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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum

Image posted by Old Boots
Submitted on Monday, 1st April 2024
With picture contributions to 3577 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (6 more images)
Detail Pages
Handley Tap, York
Osbaldwick
Postal town: York
YO19 5UP
Served areas
Reviews of Handley Tap (Average Rating: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about Handley Tap
Brew York’s weekends only taproom based at their Osbaldwick brewery and HQ. The taproom usual of a large open space in an industrial building, most of it seems to be warehousing for canned beers and racks for cask conditioning in wood. There’s a servery to the right when you enter from the yard, the rest of the taproom is filled with seating comprising a mix of sofas and chairs and tables of every imaginable type, each table with a daft tea light, including the inevitable casks as tables and firkins used as table bases. There’s a pool table to one side and a street food stall in the front corner, Cluck N Dough today, not sure if that changes as at other taprooms. Gossamer fine banners advertising Brew York beers hang from the roof as decor. The counter has four hand pumps with three running today and 10 keg taps on the back wall obviously with a range of Brew York beers and there’s a couple of fridges. The cask was a touch tired and the keg over carbonated, cold but not dreadfully chilled. A screen above scrolls through the choices, this is repeated on an even bigger pull down screen, sometimes replaced with sport of some sort further back in the building. This is fed from a projector balanced on a Tun cask. Similar middle class clientele to Graham’s visit maybe less knitwear and certainly only a few rugrats and beards. Actually as I left a hill billy family with beards and brats arrived, I could almost hear the Duelling Banjos.
Is it worth the bus ride out*, well only if you collect brewery taprooms, I’ll stick with their place in Walmgate or even Leeds (when it’s open).
*other forms of transport are available.
On 1st April 2024
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3599 recommendations about 3279 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Handley Tap
To the back of a rather run-down industrial estate there is one modern building. Entering inauspiciously past the offices and toilets you find yourself in a large industrial space with a rack of beer-ageing barrels separating the brewing bit beyond. A homemade-looking bar stands to one side, with 10 keg taps on the wall behind and a couple of handpumps on the counter. Above is a screen detailing the brews on offer, all Brew York stuff apart from a couple of ciders. Prices seemed to be same as in town, where you get a better selection. There is a can fridge and a cocktail section also.
A good quantity of seating consists of a mismatched collection of large tables and chairs, with a few cast-off sofas for comfort. Catering is usually provided by a kitchen van of some sort outside, which means leaving the side access open to arctic winds, if you are not lucky. The clientele on a Saturday afternoon were mostly knitwear-wearing families out for a walk, beards obligatory (for males at least). Fair enough if you like brewery taps but not really worth the schlep out of town.
On 19th November 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3641 recommendations about 3576 pubs]
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- Official site of Handley Tap - brewyork.co.uk
- CAMRA WhatPub :: Handley Tap - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Accommodation : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Car Park : Yes last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Darts : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Function Room : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Hot Food : Yes - kitchen van some sessions - last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Jukebox : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Karaoke : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Live Music : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Live TV Sports : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Micropub : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Pinball : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Pool Table : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Quiz Night : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Real Cider : No last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 19 November 2022 by Graham Coombs