Cobbett’s, Dorking

After missing out on the chance to visit this place on all my previous visits to Dorking, I was pleased to finally make it through the door of what I had assumed would be a typical micro pub, but is in fact more like a small bottle shop. You enter into a bare boarded room with plain painted walls and large shop-style front windows. The room is notionally divided in two by a large archway in the centre, although to all intents and purposes, it's one continuous space. Low benches stand under the front windows and there's an upturned barrel for punters to stand around in the front part of room, with shelves and fridges rammed full of beer on either side. The servery is in the rear right corner and has a simple timber fronted counter and a plain bar back enlivened by a collection of keg inserts, a beer board and a disused fireplace converted into a storage cubbyhole. Opposite are some drinking ledges with high stools under various brewery mirrors, promotional bits, a rugby scrum training pad and loads of CAMRA certificates. Good alt-rock tunes were playing in the background and a corridor to the rear left takes you through to a small overflow space out the back with more ledges and high stools and walls decorated with beautifully framed pump clips. There's also some sort of taproom out here too, where my pint seemingly came from. A door then leads you out to a small back yard with bench and low stool seating under a hanging plant, with the outdoor toilet block to the rear. They only had the one cask ale available on this visit - the local Surrey Hills Shere Drop at £4.70 a pint, but the slack was taken up by the six craft keg options from the likes of Verdant and Dropkick, as well as two ciders. The Shere Drop was in excellent shape and the barmaid was very friendly and had some good banter with the regulars. I don't know if my delayed visit here built up my expectations too much, but I was a little underwhelmed by this place, due mainly to the bottle shop feel and the fact that they only had one cask ale - and a commonly found one for the area at that - on the bar. It doesn't strike me as the most comfortable place to settle down for a session, but the friendly service and excellent beer quality are definite plus points that probably still combine to make this the best option for good beer in Dorking. Date of visit - 23rd July 2024

Facebook page of Cobbett’s - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of Cobbett’s - www.facebook.com

The star of the Dorking drinking scene and a must visit,it's small with a bottle shop around the entrance ,a bar at the rear but along a corridor a back room with seating maybe for a dozen then an outside area with bench seating around the edge and sensibly large umberellas under which you can shelter if the interior is busy and it's raining outside .The outside loo is here,unisex so please aim straight. It will always be popular ,but you can drink vertically around the bar too.The Guv'nor fetches the real ale from a cellar and is a busy lad but full of good humour.His partner mans the bar too. Three real ale options on my trip Surrey Hills Ranmoor,Gilt Trip and Downlands Revival (a stronger option,outstanding,NBSS 4.5). There are 6 keg options and 4 real ciders. True to the micropub tradition there are no modern contraptions and conversation rules the waves.I really liked it and if you can get a seat this is the place for an extended and extensive session.Dont miss this one.

Cobbett's is a place I've been meaning to visit for some time. I finally made it yesterday and it just about achieved my expectation that it would be the best pub in Dorking. At the front is a typical bottle shop/off license with a good selection of bottles and cans. This room also contains the bar, with a number of handpulls and also taps for craft beers. A blackboard opposite the bar lists the beers and ciders on offer. Incidentally, this was the only place I could find in Dorking that sold real cider. Beyond the front shop a corridor with access to the cellar leads to the "micropub" part, essentially a small room decorated in a fairly old-fashioned style and designed to accommodate a number of people who can all easily engage in conversation. Beyond that is a small kitchen/bottle-washing area which you walk through to get to the rear yard, where there is more seating and where smokers can gather. The outdoor toilet can also be found here. Just the single real ale was on for my Tuesday visit. This was a very tasty, yet low ABV (just 3.7%) Three Blind Mice Small Town Hero. Whilst there was only one ale, I gather that a second and possibly a third are put on later in the week. Real ciders were Snail's Bank Mango Cider & Tumbledown, with a perry (Per) from Ascension. Craft beers were Whisper Floc, Unbarred Joosy, Burning Sky Robust Porter, Polly's Mosaic Vista & Downlands Reach For The Lasers. There was also a lager, if you are so inclined. Real ale (and presumably cider) are fetched from the cellar, meaning the bar's handpulls are just for show. The landlord must have gone up and down the stairs about a dozen times during the course of my visit. I doubt he needs to have any further exercise out of work! This is a friendly place that clearly has a good local following and it would also be my choice of hostelry if I lived in town, as the real ale and cider range is constantly changing. Dogs are also welcomed. When I arrived, I was the only customer. By the time I left, there were several others. This place can quickly fill up.