The Red Lion at Litton is famous for real ale and has long been a favourite for discerning beer drinkers.  We are once again in The Good Beer Guide 2012 and have also achieved top marks in our Cask Marque assessment, so you can be sure of a decent pint!  Our staff are well trained and are always happy to advise when you’re struggling to decide which beer will suit your tastes best.

We always have three traditional hand-pulled beers on offer, sometimes four. As part of our philosophy of supporting local businesses, the majority of the beer on offer will be brewed in Derbyshire or South Yorkshire.

Our most popular beer is one of our regulars, Oakwell Brewery’s Barnsley Bitter.  A distinctive bitter with an even balance of hops and malt and a lasting aftertaste.  At just 3.8% this is our easy drinking session beer.  A legend in it’s own lifetime, it has received numerous CAMRA awards.

Our other regular choice is Absolution from Abbeydale Brewery in Sheffield – a mid-straw coloured beer with aromas of tropical fruit and elderflower flavours.  The beer is sweet all the way through, balanced by bitterness at the finish.  A clean tasting beer, sweetish but not cloying.  It is very drinkable… but beware! It packs quite a punch at 5.3%.  Winner of many awards, Absolution is a perennial favourite.

Our third pump is usually connected to a cask of one of the pale, easy-drinking beers, normally from one of our local micro-breweries or occasionally from further afield.  You will normally find one of the following:

• Wild Swan 3.5% – Thornbridge Brewery, Bakewell, Derbyshire.
• Rampant Lion 4.1% – Whim Ales, Hartington, Derbyshire.
• Golden Pippin 3.9% – Copper Dragon, Skipton Brewery, North Yorkshire.
• BG Sips 4.0% – Blue Monkey Brewery, Ilkeston, Derbyshire
• Deuchars IPA 3.8% – The Caledonian Brewing Company, Edinburgh.

Our final pump is not always in use – because we have a small cellar we find it better to keep three beers in top notch conditions than run four at all times.  However we occasionally get just one cask of something different to give our regulars more variety these often include.

• Hobgoblin 4.5% – Wychwood brewery Oxfordshire.
• Broadside 4.7% – Adnams Sole Bay Brewery Southwold.
• Spitfire Premium Kentish Ale 4.5% – Shepherd Neame, Faversham.
• 6X 4.3% – Wadworth Brewery, Devises.