Mad Squirrel Tap, Hertford

Bucking Fastard left this review about Mad Squirrel Tap

ORIGINAL REVIEW of The Snug December 2011.

Formerly Scruffy Murphy's and then Bar Humbug,this bar is now part of a small chain .There is a modest frontage with large picture windows and you are very visible from the street,it feels a bit like drinking on display in an Amersterdam kind of way.
The interior has exposed brickwork from a central fireplace which is now defunct, narrow bench seating around the windows,with a few tables ,leather backed chairs and some more traditional pub furniture at the rear.The floor is stripped pine and the bar is in the centre of the building with seating areas to either side.Out the back is a decking area with inset spot lighting ,looking quite smart.Musak is played below eardrum shattering volume and there is a lot of vertical drinking.
As you might expect there is no real ale but a selection of draught beers and lager,my Pilsner Urquell was an eye watering £4.60pp.Cocktails and shots are the order of the day,there is a 2 for 1 happy hour(s) from 3pm to 7 pm and food is served .
This is a popular venue with women which in itself attracts a mixed assortment of generally younger men and the vibe is charged with hope and expectation.
My visit was part of a pub crawl,it's not the sort of place I would normally inhabit although it does serve a purpose if you are looking for a bit of action.It was a lot more popular than the real ale venues in town on Black Friday,no surprise there then.

REVIEW of Mad Squirrel Tap.

Reopened in December 2025,the interior space has been maximised ,a new door gives way to the bar immediately ahead ,with drinking shelves and room for vertical drinking .To the right is an exposed brick double sided fireplace ,unusable but seperates this section from the bar and consists of a long bench in brown leather,traditional tables and chairs and a door to the rear beer garden.The left side of the interior has more round and oblong tables and a few high tables along the side wall.The floor is in pine,above the dado rail Farrow & Ball colours make for a smart appearance.Food such as burgers,wings,eventually pizze are available with mains around £14.
Muzak was jazz and funk ,not too loud while the main attraction was from the three handpumps and 14 wall mounted taps.Just one real ale on my trip Mad Squirrel Winter's Tail NBSS 4 ,a handpumped cider while the third pull was not being used.
The taps are mainly Mad Squirrel across a mix of styles such as stouts,IPA's,Pales,lagers and a sparkling cider while guests consist of Budvar lagers and a solitary guest indie beer from Lost Pier.
The best way to check the range of indie beers is to use Untapped which will be updated by the crew.A friendly welcome and I will be using this pub quite a lot in future hoping for a second real ale and the chance to sample on keg some interesting beer.Worth including on any crawl around town.

On 18^th December 2025 - rating: 7
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