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The Beehive, St. Albans
St. Albans
AL1 1QL
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Beehive
This smart and comfortable town centre pub used to have a quite striking brewer’s Tudor façade until a makeover in 2015 resulted the whole front and side of the pub being painted over, including all the dark wood that made it stand out so much. Whilst this no doubt makes the pub look a lot more appealing and less old and stuffy to the younger clientele they are seemingly trying to attract, it does mean the pub has lost a fair bit of character and sadly, this story applies as much to the interior as it does to the frontage. You enter directly to the bar, with an island servery directly in front of you. The counter runs in an angular fashion through a series of seating areas, with a canopy supported by black pillars and a simple, modernised bar back. Seating can be found around all sides of the bar, offering a mix of basic tables and chairs and a few plusher button backed banquettes and tub chairs in spacious feeling areas with distressed timber flooring and wood panelled walls painted in rather dull shades of grey and cream. A lounge style area can be found over to the right, with some similar seating options around a nice modern fireplace. Meanwhile, to the rear, there is a slightly raised room with a mix of standard and high tables down either side of an otherwise similarly decorated room. A couple of TV screens were showing a muted cricket match and there was a fair bit of sports memorabilia on display, such as a cap worn by golfer Padraig Harrington. A door at the back of this room leads out to a popular beer garden with some gazebos and more sturdy permanent shelters full of bench seating amidst a good amount of greenery.
There were three clipped hand pumps when I arrived, but one of these, Morland Old Speckled Hen, had just gone off, leaving a straight choice between Tring Side Pocket and St Austell Tribute. I ordered a pint of the Side Pocket from one of the many bar staff who were running around with drinks orders and found it to be pretty pedestrian.
The obvious refurbishment that this pub has undergone seems to have robbed it of a bit of its heart and soul, leaving behind a perfectly acceptable, if somewhat unmemorable pub that will appeal to a much wider range of customers but is unlikely to have you racing back for more. I’m glad I stopped by but do wish I’d had a chance to see the place before the makeover.
On 19th August 2021
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about The Beehive
Tucked in an alleyway just off the main road, the Beehive is a pleasant pub which seems to have a strong local following. In the usual modern manner it has lots of light grey round the walls and bare floorboards but is reasonably comfortably furnished. The room to the right seems more aimed at food, with a benched room round the back to the left leading to a courtyard garden. No pub games but has a large quantity of board games for amusement. 3 handpumps included 2 from Tring Brewery which were sadly off leaving the Hobson's choice of Doom Bar. It was fairly drinkable though (Cask Marque accredited).
On 24th May 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3352 recommendations about 3289 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Beehive
The Beehive is a nice looking pub that is just off the main road.
Once inside there is a large single room with the bar facing and which is also almost an island bar,the floor is bare boarded,the seating bench type and chairs and some normal tables and chairs,the room extends to the rear on the left side and is up one step,there are tall tables and some bench seating here.
There were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of New River Riverbed Red,which was a decent drink,the other real ale was Taylor Boltmaker.
The background music was crap.
I thought this was a pretty standard pub.
Pub visited 24/6/2017
On 30th September 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about The Beehive
I too walked in and more or less straight out again encountering the same lack of beer as did Bucking Fastard below,the guy behind the bar did point out his beer delivery failed to turn up,but that fact did not only let him down but also the assembled group of pub crawlers. Having a quick look around I would have been happy to stop for a pint had there been a choice of beer,sadly this wasn't the case on the day.
On 21st July 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1875 recommendations about 1848 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Beehive
This proved a very short visit ,as only one of the four handpumps was working offering Adnams Ghostship.I did glance around the refurbed interior which has been completed in a modern style,with an open plan layout but lacking interesting features With such strong real ale competition within a stones throw,just offering a single real ale on a Friday lunchtime looked like a school boy error.
On 18th July 2015
- rating: 5
[User has posted 2730 recommendations about 2730 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about The Beehive
Lovely, busy modern pub.Superb pint of XT-15 English ipa.Really nice beer garden with cabins and an outdoor tv.Good bottled beer selection.
On 28th February 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Beehive
This pub has had a modern makeover, with the grey paint that signifies gastropub now in evidence. There are bare floorboards, and a mixture of high tables with appropriately high chairs in some parts, and lower tables with a variety of easy chairs elsewhere. Background music came from the indy/easy listening part of the spectrum. On the beer front, there were four hand pumps on the bar, serving Sharps Doom Bar, Otter Amber, Tring Side Pocket for a Toad and Adnams Ghost Ship. My beer was ok without being outstanding. This is one that I wouldn't mind calling into again if in the area.
On 26th February 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3751 recommendations about 3486 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about The Beehive
The smaller right hand side of the island bar in the Beehive was reserved for a private party during my visit on a recent Saturday evening. It was no problem though as this is a decent sized pub with plenty of room for drinking and watching sport on the many screens. The bar is stocked with standard draught products and I spotted two hand pumps that were drawing Adnams and Doom Bar. For some unfathomable reason I fancied a San Miguel which was served with a smile, but as flat and disappointing as I remember. At the rear of the pub there is a large paved beer garden and some decent mixed background music was playing to cater to the tastes of the clientele from various generations. Food is served throughout the day and the pub classics of sausage and chips etc were very reasonably priced on the specials board.
I thought that it was friendly and welcoming in here and I’d have no problem returning when next in the area.
On 17th May 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5268 recommendations about 5236 pubs]