BITE user comments - dozysharp
Comments by dozysharp
JHB and Three Brewers on excellent form. Is improving now that David is back in charge. One of the barmaids has very good posture!
20 May 2013 16:44
Beer is good, but I would avoid the left hand bar on Friday nights if you don't want to kick a toddler on your way to the bar. It is like a creche.
3 Jun 2010 19:47
I can't find a reason to go into this pub any more. The guest beers haven't changed for 9 months (and they are the very boring Spitfire and Bombardier). Also the pub seems to be shut at random times (like Tuesday evenings??). The landlord seems to spend more of his time propping up the bar at the Boot!
23 Nov 2009 22:10
Beer choice and condition has been excellent during the past couple of weeks. Keep it up! The last Saturday cheese club was a hoot too (this only happens one saturday a month).
30 Oct 2009 21:09
Actually there were two other red lions - the Great Red Lion and the Little Red Lion, which was why they had to be quite inventive with the name of this one!
Contrary to the prejudices of the previous poster, the Mermaid is going from strength to strength. Which is a good thing for the drinkers of St Albans.
7 May 2009 19:00
Well, a couple of months down the line, the beers are very good. I think there is a better throughput than at the LRL.
Also the loos have been much improved and the place has been given a good clean. Cheese and ale night on thursdays you get the beer for �2 a pint if you order the cheese.Women's darts on a wednesday, and bands some weekends.
All in all, if you like interesting beers in good condition, this is on the shortlist. Can't comment on the food as I am not there at lunchtimes.
2 Mar 2009 20:28
Turns out David Worcester didn't sign the lease. I don't know the new management.
21 Jan 2009 20:45
The Nelson is now closed, and looking for a new leaseholder.
10 Dec 2008 09:26
Now under new management - the team that used to run the Lower Red Lion in St Albans.
10 Dec 2008 09:25
I agree with beerwench. The only proper gastropub in St Albans. Nice for a meal, but ambience more of a restaurant. The prawns are good, as are the scallops.
17 Nov 2008 16:28
Rumour is that David Worcester from the White Lion will be taking over (again!) in January 2009.
17 Nov 2008 16:23
The Pride of Spitalfields, Shoreditch
Quite a bizzare place really. Was being decorated yesterday (only paint I think). About 12 blokes on a walking tour arrived at the same time as me. Beer and service excellent, but not a wide choice. The 4 handpumps had ESB, Pride, Sharp's Doom Bar and Crouch Vale Brewer's Gold.
30 Oct 2008 10:26
The present licencees leave at the start of December. No idea who the new ones will be, but it will be a hard act to follow the last two sets of lease holders.
If you want to say goodbye to Alan, Mary and Kevin, your last opportunity will be at the beer festival on the weekend of 30 November.
Good luck!
28 Oct 2008 14:44
The Blue Ball Inn, Grantchester
Very friendly unspoilt pub with interesting locals and good beer (Adnams and Wherry on my visit).
14 Oct 2008 11:20
Great pub and all that, but on my visit a couple of days ago they only had the Larkin's Traditional on. Admittedly it was very good!
14 Oct 2008 11:17
The Kelham Island Tavern, Sheffield
I really like the retro industrial chic of Kelham Island, and think it contributes to the ambience. It is neither a "dump" nor "dire".
18 Sep 2008 09:15
Beer still very good, but the gents urinal has been blocked for 2 weeks!
5 Sep 2008 09:05
Now my favorite pub in St ALbans. Last night the Mauldon's Taste of Summer and the Elgood's Golden Newt were both outstanding. And only �2 a pint on Thursday night. By the way, they do not have Sky on the TV, so if you want to see the cricket you have to go somewhere else.
15 Aug 2008 11:17
As good as it gets in NB. Mothola might think it is a tourist pub, but as a local I can confirm it is a local's haunt too.
4 Aug 2008 15:41
No steak on the menu any more. The Chiswick bitter was very pleasant though.
30 Jul 2008 16:01
Unfortunately this week the beer has been rubbish, apart from the JHB.
25 Jul 2008 10:42
Very modern looking inside for the oldest pub in England!
17 Jul 2008 15:36
Very good beer, but the decor is modern and a bit sparse for my taste.
17 Jul 2008 15:33
That would indeed explain why the regular beer is GK IPA. But not why there is no Abott Ale!
15 Jul 2008 16:16
Trainman - the GK IPA is (I presume) for people who want a pint of something they recognise. It is kept well here, and if memory serves was a recent champion beer at the GBBF. I agree it is boring for the beer sampler, but can be a boon when the guest ales are not to your taste.
14 Jul 2008 09:25
Roasts on sunday only �3.95. Fred must be here still after all!
11 Jul 2008 13:18
Excellent pint of London Pride, but no TV for the cricket, and they don't do the amazing bacon sandwiches any more.
11 Jul 2008 13:14
The Land of Liberty, Peace and Plenty, Heronsgate
Popped in yesterday - the beer was in top condition and as usual the toilets were spotless. The beer was better than the Wenlock!
8 Jul 2008 08:44
Three pounds a pint is too dear for me I am afraid. The beer selection on Sunday was rather boring too.
25 Jun 2008 13:15
I visit this pub when I see an interesting beer on. The last few days have had Crouch Vale Amarillo, which has been superb.
Anybody know why they have some sort of internal porch arrangement which cuts down the interior space at the front door? Would be much better without it - even with winter gales!
