Mad Squirrel Tap, St Albans Central, St. Albans

Approaching though a small shopping arcade off the main street this modern retail unit looked very dead, but as earlier reviews mention this level is a fairly featureless overspill sort of area and the main activity is downstairs, with its own entrance off an alley behind the cathedral. Downstairs is still modern but has more atmosphere, with dark green paintwork and industrial-type tables. There is also a patio area outside. Two out of three handpumps were in use, serving a strong bitter and a white milk stout, with a keg selection of 16 of their own brews, one guest and a couple of ciders. As usual for crafty places the prices were a bit steeper, froom £5.80 upwards. Food is also available, mostly of the pizzas/wings variety. Fine for sampling their beers but I can't say it would attract me for a session.

Unlike the previous reviewer I did have the opportunity to spend some time here and thought it a pretty good Tap room. It’s quite large if you consider the three main areas of the ground floor with the main bar, the upstairs room where the toilets are, with its own bar that can be used as a function room for hire, and a decent outside patio space that has the cathedral as its backdrop. I thought the main downstairs bar had enough character with one wall decorated with framed Mad Squirrel adverts and the largest wall decorated with two framed St Albans City football shirts, as Mad Squirrel sponsor the team shirt. The wooden bar, with its three ale pumps, twenty two tap wall and two large TV screens detailing the beers on dominate the far wall as you enter. Two ales on the three pumps with London Porter and Evolve Bitter available, both of which were very good and then between us we tried the Big Sea West Coast IPA, Shamrock Irish Stout, Hopfest Session Pale and Roadkill New England IPA from the Mad Squirrel brews available on the keg taps and there were a few keg guests if you wanted to go away from the breweries own products.

I've been in a number of Mad Squirrel taprooms, but this one was a new one for me. What we assumed was the main entrance (as per the photograph on here) can be found in a dreary shopping precinct. However, the bar was empty and wasn't showing any signs of life. Luckily, we decided to take a closer look and found a set of steps to the side. If you descend these, you will find the ground floor of this taproom. What we had originally seen was an overflow first floor area. Instead of the empty bar we saw, the ground floor was quite busy. There's no particular character here, with a simple room with bench-style seating. Beers are displayed on TV screens. There were a couple of their cask ales - Aussie Aussie Aussie & Diablo. However, the focus here is on their craft beers. The selection was Sumo, Fog Off, Hopfest, Evergreen, Zealous, Big Sea, Pulp Fiction, Roadkill, Sunrise on the Pier, Utopia, Apres Ski, De La Nut, Pin Drop, Huka Falls, Busted Biscuits, Foggy, Awaken, Baked Alaska, Aztec, Elephant Juice & Shamrock. I'd imagine that craft beer enthusiasts could enjoy a good session here. We didn't have too much time before we needed to get a bus to Luton. So, it was a swift half for us, which may have meant that we didn't quite get to appreciate it as much as it deserved. I suspect I will give this place another go one day, when I have a little more time. First impressions were that this is a half decent place

Always a good welcome here, and always some crazy and strong craft stuff to get stuck into. They have increased the number of taps over the years and also have two hanpumps, one of which usually has one of their own beers. Pleasant outdoor patio area with views of the Abbey.

Standing in the shadow of St Albans cathedral, this is a pleasant, modern brewery bar from the local Mad Squirrel Brewery. The bar has a simple, single room set-up with smart new floorboards that contrast nicely with the timber-clad walls and a dark painted feature wall with some wood-cut style decorative patterns along it. Seating is a mix of rustic high metal framed tables with padded bar stools and some short banquettes and a few chairs, both serving nice, modern tables, whilst ample standing space has been created through the centre of the room. Décor is mostly of a promotional nature, with the most striking example being a large metal squirrel head shaped cut-out on the right-hand wall, but various brewery posters also dot the wall and a pump clip collection is making its way across the ceiling and down the back wall. The bar is in the rear right corner of the pub and has a dark wood counter in front of what looked like a tiled bar back with all of the keg taps lined up along it, above a large slops trough. A large window to the front right looks out to a nice side patio drinking area with several picnic benches and patio heaters and a glimpse or two of the cathedral. More seating was advertised on the first floor, but I didn’t get around to visiting, preferring to stay in the busy main bar area where a great contemporary punk soundtrack played at a sensible volume. There were just the two cask ales available on this visit – Mad Squirrel Pacific and Mister Squirrel – but these were ably backed up by no less than 24 keg beers listed on the boards above the bar. All but six of these were Mad Squirrel brews, with the guests coming from the likes of Verdant, Newton Park, Atom and Wild Weather. Beer can only be ordered via QR code, which was a problem for me, as my phone can’t read them, so the guy that greeted and seated me sent someone over to take my order the old-fashioned way instead. He sold me on the Pacific on cask, but I thought it was a very weak, watery and flavourless beer and didn’t really enjoy it at all, in marked contrast to other Mad Squirrel beers I’ve tried in the past. Payments can only be made by card. Having enjoyed this brewery’s Berkhamsted bar, I had high hopes for this place, but left feeling a little underwhelmed thanks to the flavourless beer and rather functional interior. I generally enjoy beers from this brewery and wouldn’t let one disappointing visit deter me from returning again, but this didn’t really stand-out from the crowd in the way I had hoped and expected it would.

Tucked away through a narrow pedestrianised walkway to the Abbey,this is the latest tap from Mad Squirrel.Unlike some other of their premises this is much less bottle shop more pub,but there are still a few fridges to choose bottled beer with a 40% discount on carry out. It's a modern building and there is a dark exterior stairway to an upper level where there is another entrance into an overflow area.However the lower entrance opens into the serving bar back at the rear with 22 keg wall mounted taps and three handpumps. The interior is quite sparse with rough wood facing on both the bar and walls.A drinking shelf is made out of the same rough wood,while there are additional high tables and some small orange leather benches.It feels very hip.There is a good sized outside terrace.Decent muzak was playing at a sensible volume and the young bar tender was friendly and helpful.He explained that at any time there might be 13 Mad Squirrel beers on keg,some regular,some occasional together with 8 guest kegs.(On my visit from Fyne,Magic Rock and Burning Sky all top quality brewers) while on handpump there will be 2 Mad Squirrel (on my trip Mr Squirrel and Big Sea IPA (£4.20 and fabulous))with a third handpump for a guest. Pizze is the food option and they do beer and pizza deals. If you are a fan of keg ,your heart will sing when entering here and there is some pokey gear to get involved with.If on a real ale tour don't miss out here. Mad Squirrel are a fine brewer and this place delivers .

Official site of Mad Squirrel Tap - www.madsquirrel.uk

Official site of Mad Squirrel Tap - www.madsquirrel.uk