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White Hart Tap, St. Albans
St. Albans
AL1 1QJ
Pub Type
Punch TavernsReviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about White Hart Tap
Nice pub with a slightly suburban feel, which actually retains some wood-coloured wood, although much painted grey as is typical. This includes the ceiling beams, which reveal its age. The bar faces you in entry, with a long room extending off to the right leading to a garden, and a back room behind the bar. Six handpumps carried a wide range of beers and condition seemed excellent. Ciders also available.
On 24th May 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about White Hart Tap
Ha quite a make over since the last time I used it, several years ago. Quiet on a Monday night, so unfair to rate its ambiance but the one thing that will remember is the £4.40 for a Timothy Taylor Landlord. I visited all the Good Beer Guide entry pubs and I'm sure this was the priciest.
Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2x7wj5w
On 19th October 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1338 recommendations about 1324 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about White Hart Tap
Nice, friendly beer house in between the two stations, long room with a row of wooden tables, good beer choice & quality
On 2nd August 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about White Hart Tap
This is a smart backstreet pub with a single room layout and a reputation for good ale that was no doubt enhanced by its appearance on the cover of a recent edition of the Good Beer Guide. You enter directly to the bar area with the servery opposite the front door in a space with light wood flooring. Some low stools and standard chairs fill out what limited space there is in this front part of the pub, including in a bay window and over to the left where a couple of tables have been squeezed in front of a fireplace with a plain mirror above. Over to the right there is a fair sized carpeted lounge-style area with comfy banquettes, chairs and low stools underneath walls decorated with some nicely framed pump clips, various bits of breweriana and a small collection of old 'Good Beer Guide - We're in it' posters, including the aforementioned one bearing the pub's image. The room runs a short way behind the servery, into a laminate floored area with regular seating options, some decent brewery mirrors and a shelf stacked with a fair collection of board games. There is a nice garden to one side of the pub with some large trees acting as a bit of shade on hot days, whilst a few additional benches can be found out on a paved section to the front of the building. Various CAMRA magazines were available and there was a fairly mixed crowd in on my Sunday evening visit,including a few well behaved dogs dozing at one end of the room.
The pub's reputation as a top ale house certainly preceded my visit and I had high hopes of some quality beer. I found a good selection on handpull, comprising Oakham Citra and Enough Rope, Brewster's Lucy Walker, Castle Rock Harvest Pale, Sharps Doom Bar, Taylor Landlord and Holden's Toffee Porter. I sampled a pint of the latter, which was as sweet, sticky and moreish as the name might suggest and it went down a treat, which was handy as I had a bit of a rush to get back to the station in time for my train home. The barmaid serving me was very polite and the place looked pretty spotless, so they obviously take a fair bit of pride in the service they provide here.
This was a nice way to round off a pleasant mini-crawl around St Albans, as i was able to enjoy some quality beer in a friendly atmosphere, in keeping with my experience throughout the city all day. The place perhaps lacks a little of the character required to make it really stick out from the crowd in a city blessed with plenty of decent drinking holes, but it has enough going for it to make it well worth a bit of exploration.
On 26th April 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about White Hart Tap
Two extra ales have been added in the six years since I was last here with seven on; Roosters Seventh Inning, Castle Rock Harvest Pale, a house beer of unknown provenance, St Austell Proper Job, TT Landlord, Doom Bar and Samuel Adams Blonde Ambition (decent nick). Good selection of bottles too. Seems to have had a sprucing-up here and there, I noted a nice fireplace topper amongst the decor. To the right, up steps, is a surprisingly spacious grassed beer garden with a couple of weeping willows. As mentioned below, a good atmosphere within and feels well-utilized by the locals. A default visit nowadays by the looks of it, another St Albans improver since 2009.
July 2009
Backstreet pub specializing in ales Five available (Landlord, Bitter & Twisted, Burton Inde Coop, Deuchars and Pride) - a decent selection but the two I sampled were decidedly flat and out of condition. Recently refurbished in light colours (including the bar) it's a nice enough pub inside and bigger than it looks from the exterior, plenty of light if you can bag a seat by the large bay window. Daily papers are available. Unconvinced on the strength of this visit unfortunately, needs better quality control on the beer. Rated 5
On 1st August 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about White Hart Tap
Joined the already in full swing Pubs Galore St Albans crawl at this venue and was a very good pub to start.
It’s not the most characterful of interiors but a good back street community pub and good to find a lively crowd utilising the main bar area and the recessed area behind the bar and then plenty in the pleasant enclosed raised garden area which can be accessed up some steps from the far door on the right.
Good beer range available on the six pumps and the Castle Rock Harvest Pale was an excellent choice for first pint of the day.
On 31st July 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about White Hart Tap
A busy and very lively locals pub with a good atmosphere and an even better assembly of beer from the six handpumps, like Ray below I opted for Roosters Seventh Inning Stretch, and I agree it was in excellent shape.More than worth a revisit.
On 28th July 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about White Hart Tap
Liked this pub a lot, especially the beer quality. I went for the Roosters Seventh Inning Stretch, which was an excellent well kept beer and would have gladly stayed for a few more.
The landlord was appreciative of my good comments on his beer. Would defo call again.
On 23rd July 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
john gray left this review about White Hart Tap
Very busy and noisy with people chatting so its a local regulars pub.Quite small but cosy with outside space for a few tables at the side.6 beers on but mostly regionals and Leighton Buzzard brewery -Sand Man which was excellent. Nice pub.
On 28th February 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1023 recommendations about 1009 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about White Hart Tap
This pub is one of several situated in the back streets of the City,all in charming positions making for an interesting pub crawl if you are so minded.There is an open plan layout with a dog leg to the left with a wooden carved fireplace and wood burner below.To the right of the bar is a section with a long bench leading to the beer garden,while a small area is tucked behind the bar.It's all quite cosy with a low ceiling and feels traditional.Low volume muzak fitted the bill well.Home made food is served at lunchtimes until 2.30pm,and in the evening from 6pm with several theme nights during the week.Sunday roast 1pm-4pm.There were some decent looking specials on a board ranging from £7-£10,but food does not dominate the interior,it's a pub first and foremost.
I was impressed with a list of 22 single malts,although no mention was made of price.The six handpumps had regular ales in the shape of Sharp's Doom Bar,TT Landlord,Fullers London Pride and Castle Rock Harvest Pale which wouldn't set the pulse racing of a real ale officianado,but the two changing guests on my trip were Buntingford Twitchell (£3.60 and in very good nick) and AleCraft High Five (5.9%) which redeemed the situation and justified inclusion in the 2015 GBG.
With a quiz night on Wednesdays ,scotch eggs and a pub cat ,it felt like this pub would have some community following although it was quiet on my mid afternoon visit.
Worth including on any crawl around the back street pubs locally,which is what quite a few customers were aiming at on my visit.A very decent pub.
On 18th October 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]