25 Jun 2008 13:10
On the last 3 occasions I visited this LRL (i.e. last week), the beer was excellent and only �2.60 a pint, and the pub was clean. Still one of the best pubs in St Albans.
24 Jun 2008 16:51
For the record, the Lower Red Lion is one of the cheapest pubs in St Albans, and the licencees are from Wolverhampton and Barnsley! What rubbish some folk post ....
30 May 2008 08:35
Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind TMJ. It is my favorite pub in London, but the gents is way dirtier than it used to be even a few months ago. It still gets 10/10 for atmosphere, beer quality and choice.
23 May 2008 14:57
Fenebranca - I love old school boozers - that is no excuse for a lack of basic hygiene!
28 Apr 2008 10:13
As I have said before, a great pub. But it is let down by the toilets, which need cleaning everytime I visit the pub, and smell disgusting (probably due to a lack of gradient in the urinal trough).
24 Apr 2008 09:16
I think the last post about price is unfair. The JHB for example is �2.50 a pint, whereas the price of a pint in the other decent St Albans pubs is 2.70 or 2.80 for a similar strength (Wetherspoons excepted of course). I can't comment on the price of lager or cider as I never drink it.
9 Jan 2008 10:58
So nice to have a pub where a free buffet is provided on new years eve for the customers, rather than having to pay fifteen quid for the priviledge of getting in the door!
2 Jan 2008 08:44
Excellent beer last Sunday (one Salamander, one Fernades), and a mystery beer with a prize for guessing the beer. The Sunday roast lamb and 10 veg was very good too.
29 Oct 2007 15:45
Seems to always have an interesting guest ale on (yesterday was Brains Mystic ale or somesuch). However, on a quiet night the throughput is low and so it was not in very good nick.
Decor is better, but the effect is spoiled by the fact that the whole bar reeks of smoke from the grill due to poor air con in the open plan kitchen.
11 Oct 2007 09:02
Excellent pints of Brains SA, excellent band last Sunday (Runaway boys) late license on a Friday and Saturday night, and a TV put in to watch the rugby world cup. Graet stuff!
10 Sep 2007 13:09
Anonymous - the Lower Red Lion is the Alehouse brewery tap ....
31 Aug 2007 15:47
Great place to while away the hours between lunch and when people leave work. Excellent Belhaven 80/-, and about 6 other rotating beers in excellent condition. Can get a bit busy later on, so go early if you want a seat.
15 Aug 2007 19:08
Great but tiny bar half way up the very long flight of steps called Fleshmarket Close. Had the stovies and the best pints of Inveralmond Ossian I have ever tasted. Recommended.
15 Aug 2007 19:04
The Kelham Island Tavern, Sheffield
I can't fault this pub. Excellent beer selection, the 5 I tried all in excellent condition. Attractive garden. Friendly people. New floor after the floods. Please don't change!
15 Aug 2007 09:58
The Hillsborough Hotel, Sheffield
Real ale heaven - I stayed here on 4 August and was bowled over by the friendly staff and relaxing ambience - not to mention the excellent ales. The bar is spacious with scrubbed foorboards and well upholstered seats round the walls. Bedrooms were clean and simply furnished.
I will be back again soon!
15 Aug 2007 09:54
Now a beefeater clone with beers such as green king ipa. When my freinds suggest going there I suggest proper pubs.
24 Jul 2007 14:04
Oh dear - looks like Fred isn't here anymore. No toastie's at lunchtime, a cloudy pint, and bar staff who are more interested in reading the local paper. At least it hasn't been tarted up yet!
24 Jul 2007 13:36
The Tayvallich Inn, Tayvallich
Had a good pint of Fyne Ales Avalanche. Wonderful views from the outside terrace, and good looking seafood. Interior lacks a bit of character!
24 Jul 2007 09:13
The Kilmartin Hotel, Kilmartin
Good pub - nice pint of Fyne Ales Highlander, Friendly staff. Stove looks like it will be cosyb in the winter!
24 Jul 2007 09:10
Good back street boozer with occassional interesting guest beers. Has a bar billiards table too. Much improved since the smoking ban.
19 Jul 2007 11:59
Visited again on 17th July, and had a stonkingly good pint of JHB. The Brown Cow Liberty and Plenty was excellent too. I wonder what pint the previous poster had? If he complained about a pint of the Alehouse, I am not surprised the landlord and brewer were "offhand". The landlord has always given me a new pint if the beer is off.
18 Jul 2007 15:35
I live in St Albans, and this is my pub of choice, despite the occasional "beer spotter". Excellent beer and friendly eccentric locals. Kevin the landlord runs the Alehouse Brewery and previously worked at the Church End Brewery, and all the staff are knowledgeable about beer. I suggest you try before you buy if you don't know the beer - for example Northumberland Brewery can brew sour iambic beer, which is not to everyone's taste, but is how the brewer intended it to taste.
12 Jul 2007 09:52
OK - I will step up to the plate with a minor criticism. I think �2.70 is a bit steep for a pint of Black Sheep - one can get a very decent pint of JHB for �2.30 elswhere in St Albans. David is an excellent landlord and knows how to keep the beer, but when he is not around the quality can slip. So in my opinion, only the second best pub in St Albans.
12 Jul 2007 09:42
The Swan, Wheathampstead
Good pub with very good beer. Reasonably dog friendly which is a plus.
20 May 2013 16:47