White Hart Tap, St. Albans

My first thought, on entering was "that's a poor choice of ales", having spied Wadworths 6X and 2 Timothy Taylors, along with Old Rosie cider. A second look showed 3 more hand pumps clipped for beers from Two Flints, Tring and Burnt Mill, so the final conclusion was of a good beer focused pub, which seems to hold great appeal to local dog owners (at least 3 animals in tonight). Lighting is kept to a fairly low level; it's fairly cosy on the left-hand side where there's a fire; to the right side is a somewhat sterile open-plan room. Well worth a look-in.

Attractive pub in an area of quiet side streets, but just a few minutes from the city centre. Partly opened out inside to leave seating in the limited space on three sides of the central counter but still quite homely. There's a dining area to the right in the single-storey extension, with a raised beer garden beyond and a few wooden benches out front. With a total of seven handpumps, I found Side Pocket for a Toad from Tring (£5.30), Verdant's Light Bulb, Heart Drones from Pentrich, 6X and a pair from Timothy Taylor -Landlord and Golden Best - along with Old Rosie (and ten other ciders in the cellar).