to work in a country pub in a village where you'd struggle to buy an ex-authority property for under 250k. Nobody wants to earn what bar staff earn.
So for me the S'oaks is a little gem, it served good beer years ago when we couldn't get good beer anywhere, and still does so today. I may not get in as often as I should but may I suggest that if you don't like it you try somewhere else, I'm sure you will soon be back with your tails between your legs....
12 Aug 2010 14:02
'One visit to One Pub & One posting on BeerintheEvening and you think you are an expert on our local beer traditions' - Was sent as a direct messasge to deservebetter in disgust.
6 Aug 2010 23:40
Another great visit to the Masons Arms,excellent Branscombe Summa That on but disappointed to find 4 other beers were St Austell!
I soon discovered that the pub had been purchased 3 weeks ago by the brewery,but they are allowed 1 guest only!
Food was still top notch, service can be shall I say a little slow, but hey it can get busy with tourists who haven't got a clue what they want.
Talking to one of the barmen I know from previous years,he didn't think much would change as it was such a winning formula.
Accomodation is never cheap but I have always found it good quality.
All in all an excellent place to drink,eat,sleep and above all CHILL..
27 Jul 2010 13:49
thepubvisitor
As you anticipated this, I feel I must not disappoint.
What is it about lager drinkers, they all seem so insecure & often quite febble, maybe even weak, often scared when faced with a REAL ALE pub. However, fill them with lager...well they can then make the Incredible Hulk look like a wimp!
Lager can be drunk in most pubs, most of which I would never cross their doorstep so whats your problem with us real ale & cider lovers having a pub we can call our own. If you or your friends must have lager well you know the answer...go elsewhere especially if you can't take the friendly banter as we try to convert you to a decent beer like Ranmore.
It's only a problem if your head is so stuck in your lager glass that you can't even consider trying something new, surely you try new food, a new holiday destination once in a while. So come on cross over from the dark side you never know you might actually like it and us.
I do feel that you may have been reading way to many 'Green Party' election leaflets by calling us "self-satisfied tree-hugging chumps".
I've never actually tried hugging a tree, maybe the odd hop vine but you'd be lucky if your lager has seen a hop let alone a brewer that knows how to brew a beer.
So less of the insults please.
Thank you & enjoy your lager because I'll enjoy my real ale.
Cheers
3 Jun 2010 20:44
May Day B/Hol at the Royal Oak.
One of Saras' excellent lambs spit roasted,as well as bbq. Cafe Racers playing in the afternoon but not in the marque thanks to a moanie old neighbour who doesn't like us enjoying ourselfs!
Beers tasted; Hammerpot Mild, most enjoyable, my second mild of the month of May so far, & Freeminer Speculation a very malty ale that drinks a lot lighter than its 4.8% would have you believe.
After a long and sweaty ride its was just a little cold for me this time so not a long visit.
Good to see other beerintheevening bloggers Big_Gee and Cider_Al around as well.
I think as a very keen cyclist I will start a new campaign re pubs and bikes;
Safe storage or somewhere to lock your bike up, because not all bikes cost �100 and come from Halfords! I think this would encourage more people to cycle to their local especially if they knew the bike would still be outside when they came back out.
3 May 2010 21:01
There's a thief about in the Royal Oak.
One of the many attractions of the Royal Oak is that during a session of their excellent Real Ale & Cider when nature calls for a trip to the little boys or girls room is the calander! There is one in the gents & one in the ladies - well there was one in the ladies until this last week!
The calanders are a very tastefully done farm folk in the same vain as 'calander girls'. Earlier in the year one month was stolen from the gents which is almost understandable knowing what pervs some blokes can be, but last week the whole calander was stolen from the ladies!!!
The worrying thing is that we either know them or we sat next to them enjoying a drink or two.....What can be done? Well if you know who it is I think they need a good talking to. If it was YOU then please return it along with a donation to St Catherines Hospice, if you want to retain you anomimity then do it quietly I feel you will be barred if you don't!!!
On a lighter side my last visit saw me taste some excellent Otter Bitter & Amber both top notch SW beers.
2 May 2010 08:42
dablywolf
WOW what a description of the All Nations. I live in the south and drink at the Royal Oak,Friday St. No stout but always a mild,7 ales,5 ciders & perrys. I'm lucky to visit the in-laws 3 or 4 times a years and live in All Nations when there.
Sadly there just are not enough pubs like All Nations & the Royal Oak left I think they should be twined I love them both.
Thanks for such a great description of such a great pub.
Cheers
30 Apr 2010 22:46
Cider_AL
I'm with Big_Gee, the second pints on me, unless Mr Grumpy & mjeeves would like to join us!
Cheers
30 Apr 2010 14:05
mjeeves.
You have sadly missed the point with the Royal Oak which is such a shame for you.
The Royal Oaks claim is that it is a true Real Ale Public House i.e It serves only Real Ale and is somebodys house that is open to the public!
Being somebodys house they have the right to serve what they want, it is not tied to a chain that forces the sale of products not wanted by us locals.
About as traditional as you can get.
It doesn't claim to sell lager, it doesn't claim to be a Gastro Pub so does not have a huge food menu.
The banter from the locals is always good humoured. OK,yes we do rib any lager drinkers but it is done in jest and most of the time one of us will offer an opinion on what you should try instead,maybe you just misunderstood our humour or maybe your sense of humour had been left at home that day.
