York Tap, York

Permanent beer exhibition in the old station buildings which is a reliable place for a pint before/after your train journey or as a meeting point, but I find the busy, transient nature of the place does not really lend itself to a long session. Always a good choice of beers though, and I have never had one in bad condition.

I found myself with some time to kill between trains so I thought I would give this one a try. I got here just after 11:00 on a snowy Tuesday morning to find it fairly quiet. The famous banks of ten hand pumps on the island bar were full with just two ciders on offer. Even I wasn't going to make a note of that lot but did see two from Timothy Taylor and Arbor plus one from Vocation. I tried a Neepsend Raki and a Mallinson's Rasinook both of which were £3.60 which is probably not excessive for York (I paid more for mainstream dross in Whitby). By now I'd realised that the majority of the 18 beers on offer were bitters or pale ales around 4.0-4.5%. I decided to try one that obviously wasn't, the Tiny Rebel Stay Puft which although only being a modest 5.2% abv cost an exorbitant £4.60. My only other criticism of this one was a table near me where a not so young couple were sitting to be later joined by two not so young blokes one of whom was consuming a coffee from outside. They had obviously met here to catch a train and none of them spent any money across the bar. By the sound of them they were local but they should have been slung out. It's a good venue with a great beer range but I wasn't over enthusiastic about it.

A tremendous station boozer, already well reviewed. I was impressed by the ceiling windows which do a decent job of letting natural light in. Having stepped off a train just before 12 it seemed ridiculous to do anything other than head in for a pint. The Tap opens at 11, civilised if you're travelling, and there were a few punters already availing themselves of it's ale and warmth when I visited. Service was polite and swift and the ale range magnificent. My visit found 20 handpumps across both sides of the bar displaying the following: Harbour Ellensberg Session IPA, Lawman Horizon and Pixel Bandit, Oakham Bishops Farewell, Tapped Brew Co. Stout, Fyne Jarl, Squawk Falconers Flight, New Lion Mane Event, Half Moon Old Forge, Bad Seed Kiwi and Sobremesa, TT Landlord, Poulters Porter and Boltmaker, Moor Beer Raw, Saltaire Elderflower Blonde and Anarchy Boot Boys in addition to 2 ciders. If that doesn't hit the spot then there are also 10 keg pumps offering beer from quality breweries. That's a fantastic range, probably the widest in York, or indeed anywhere else that I can think of, and those I tried were in great shape. It perhaps doesn't have the warm and cosy atmosphere of a traditional boozer but that beer choice more than makes up for it. A must visit in York.

Good standard pub which I have visited many times and am always impressed by the selection of beers which are listed on blackboards so you don't need to be peering at the pumps to find out what strength you are asking for. Where I sat I could see a sign for the Chaplain's Office next door. Don't know if that is ominous or not!

Lovely preserved waiting room on main platform of the railway station. It has a slightly cold feel, but lovely set up with central bar & roof lights. Many beers of superb quality!

The York Tap is situated on York train station and has entrances from the platform and outside. Once inside there is a decent sized room with a large island bar,there are far too many pumps on the bar to take n what beer i wanted so i opted for the one nearest to me with a low gravity,i had a drink of Stancill Barnsley Bitter which went down very well. The seating is mainly normal tables and chairs. The pub was fairly busy with proper beer drinkers who seemed to know what they were talking about,so i decided to sit outside and watch the trains go by. This is a very good addition to Yorks pub stock. Pub visited 23/5/2015