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Submitted on Saturday, 8^th March 2025
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Jolly Tap, Barnsley

Pub added by aleand hearty

31 The Arcade
Barnsley
S70 2QP

Correct details

Served areas

Barnsley Central

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Jolly Tap on the Arcade @Fromthenorth10 Yeah no worries 6:10 PM Sep 19th 2020 from Twitter for iPhone

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Reviews of Jolly Tap (Average Rating: 7½ of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Will Larter left this review about Jolly Tap

The Jolly Tap on the Arcade, to give it its full name, started life as the Arcade Alehouse but has been run by the Jolly Boys Brewery for a number of years. My previous visits were on football days, back in the times when Luton Town used to play at Barnsley (wait for next season for a return), so it was pretty busy, being a small shop unit with an equally small upstairs room. My review from 2019 reminds me that I found the beer murky at that time, which is not a fault I observed on this occasion. We sampled four of the five beers on offer, skipping the porter, and my two halves (Supa Citra and ?PA - pronounced Why PA) were both "supa" and averaged NBSS 3.75 between them; my drinking companions were pleased with their Yorkshire Bitter and Barnsley Blonde, but they don't do beer scoring. We had the place to ourselves except for one bar hanger, which is an improvement on my memory of the overcrowding on match days, and overall this was the best pub of the seven we did on the day, with the best beer too.

On 8^th March 2025 - rating: 7
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Old Boots left this review about Jolly Tap

Located in a shopping arcade, it's a single room micro with toilets and function space upstairs. The counter is in the corner by the stairs, and there's a few seats by a pew in the window. Usual chatty atmosphere, good beers on the five pulls plus a couple of Central European kegs and boxed ciders. Four kegs on the back wall to complement.

On 6^th February 2020 - no rating submitted
[User has posted 3599 recommendations about 3279 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Will Larter left this review about Jolly Tap

The former Arcade Alehouse has changed hands and is now the brewery tap for Jolly Boys brewery, called The Jolly Tap (with Real Ale Cafe in smaller letters) on the apparently temporary banner above the door, or Jolly Boys' Real Ale Cafe on their Facebook page. But what's in a name, as some obscure playwright once had it. Apart from the name change and consequent change in the products on the bar, I didn't spot anything remarkably different about the place, but having only been here once before, and on both occasions finding it very busy with supporters of Barnsley FC and Luton Town, perhaps I missed something. There were four beers from Jolly Boys (Jolly Rancher American Pale, Jolly Collier Porter, Jolly Yorkshire Bitter and Jolly Blonde) and a guest from Hilltop brewery of Conisbrough. I wasn't super-impressed with the beer, which was a tad murky, but I'd be happy to call back again and give it another chance.

Date of visit: 24th August 2019

On 11^th October 2019 - rating: 5
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]

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