The Tap & Barrel, Wigston

Good sized place in a converted unit advertised as a micropub and a really pubby feel over its two floors; modern rustic décor with wood (including the ceiling), exposed brick, darts and a wood burning stove – everything’s done to a high standard. 80s classics on the speakers and a good demographic spread across the customers. Cobs available for £2.60. Six cask (majoring on Shippos) plus a selection of ciders, craftykeg and a simple wine list. Worked my way through the Shippos and got a set of well-conditioned beers for my trouble, easily GBG quality. Cask prices between £3.80-£4.90. I really enjoyed myself here and, if one uses the most flexible interpretation of the term available, it’s one of the best micropubs I’ve been in.

This micropub situated in Wigston's main shopping street was the highlight of our Leicestershire crawl on Sunday. With Leicester City being shown on the TV, the place was busy on our early Sunday evening visit, but emptied a little soon after the end of the match. The premises are quite large for a micropub. Spread over 2 floors, the ground floor features an impressive array of pumpclips on the walls and ceilings. A selection of board games was available to the left of the entrance, whilst the bar itself is at the far end. Either table service or conventional bar service was offered. The toilets can be found upstairs, along with a further room with a rather chintzy appearance. With no TV present, this was unused when we visited. 3 real ales are served. These were Two By Two Session IPA, Marble Extra Special Marble & Pentrich Rent It Shoes. Real ciders were Chanwood Cider Apple Special, Sileby Special & Dabinett/Michelin & Bottle Kicking Cider Company Scrambler, Cranberry & Cherry Cider, Rhubarb & Strawberry Cider & Summer Fruits. The ales, ciders and craft beers are all listed on a blackboard to the right-hand side of the bar, with real ales and ciders fetched from a cool room behind the bar. The craft beer selection was Liquid Light/Emperor Interstellar Hyperdrive, Verdant Pale Ale, Pentrich Cherry Sour, Arundel Blueberry Smoothie/Pastry Sour, Two By Two Pale, Polly's Indian Pale & Brew By Numbers #64 Imperial Stout - Tiramisu. All in all, this was a very impressive selection and I could have stayed in here for hours, had it not been for the 7pm closing and the fact I needed to head home at some point! Food is by the way of burgers, hot dogs and pizzas, along with some slightly more substantial meals (Boris would be suitably impressed). We ordered a couple of pizzas, which were quite enjoyable. The barmaid and owner both came to check that they were to our satisfaction. If only I had something like this near to where I live!

Official site of The Tap & Barrel - www.tapandbarrelwigston.co.uk

Official site of The Tap & Barrel - www.tapandbarrelwigston.co.uk