I think any pub you go into for the first time can seem intimidating but if you have an open mind and the sense of humour I mentioned you usually get on OK in the end. Trust me there are plenty of pubs I've only been into once where maybe I should have tried again.
The atmosphere in the Royal Oak is second to none, I find myself talking to new people every time I go in as well as with more regular locals than myself. The pub raises a lot of money for charity and champions the traditional drinks,sports & activities that most other pubs have forgotten.
For all that the Royal Oak should be applauded. If you must have your lager, Oh well we will have to go our seperate ways, we'll just chalk it up as a failed conversion. Now where's the next lager drinker - repent my son!!!
Oh and incase you are interested, I'm a 52 year old middle-class businessman who has lived within 15 miles of Royal Oak for all of those 52 years. Yes I am a real ale drinker, but like you I too once drank lager - Yes that feels so much better coming out after all those years.
28 Apr 2010 14:17
Harveys is widely available,especially in mrgumpy's home town of Redhill and elsewhere around the south east.
The Royal Oak should be commended for supporting the smaller breweries of Sussex and not going main stream.
The mix of beers from the South East, West Country & the Midlands makes for an excellent choice every time you visit.
The nearby Surrey Oaks generally has Harveys Best on plus another good selection of beers often from the North, so between them Sara & Ken do a great job allowing us locals to experience a very wide range of beers.
Also for those that complain about having 7 beers on cannot be good,at the Royal Oak day charity do, the Ranmore was changed 3 times along with several of the others keeping Clive very fit!
Don't complain, enjoy.........
20 Apr 2010 11:31
I second that fullbelly, What a day it was. So much money raised having so much fun & drinking beer!
The sad news was that Badger Boy owned by the Woodhouse brothers had to be destroyed after falling at the first fence in the 3rd Panto race.
I look forward to working closely with Dark Star having out bid everybody for the cask of specially brewed beer. As it stands the BeerBabe and I intend to put it on in the pub around late Sept early Oct to celebrate our 21st !!!
I'll keep you all posted.
Did anybody see Mr Grumpy? Everybody was having such fun I doubt that he would have stayed if he had turned up.
Well done Sara,Clive and all those that helped out, anybody seen Martin?
19 Apr 2010 13:36
Hard to find if you don't know where to look. Very basic wooden interior with lots of character. Slightly lacking in attmosphere on this visit but mainly tourists and only a few locals in.
Excellent food.
Beers on Everards Tiger,Adnams Broadside,Tim Taylors Landlord plus the two localish beers I tried;
Backyards Shire Pale - Loads of flavour for only 3.6%, very good but not that pale! &
Three Tuns XXX - Very pale and enjoyable beer.
Worth seeking out, but a bit of a climb from the gorge, try parking at the old Furnace on the way to Jackfield Bridge and climbing the steps through the gardens makes for a nice walk.
29 Mar 2010 17:15
Another great visit to this historic brewpub.
Banter with the locals was as good as ever. Correction to my last post,Jim the landlord tells that the TV sits on two 36s!!!
Great value baps & rolls, ordered 5 blackpudding,cheese & onion toasties for just �11.40.
Beers tried, Broughs Pale, very good and didn't last long, Dabley Gold, as good as always and Shires Severn Gorgeous which was excellent and my beer of the weekend.All at �2.40 per pint so good value as well.
To visit this wonder is a must for all history and beer lovers,just don't expect a modern gastro pub, this pub is truly a classic.
Also great to meet RobthePrinter.
29 Mar 2010 13:34
Without offending anybody I hope, this is a traditional working class brewpub, one of the very few left - I LOVE the place.
On visits from down south I regulaly take my 73year old Mother in law and 80 year old Father in law in and would never worry. Yes I to have seen the TV balanced on two 18s in the corner.
The Dabley Gold is a treat as are the black pudding toasties.
If you have a problem with Health & Saftely I suggest you drink at home it would be better for all concerned.
Looking forward to my next visit on the 27th March, please never change I like history just as it is
19 Mar 2010 11:21
Mr Grumpy, the Pantomine horse race raises a lot of money for charity for which Sara is to be commended.
The mess outside the front you refer to I believe as a local of the Royal Oak is the sale of fruit and veg which helps to make this glorious but remote pub viable!
Perhaps you would like to help in the fund raising at the Pantomine horse race before your trip. Maybe you could jump in front of the horses ala Emily Davison, that would certainly raise a laugh as well as some money from the 'friendly locals'.
I am glad that overal you enjoyed your last visit, the Six Hop was indeed very good & well served the two times it was on.
15 Mar 2010 16:23
Mountain Inn, Lutton
Must be one of the best pubs in the Country. Not easy to find as there are 2 Luttons within a few miles of each other! Visited 3 times over a long weekend recently, the 1st late on a Thurs afternoon and found a couple of very friendly locals good with the banter. 2nd visit later just as good. 3rd visit for lunch and a few more beers, EXCELLENT. 6 real ales, 4 or 5 keg beers & 9 ciders & perrys on when we visited. Great food, you know real pub food & real pub portions. It's a bit out of the way in a non tourist village so this truely great pub needs all our support, I for one can't wait to get back down there.
6 Sep 2012 13:54