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Magic Rock Tap, Hillhouse, Huddersfield
Huddersfield
HD1 5EB
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Ian Mapp left this review about Magic Rock Tap
Very nice tap room - with plenty of space inside and outside.
Bench seating, some undercover outside.
As you'd expect, a wide range of keg and cask. Had a couple of different IPAs and they were lovely.
Dont miss the snacks - a never seen before packet of poppadoms, with a pot of mango chutney inside!
On 2nd June 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1338 recommendations about 1324 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blue Scrumpy left this review about Magic Rock Tap
The Magic Rock Tap is another pub on the outskirts of Huddersfield that I'd wanted to visit for some time and finally managed to get to last week. It is located on the edge of a trading estate, but has its own entrance with a small car parking area and a cluster of buildings. The tap itself is to the rear of the brewery's offices.
You enter via an outdoor area, with covered seating options and a wagon selling pizzas. Inside is a typical warehouse bar with rows of high tables adjacent to the brewery equipment itself (behind a window) and a large bar against the rear wall.
What immediately struck me was how busy it was. There was a large group of well dressed business people, which seemed at odds to the surroundings. I got the feeling that they'd perhaps had some sort of meeting on the premises earlier in the day and were now commencing an evening's drinking. With the noise and crowded nature of the bar, it felt more like the atmosphere of a city pub in London than a brewery tap in a warehouse on the outskirts of Huddersfield.
Ringmaster is the regular cask ale here. Two other handpulls were serving Dark Arts & High Wire, whilst craft options were De Mole (a 10% Mexican imperial stout), Fantasma, High Wire, Salty Kiss, Saucery, Cannonball, Stiggy Pop, High Wire Tropical & Murk Life Balance. Whilst the 10% imperial stout was tempting, I hadn't yet dumped the car for the day and instead opted for the High Wire.
I felt this one was slightly unusual for a brewery tap. Although my visit was probably clouded by the noisy business types. It provided a complete contrast for what was to be my next stop - the Cowcliffe & Netheroyd Hill Liberal Club (not listed on the site)!
On 21st September 2022
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rob Hunter left this review about Magic Rock Tap
Visited a couple of weekends ago as part of a crawl in Huddersfield. The brewery tap is behind the brewery itself, where there is plenty of outdoor seating including some covered. Once inside again there is plenty of seating, a window to the brewery area itself and the all important bar offering five cask hand pulls (one of which was off at the time of my visit) and 10 keg taps. Inside was pretty busy but no issues in getting served or finding a seat. There was a food hut outside and someone came round inside to warn customers when service was about to finish so they could get their last minute orders in. Overall I enjoyed my visit here and would happily return.
On 20th August 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 750 recommendations about 598 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about Magic Rock Tap
Housed in a brick built industrial unit this is not the easiest place to find. Given that you have to enter via the rear of the unit and this means crossing a sizeable lake in the rainy season (most days). There's smoking shelter outside and some tables and chairs for those occasional sunny days. The decor inside is minimalist to say the least. One large room with a bar on the rear wall with 3 handpumps and lots of expensive craft keg. There's a fenced off barrel store to the right and windows into the brewery to the left. It was pretty chilly on our recent visit and most people didn't even consider taking their coats off. The pint I had was in good nick as you would expect from a brewery tap. It's OK, but I've been in many better brewery taps.
On 1st December 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Magic Rock Tap
Despite being a large lean-to shed at the back of the main brewery building, there are quite a few things to look at inside (including a fenced oak-barrel store and a view of the fermenters through the interior windows). The seating comprises a line of high tables with stools, supplemented by some fold-up benches (both inside and out), but most of the customers were standing in any case. All three handpumps - offering Ringmaster, Inhaler and the Common Grounds triple coffee porter (£2.15, half) - and nine of ten keg taps in use (with the last one dispensing carbon dioxide 'on the house'). Not really a place to linger, but it would have been nice to have had the time to try a couple more beers so I will no doubt return.
On 26th November 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about Magic Rock Tap
Situated about a ten minute walk north from Huddersfield train station the Magic Rock Tap room is located behind the main brewery and despite being in an industrial unit is quite a pleasant environment in which to try their beers. It’s a fairly large internal space with glass windows on one wall through to the brewing equipment and a long serving counter along the opposite wall. Although fairly Spartan and industrial a few wall murals and the beer barrels being stored at one end do provide a bit of character The serving counter has a large chalk board behind detailing the 10 Craft keg beers and three cask ales available giving a description of the beer, the beer style , its ABV and the price for a pint, a 1/2 or a 1/3rd glass size. Takeaways are available and the price for 1litre or 2 litres is also given.
The available beers are detailed in Mr Fastards November review and I decided to try a couple of the keg options. Unfortunately I was attracted by some of the more exotic descriptions which turned out not to be to my taste. At least I’ll know in future not to go for the Salty Kiss. I did however duck the High Wire Grapefruit because something that is described as 100% natural Grapefruit flavour is just alcoholic grapefruit isn’t it ?
