The Red Lion, Derby

Bit of a Frankenstein's monster of a pub. The original building has a couple of rooms which are grey and boring, with a much modern extension grafted onto the side and rear. It is * CAMRA Heritage listed which I was surprised to discover after the fact. Eight ales on in this GBG pub which seemed like a stretch and my Titanic Plum Porter was passable without being the quality pint I usually expect from this well-drunk brew (NBSS 2.5). Add in some mildly hostile locals and I didn't settle, all felt a bit odd. Maybe I was unlucky? But you can only play the cards that are dealt. I think the CAMRAs might have Guided the wrong pub in town, like AC Milan signing Luther Blissett instead of John Barnes.

Official site of The Red Lion - redlionkegworth.co.uk

Official site of The Red Lion - redlionkegworth.co.uk

This Victorian pub consists of three separate drinking areas all with access to the bar. Upon entering via the street, the room to the right is accessed only via this door and has a small serving hatch to the bar. The main two rooms are accessed to the left but also from the side entrance where there is also a covered smoking area. The front room leads through to the rear drinking area and both these have the main bar area shared between them. The few times we have been in here it has been busy with a wide range of age groups. Bar staff are friendly making this a great atmosphere and well worth visiting let alone the 8 real ales on during our recent visit. All the ones we tried were well kept including a very nice pint of Theakstons Mild.