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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Image posted by peter ashworth
Submitted on Thursday, 30th June 2022
With picture contributions to 27173 other pubs
View all this pub's pictures (13 more images)
Detail Pages
The Farmers Boy, St Albans Central, St. Albans
St. Albans
AL1 1PQ
Served areas
Farmer's Boy
It's finally happening! We may have missed Easter but that's just made the Early May Bank Holiday a banger
3:33 PM Apr 28th 2023 from Twitter for Android
Reviews of The Farmers Boy (Average Rating: 5½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about The Farmers Boy
This is a cosy little traditional pub just a few minutes’ walk from St Albans City station. Entering directly to the main bar area, you find yourself in a room with modern floorboards, part panelled walls with plain uppers and some good-sized seating areas to either side. Low benches fill the front window bays, serving small tables with some comfy chairs in support. The space immediately to the left had been cordoned off for some reason, presumably related to the pandemic, but this was no great problem, as there are a good deal of settles and chairs down the right-hand side of the pub and even more further to the rear, past a dark fireplace with an attractive tile surround and small oval mirror above. The servery has an unattractive tongue and groove panelled counter front, but this is offset somewhat by the inclusion of nice chunky brass foot and hand rails and a characterful, cluttered old bar back. The walls throughout have been decorated with plain mirrors, old maps and black and white photos, which enhance the traditional feel of the pub and help you overlook a couple of the more questionable modern encroachments to the décor. Out to the rear right there is a sizable beer garden with loads of basic garden furniture and a fair amount of cover, but this was so popular on a Thursday evening, that it was no longer possible to get a seat out there when I arrived. A few more seats can also be found in a small fenced off pavement space to the front of the pub. Dance tunes played quietly in the background throughout my visit and I was a little surprised to see at least one child in the pub, with my visit being after 9pm.
The pub has a pretty good reputation for its cask ale and puts on a number of beer festivals over the course of the year. The options were limited to just the three when I arrived – Woodford Wherry, Rat White Rat and something from the New Bristol Brewery – and a very polite and chatty barman poured and delivered a fine pint of the White Rat, which I enjoyed whilst watching the world go by from one of the bay window seats.
I liked a lot of what I saw of this pub, in particular the friendly service and well-kept beer, but thought I probably wasn’t seeing it at its best, with most of the customers sat outside which diminished the atmosphere inside. I’d definitely give this one another chance though and have the feeling it could be one of the best St Albans has to offer, but on this particular occasion, it didn’t quite reach those heights.
On 19th August 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3350 recommendations about 3350 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Farmers Boy
The Farmers Boy is situated on the busy London Road.
I quite liked the look of this pub from the outside.
Once inside the bar faces in a single room,there are normal tables and chairs on the left side and bench seating and chairs on the right side,the right side extends to the rear and is down one step.
There were five real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Bath Ales Jem,which went down very well,the other real ales were Thornebridge Brother Rabbit,Adnams Mosaic,Magic Rock Hire Wire and one more i failed to read my notes of.
Background music was playing and the pub was quite busy on my Saturday afternoon visit.
I quite liked this pub.
Pub visited 24/6/2017
On 30th September 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Farmers Boy
Basic pub with a timber floor, red and white painted walls, quite bare looking. Their advantage here is the microbrewery out the back, serving Verulam beers. We decided on the Farmers Delight, which had just run out. Nevertheless, the brewer came back from the brewhouse with the Verulam Citra Hit, which was refreshing and priced reasonably. Never got any smell of cooking fat on this visit, which was a bonus.
On 23rd July 2015
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3644 recommendations about 3644 pubs]
View more reviews of The Farmers Boy (13)
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- Farmers Boy official site with menu and event details - www.farmersboy.co.uk
- Facebook - The Farmer's Boy, St Albans
- Twitter - Farmer's Boy
- CAMRA WhatPub :: The Farmers Boy - whatpub.com
St Albans Abbey, 0.74 miles, 14 min walk (show)
Park Street, 2.17 miles, 41 min walk (show)
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 August 2021 by Pub SignMan
- Bar Billiards : No last updated 19 August 2021 by Pub SignMan
- Beer Festivals : Yes last updated 19 August 2021 by Pub SignMan
- Beer Garden : Yes last updated 20 May 2011 by Will Larter
- Car Park : No last updated 19 August 2021 by Pub SignMan
- Child Friendly : Yes last updated 19 August 2021 by Pub SignMan
- Darts : Yes last updated 26 February 2015 by Will Larter
- Dog Friendly : Yes last updated 19 August 2021 by Pub SignMan
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 29 July 2013 by Dave McNally
- Karaoke : No last updated 19 August 2021 by Pub SignMan
- Live Music : Yes last updated 20 May 2011 by Will Larter
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 26 February 2015 by Will Larter
- Micropub : No last updated 19 August 2021 by Pub SignMan
- Pinball : No last updated 19 August 2021 by Pub SignMan
- Pool Table : No last updated 19 August 2021 by Pub SignMan
- Quiz Night : Yes - Tuesdays (Music) - last updated 26 February 2015 by Will Larter
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 20 May 2011 by Will Larter
- Real Cider : Yes - Polypins - last updated 26 February 2015 by Will Larter
- Wheelchair Access : Yes last updated 19 August 2021 by Pub SignMan
- WiFi : Yes last updated 19 August 2021 by Pub SignMan
