The Farmers Boy, St Albans Central, St. Albans

A crushing disappointment. Two of the five ales off when I ventured in on my visit a couple of months back. Of the three remaining one of those was pretty poor (Deuchars) and the brewpub's own Farmers Boy spluttered out as we ordered it with no replacement barrel forthcoming - oh dear! There's a paved beer garden, a TV and a food bar (the Farmer's Kitchen) which was idle, perhaps they had foot and mouth. Possibly the worst pub sign I've ever seen - looks like something from a crèche. There was also a swarm of mites buzzing round which just added to the pain. I really didn't see much here to warrant the hype. Sometimes you catch places on an 'off' day but having seen this I wonder if they know what an 'on' day is.

I noted yesterday that the TFB pub sign which caused a certain furore has now gone and has been replaced with what looks to be similar to the original and is more in keeping with tradition.

Home of the Alehouse Brewery (formerly Verulam Brewery), the in-house ales are the main reason for making the short stroll from the City Centre to this otherwise quite unremarkable pub. The L shaped interior is quite plain and nothing particularly stands out away from the bar top. Furnishings are quite basic (a single sofa being the only concesion to comfort) with bare floors and a few old pictures of the City. A brace of TV’s bookend the drinking area and our visit coincided with the 6 Nations England v Scotland rugby match that drew a decent and lively crowd. There are quizzes on Wednesdays and live music on Thursdays but unless there is something going on I could see the place being a bit sterile. As for the beers, they don’t appear to have a particularly big range and only 2 of their own ales were available (Clipper IPA and Farmers Joy) with Landlord and something badged as Winter Warmer Amber Ale (no idea what this was) making up the 4 available ales, a 5th pump being unused. The Alehouse beers seem to attract mixed opinions but my Farmers Jioy was fine without being particularly memorable. The pub is worth a visit if only to make up your own mind and it is unlikely you will find them much beyond the local area.

A fairly modern even minimalist feel inside but with hops over the central bar hinting at tradition. Wooden floors and a lack of soft furnishings make for a noisy environment. A mix of seating includes drinking shelves against the walls. Some photos of old St Albans. The on site Alehouse Brewery supplies Farmers Joy and Clipper IPA, Pride Adnams Bitter and TT Landlord also. Xmas lights up in the windows already! A lot of fuss made over the replacement pub sign, which now says TFB. I can understand, tradition easily swept away.