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Detail Pages
Red Lion Inn, Matlock
Birchover
Postal town: Matlock
DE4 2BN
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Red Lion Inn
I thought this was the better of Birchover's pubs. It has a small bar with a quarry tiled floor, a well and a log burner. Dried hops and tankards hang from the beams. There was no TV that I could spot but music was playing.
There is also a larger dining room with stone walls. Dogs are allowed in the pub but not in the dining room. Well behaved children are also welcome. A blackboard in the bar listed the cask ales and food specials. It also published the wifi code. A quiz night was due to be held on 23rd April but it wasn't clear if this was a regular event.
The pub has its own brewery (Birchover). Their Bircher Best & Nine Ladies are regularly stocked. A third beer on for our visit was Wigley Walker. SALT Alpacalypse was on keg. I couldn't spot any traditional ciders, leaving Rekorderlig & Aspall's as the keg choice. I missed the cash is king sign next to the bar and paid with card. It also seems that the pub/brewery must have had a falling out with CAMRA some time ago. CAMRA's website mentioned a discount on their beers but the landlady said that they didn't offer a discount and hadn't had anybody in from CAMRA for 20 years! The pub did appear in the Good Beer Guide back in 2011. So 20 years seems a bit of an exaggeration. Nvertheless, my Nine Ladies was a very enjoyable beer.
There are some outdoor tables to the front overlooking the main road through the village. Opening hours are limited to Thursday evening and all day Friday, Saturday & Sunday.
On 8th April 2026
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3460 recommendations about 3458 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Andy Ven left this review about Red Lion Inn
Two roomed pub. Customers in walking boots are welcome in the modest sized and basic bar which had wooden benches and stools, terracotta tiled floor and a dart board on the chimney breast above the wood burner. There is also a glass plate on the floor covering an old well head.
The other room is long and a bit smarter but still with a hard floor. It was occupied by a few diners.
On handpull there was Leatherbritches Ashbourne IPA, Thornbridge Jaipur, Burton Bridge Brewery Bridge Bitter and Nine Ladies Ale (brewed for the Red Lion by Peakstones Rock Brewery) – a nice dark amber bitter, as well as Weston’s Traditional Scrumpy and Country Perry. Around the other side of the bar were the usual keg offerings.
Food wise, sandwiches were a bit pricey at £4.50 upwards but I suppose these free house country pubs have to make ends meet somehow. Home made pork scratching were also on sale at £1 a bag.
I liked the place and I’d happily go back.
On 16th April 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 244 recommendations about 240 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about Red Lion Inn
This is a really nice pub there is a lot of ivy on the front of the pub.
Once inside here there is a smallish room with a stone floor and the bar is to the left there were 5 real ales on the bar with most of these being local beers,i had a drink of Peakstones Nine Ladies Ale which was reccomended by the barmaid this was a really nice amber coloured beer.
There was also Thornbridge Jaipur, Slaters Bitter, Wild walker Last Orders and Derby Brewing Co Blooming Blonde.
There were other rooms in this pub but we did'nt have a look round.
We were quite happy having a drink in here and would like to come back again.
On 14th October 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]