The Rifleman, Epsom

After a visit to the Jolly Coopers the other side of the town, that pub and the Rifleman restored my faith in the British pub. Situated next to a railway bridge, the interior of this pub is fairly cosy and features lots of wood. An outdoor area at the rear has both covered and uncovered seating. Hardy & Hanson's The Rifleman is the regular ale here. Guests were Surrey Hills Ranmore & Twickenham Naked Ladies. I was also happy to see a real cider - Sandford Orchards Devon Scrumpy.

Un-inspiring small street corner pub.Very busy with good outside space to the rear.Surrey Hills -Shere Drop (very good) and 2 dull GK beers on cask.G

This pub is unchanged since the previous reviewer’s visit. When we were in there the other evening there were half a dozen ales on, which is very good going for a GK pub, even though this is one of theirs that has a policy of matching their own ales with guests. From the GK stable we had Abbot, St Edmounds, and something called Rifleman, which is no doubt some re-badged GK ale, plus Posh Pooch and Alley cat from Ascot Brewery, and Surrey Hills Shere Drop. The three guests were all sampled and were found to be in good nick. On the wall behind the bar counter were helpful tasting notes on all the ales. This is definitely a worthy addition to the Epsom real ale scene. There are probably enough decent pubs in Epsom now to make a worthwhile pub crawl.

Small, single bar Greene King pub with basic furniture and decor. Not many punters, but a fierce-looking dog. Abbot on handpump, and IPA available from one of the modern dispensers (£3.10). Overall, I couldn't help but wonder whether this old-fashioned boozer would still be open next time I am in the area.