Lower Red Lion, St Albans Central, St. Albans

I remember coming here in years gone by, including with my grandfather, who has been gone for nearly 40 years, and wasn't up to pub going from about 1980. Now being run by the local 3 Brewers, and on this occasion all six beers were theirs. I went for the IPA, which was a bit sweet for my taste, and the Classic, which had wowed me at a previous pub. Perhaps my taste buds were jaded, or there was a residual smell of wood smoke, but this was not the same, though it came from the same batch. There was nothing wrong with the beer, it just tasted different, and I thanked the brewer/publican for taking the time to listen to me, and he thanked me for my feedback. I really must come back some time and enjoy myself properly. In the meantime, please read Graham's review below.

Old fashioned but pleasant pus hidden down the hill from the town. Good Beer Guide entry and did have a selection of beers. Child free and with an outside space, though this is within the car park but big enough to be separate.

The Lower red Lion is a nice looking pub that is situated on the very nice looking Fishpool Street. Once inside there are two separate rooms,the room to the right is square shaped and carpeted,there is comfy bench seating and normal tables and chairs,the right side of the room is up one step. The room to the left is also square shaped and carpeted and has bench seating and chairs. There were four real ales on the bar,i had a drink of 3 Brothers Blonde,which went down well,the other real ales were Dark Fox Bitter,Tring Gazelle and Vale Brill Gold. I had a good chat with the friendly young couple who were behind the bar on my Saturday dinner visit,they also gave me directions to the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks. I thought this was a very pleasant and comfortable pub to have a drink in. Pub visited 24/6/2017

Another classic pub in St Albans. How spoilt they are! Two rooms and I always seem to pick the one where the action isn't. Tonight, I missed out on joining the Hertfordshire Whisky Tasting society! Made do with an excellent Paradigm Win Win. Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2tMDBNJ

Just a short walk in the opposite direction to the town centre from St Albans Cathedral, this is a smart and friendly two bar pub with a good ale policy. The entrance porch offers doors to each bar on either side. The right hand door takes you into the Albans Bar – a smart Public Bar with a simple bar counter to the left and a good mix of seating in a spacious open area opposite. Walls have been painted in fairly neutral colours, enlivened a little by some sparse decor including old pictures, a few mirrors and a series of dark wood struts which act as an effective form of semi-partitioning from the far right part of the room. A unique feature has to be the pub dog wall, which comprises a section of wall next to the bar covered in photographs of various dogs that have seemingly visited the pub down the years. A few old boys were sat at the bar here, enjoying some noisy banter with customers spread around the rest of the room. The quieter Verulamium Bar to the left, accessed by a passage behind the servery, is carpeted and has exposed brick and stone walls with a few more of those drab wall panels to the rear. There is a large inglenook fireplace on the back wall with a nice little stove inside and a Newcastle Brown Ale mirror to one side. Elsewhere, decor is limited to some small photos on the end wall, whilst there is a boxy dark wood servery to the right. Music played quietly in the background and the locals all seemed like a friendly bunch. On the bar I noted XT 6 and one other beer from the same brewery, Watling Street Pale, Three Brewers of St Albans Classic English Ale and Tring Side Pocket for a Toad. A very friendly and welcoming barmaid served up a pint of the XT6 which was in great shape and I really savoured it whilst reading my paper in the quieter left hand bar. This is a quality local’s pub with a lively public bar and peaceful saloon which should appeal to a decent range of customers. It’s far enough in the wrong direction to avoid the tourist masses, but still close enough to town to add to a crawl or seek out in its own right. I enjoyed this one and would be happy to settle down over a pint or two in here again.

Lovely pub with friendly helpful bar staff and great selection of real ales, maybe 7/8(?) when I visited on Sat, but are they stocking too many without adequate through-pull? The two we sampled were not crystal clear and, while not quite rejectable, did not taste as clean as one might expect in what is obviously a beer haven. Sadly, I was a little disappointed this time.