Tap & Barrel, Pontefract

A large, formerly multiroomed pub opened out in alehouse style, with four hand pumps on the bar. A smell of furniture polish was noticeable as I entered - there are worse smells - and the colour scheme was even odder: pink and darker pink, with red plush-covered bench seats. A real fire raised my spirits a little, the background music lowered them again. Four hand pumps on the bar, with one vacant. A chocolate fudge milk stout ruled itself out straight away, which left a choice between Timothy Taylor Landlord and Black Sheep Bitter. I went for the latter, but it was "not right", as I wrote in my notebook at the time. I didn't want to take it back and risk the Landlord being just as bad, and as it wasn't actually undrinkable I just supped up and left. The fact that no one else was drinking real ale should have been a warning, I guess. Date of visit: 27th February 2020

Sadly I couldn't take many notes for this pub as my pen ran dry and my phone died so relying on some hastily scribbled notes with a pen lent by the lovely barmaid this is what I found. It's a very music oriented pub with live music at least weekly and constant canned music the rest of the time apparently. Dark and U-shaped I saw two pulls, although WhatPub says four, and a multitude of keg taps. I can't tell you the beers due to the poor notes and coming over inebriated. Whatpub for this area seems fairly inaccurate all round.

Official site of Tap & Barrel - www.tappontefract.uk

Official site of Tap & Barrel - www.tappontefract.uk

The Tap and Barrel is situated on the edge of Ponefracts shopping area. The pub is now painted in the crap modern battleship grey,so i should have expected what was to come once inside. The pub has a single oblongish shaped room with the bar facing,there is some bench seating and normal tables and chairs to the left,the right side is bare boarded and has tall tables and chairs and some high backed bench seating. There are two real ales on the bar and a few craft crap beers,the pub is now operating as an Artisan Tap house,which gives it the right to over charge for the area. I asked for a half of GK IPA to be told we dont do halfs anymore,i replied a half pint is an English imperial measurement for beer so why dont you do it,to be told 2/3 of a pint is the new measurement,so i had to go with it,i was gob smacked when i was asked for £2.11 for the crap 2/3 of a pint of GK IPA,i commented that most other pubs in town were serving beer at a £1.00 cheaper,the other beer was Pedigree. There was some decent background music playing to an empty room apart from my self. The bar staff or landlord and landlady sat behind a screen to the rear left watching a GK video about how to run a pub properly. All other pubs in town were buzzing on my Wednesday dinner visit,this one was empty,i think that tells a story. Pub visited 29/7/2015