Anyway despite picking something I didn’t like I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit here and will gladly revisit when next in town. Especially as it also has probably the most decent toilets of any micro brewery tap and certainly are a long way removed from some of the dodgy portaloos I’ve experienced in start up breweries underneath railway arches in North and East London.
On 25th November 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2111 recommendations about 1992 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Magic Rock Tap
Around the back of The Magic Rock Brewery,this industrial shed has been fitted out with some thought.There is a lot of aluminium ducting around the high ceiling,but the solid flooring isn't just harsh concrete but a mellower finish.Along one wall is a rank of high tables ,each with 10 stools,so you can base yourself here for a while and enjoy the various beers.The soundtrack was heavy metal but at a sensible volume,while to one side there are a collection of oak barrels where ale and wine is aged in bourbon,whisky and sherry tuns.
The long bar has a collection of chalk boards describing various tasting events as well as listing in quite some detail the 10 keg and three cask options.On my trip the keg choice was Cannon Ball,Rapture,Hypnotist,Salty Kiss,High Wire,Dancing Bear,House of Mirrors,Cigar City Ligero and Punchline.There were some challenging tastes among that lot and some very high ABV's,but that the modern way.On cask there was Ringmaster,Inhaler and Common Grounds the latter two in great nick.Tasters were freely given,and all beer is served in branded glasses,on sale at £3.
This brewery tap wouldn't be out of place in Bermondsey or Hackney Wick,it's hip but without the hipsters and if you want to fully sample the output from this excellent brewer,this is a must visit.It's a bit of a walk from the town centre but well worth it,and there is enough here to devote more time that was allocated on our extensive town crawl.I intend to come back.
On 19th November 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Magic Rock Tap
We visited on a Saturday Evening and the place was very busy, but still managed to find a seat at the far end. They had 10 beers on keg and 3 on handpump on our visit, so went for the Ringmaster and High Wire 55, both were in good shape and if I wanted to be hyper critical, my Ringmaster was slightly hazy, which could have been from the bottom of the cask or it was too fresh and the yeast hadn't settled.
There was piped music playing, which was Cuban in style, which I thought was good and helped to drown out people's chatter that can elevate through large open sheds, such as this one. They also had a pizza van outside on this visit, which was busy.
We didn't see any Magic Rock beers around town, so it was worth the effort to get out here.
On 1st June 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
aleand hearty left this review about Magic Rock Tap
As a huge fan of Magic Rock beers, a visit to the recently opened brewery tap was a highly anticipated event, but ultimately, it all proved a little disappointing.
Situated just off St John’s Road, it’s roughly a ten minute walk from the train station (just walk past The Sportsman, cross over the ring road and keep going, until you see the brewery sign). Housed in a modern industrial unit, on entering the yard you have to bear right and walk the length of the building to a rather understated entrance, in the corner.
Once inside, the bar is contained in a large factory space, where ‘industrial chic’ seems to have been the design brief. The predominantly white colour scheme is broken up by grey pillars and beams, with lighting suspended from galvanised metal racks, whimsically using beer bottles to provide the lamp shades. Further contrast is provided by the brick built bar and brown flooring, adding a little warmth to what is actually quite a stark feeling room. Seating is based on high tables and chairs, with a couple of stools at the bar, plus several upended barrels for vertical drinkers. There is also a cluster of picnic tables in the brewery yard, which acts as an impromptu beer garden.
At the bar, ten beers were available on keg (including Salty Kiss and High Wire), but heart sinking-ly, only two on cask (Ringmaster and Rapture). A guide to what was available was provided on a large board behind the counter. Bizarrely, the two hand pumps and all the keg taps are at the far left of the bar. How this works, ergonomically, when the place is busy, I’ve no idea. Opting for the Ringmaster and Rapture, both were in good nick, as you’d expect, but, whisper it soft, maybe not the best I’ve ever had. For contrast, I tried the Rapture on keg, which was also good, but with different qualities to the cask version. Service from the staff was variable, with one barman friendly and helpful and one decidedly cooler and off-hand. Atmosphere wise, it felt rather subdued on my early Saturday afternoon visit, with barely half a dozen drinkers inside. However, to be fair, the enclosed yard was proving to be a real sun-trap, with around thirty punters enjoying the warmth outside, so in reality, doing fairly brisk trade.
Overall, I left feeling a little deflated. I’m sure part of the problem was the level of expectation, beforehand. However, the ratio of keg to cask beers was a real let-down (the brewery seems to have nailed its colours to the mast there) and the interior just didn’t do it for me. A return visit is not out of the question, but as the Tap is relatively isolated and the other side of town is blessed with a handful of grade A* pubs, it’s unlikely to be in the near future.
On 27th August 2015
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 582 recommendations about 564 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about Magic Rock Tap
Magic Rock Tap room
open
Thursday and Friday from 4pm to 10pm and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10pm.
On 10th July 2015
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2883 recommendations about 2820 pubs]