The Old Tap, Liverpool

There is a surprising number of micropubs in the Waterloo/Crosby areas just north of Liverpool. The Old Tap makes an appearance in the latest Good Beer Guide and is one that I'd not visited previously. On a wet Saturday evening, they were doing a brisk trade, such that I only managed to bag a table after I'd ordered my second beer. It's a typical micropub format with a single room, the bar being to the rear left. 4 cask ales were on - Red Willow Weightless, Ossett Belgian Blonde, Black Edge APA US Pale & Purple Moose Glaslyn. I enquired about ciders and was pointed to a fridge opposite the bar that contained various bottles. So, I stuck to the cask ales. Meanwhile craft beers were Vibrant Forest Out of Exile, Polly's Slow Limitations & Azvex Dark Matter Polaroid. There was also a large selection of spirits behind the bar, with a board advertising a cocktail special. Another decent addition to the local micropub scene. You can do a really good crawl in this area.

Facebook page of The Old Tap - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Old Tap - www.facebook.com

Brand new micropub on the very busy Crosby Road. It's obviously still a work in progress as the beer blackboard was still on the floor waiting to be put on the wall. All tables taken at 9:30 last night, we were lucky to get the last one. There were 22 of us in the bar, so it's not very big as you might expect. Four handpumps, all beings used, serving beers from Track, 4T's, Castle Rock and Hophurst. Maybe not the most inventive of line ups, but my Hophurst Wolf was in good nick, even if the brewery's beers aren't to my taste. Ms CAMRA enjoyed the red wine as well, so I'm pretty sure we'll be coming back here.