please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Absolute gem of a pub, popped in before and after football - non-active role today! The lunchtime quiz was brilliant, no teams, no scoring just the landlord asking questions and people offering answers - banter was superb. Beer was good too - Butcombe Gold.
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Very good even if we just missed our favourite beer, Titanic Plum Porter - only recently taken off the taps. The range that met our gaze was difficult to fault nonetheless. As this was a half way stop off to the west country, driving curtailed our enjoyment but a pint of Popham's Pride was very good and the barman a real professional.
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The British Lion was my first stop on my first ever visit to Devizes. It's on a busy road at the edge of the town centre. A local street festival appeared to be in progress in the nearby Sidmouth Street where I was later to purchase a Chinese takeaway from! The British Lion is a typical market town boozer with friendly staff and customers, mostly of the ageing variety but with a few youngsters. It's clearly been a real ale haunt for many years. Moles Tap Bitter is the regular beer and there are 3 guests - Church End Fallen Angel, Holsworthy Muck 'n' Straw & Otter Summer Light. Cider is dispensed from a cask in the corner and this was Black Rat. Apparently this alternates with Cheddar Valley. Most people sit in the main bar area at the front. But there is an area with a pool table at the back near the toilets. Definitely worth a visit and one of the best 3 pubs I found in the town.
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Make sure you get to this pub if no others in Devizes. Take the short walk from the town centre to this traditional boozer which keeps excellent ales - a mix of local berweries and guest ales from around the country. It is a place for conversation and beer although there is a pool table if you need it. We were mainly drinking the Otter Ale but there were 3 beers on tap and all were good (you have to try them all you know!) Great boozer.
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Guarantee GOOD ALE
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A old fashioned pub that sells fantastic beer!
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best pub in the area
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What more can you ask for. Superb ALE
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Certainly a true tonic if one is after a public house that is less about food, middle-of-the-road middle-class decor and sensibility, and polite conversation amongst steady punters, and more about getting back to basics. For the British Lion may appear to be a traditional 'nice' old pub from the outside but once within, one finds it is a pared-down, no-frills, rough n' ready kind of boozer where good beer and cheer is most certainly placed in the forefront, at least of an evening at any rate.
Myself and a large entourage of chums pitched up in Devizes overnight 2 Sundays ago as we moored up on the Canal. Inevitably its finder ale houses were sought out and this one came highly recommended, but only by the Good Beer Guide but also local licensees and customers. We visited it last, which on reflection was probably a wise move as by the time we arrived the jukebox was in full effect, the pumps were sloshing up plenty of good local beer and everyone inside and out was in high spirits. This isn't to suggest that the Lion is populated by reckless folk; that wasn't my observation anyway. Rather, it is down-to-earth and pretense-free, without straying into unpleasantness or violence. We were made most welcome by locals, who actively engaged in conversation with us in the rear garden without being pushy.
Cask-wise, I recall 5 were available that night, and on particular form was the Vale Ale (3 Castles). I can't remember all the other offerings, but trust that they were worth seeking out, particularly for those like the last reviewer who have grown tired of the stranglehold the sound but safe Wadworths have on the town and its environs. Everyone commented that what they'd been served was well-kept and so it deserved its place in the current beer-lover's lexicon of local pubs in Devizes. We left in very good spirits, dampened only by the rather indifferent takeaway curry which we unwaisely purchased en route back to the boats!
Clearly it won't suit everybody on every occasion, and some may even actively reject the Lion for its down 'n' dirty directness and lack of refinement. Yet for others, it retains enough edge and character to be interesting, whilst still supporting the values of good local beer and community engagement as twin foundations for a robust pub experience that should never be bland. I hadn't visited Devizes for 16 years, but even if it takes as long again to return, I'll be making my way over here at some stage.
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Great range of beer, and its one of only a few pubs that is outside the strangle hold of Wadworths Devizes grip, so its got extra marks straight away! Cant comment on the atmosphere as we went in at midday on a Monday. I think they had 4 ales on, I had a pint of Moles Tap at a reasonable price. Three pints for around nine quid, thats reasonable, right?
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Smashing boozer! Superb ales, friendly staff and atmosphere....Great beer garden in Summer! Top Drawer!!!
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A real cracker, an honest, down to earth town local, no frills just good beer and conversation and a superb jukebox. Unchanged and long may it continue to be, there aren't many like this left now.
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Ever changing supply of good quality beers, kept in great condition and served by friendly barstaff. Always someone to talk bollocks with even if you don't know who the hell they are and the juke box has some class stuff.
No telly. No kids. No contest.
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the best pub in the county
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Simply one of the best places to drink top quality beer in the area. Great beer range at very reasonable prices.
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Enjoyed our visit to this town centre pub with a good selection of real ales. Had Hancocks HB and Butts Traditional and both were well kept beers. Agree with previous comments that it is a friendly comfortable pub to be in.
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What can i say? A classic basic town centre pub, good selection of ale, big garden out the back (which I dont remember from previous visits in the past), beer good, a real no nonsense boozer (like the Barrels in Hereford), somewhere you could nip into for a pint and emerge 3 hours later! Keep up the good work!
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Dived into The British Lion recently whilst Christmas shopping. Realised at that moment that no more shopping would be possible !
A great place. I can only echo or ditto all that has been written before my humble contribution.
Do you suppose that one day all boozers will go full circle and be back to the excellent standard experienced in The British Lion ?
The barmaid wasn't naked so I can only award it 9 out of 10.
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Warning - this is a pub - it sells great beer well.
If you want a chilled chardonnay and a rare sirloin this is not the place - move along!
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If I could own a pub - This would be it! What I call a proper boozer. Four real ales available on handpump. Recommended - Enjoy.
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A proper Pub in every sense o the word.
Best Pub in Devizes.
Excellent beer
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Indeed an excellent pub with excellent beer and no, it doesn't need a makeover. If it ain't broke, don't mend it!
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This pub is a fantastic place to work and drink in. Full of character/s (in more ways than one). Wow, what beers. Kept so well, customers looked after just as well as you can tell by the prices.
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only genuine freehouse in devizes.beers change daily,relaxed atmosphere,no airs or graces just good beer honestly priced!probably cheapest pub around for miles!!
anonymous - 19 Apr 2006 22:08 |
The beer range is always changing in this pub, every day is a beer festival.
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Good real ale pub, Free house. Pool table If you like real beer then you'l like this pub.
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Don't be put off by appearances this is one of if not the best real ale pubs in the area but it could do with a make-over.
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