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Mad Squirrel Tap, St Albans Central, St. Albans

Pub added by Just a quick pint, then I'm off

17 Heritage Close, High Street
St. Albans
AL3 4EB

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St Albans Central

Reviews of Mad Squirrel Tap (Average Rating: 6½ of 10) Add Review see review guidelines

Blue Scrumpy left this review about Mad Squirrel Tap

I've been in a number of Mad Squirrel taprooms, but this one was a new one for me. What we assumed was the main entrance (as per the photograph on here) can be found in a dreary shopping precinct. However, the bar was empty and wasn't showing any signs of life. Luckily, we decided to take a closer look and found a set of steps to the side. If you descend these, you will find the ground floor of this taproom. What we had originally seen was an overflow first floor area. Instead of the empty bar we saw, the ground floor was quite busy.

There's no particular character here, with a simple room with bench-style seating. Beers are displayed on TV screens. There were a couple of their cask ales - Aussie Aussie Aussie & Diablo. However, the focus here is on their craft beers. The selection was Sumo, Fog Off, Hopfest, Evergreen, Zealous, Big Sea, Pulp Fiction, Roadkill, Sunrise on the Pier, Utopia, Apres Ski, De La Nut, Pin Drop, Huka Falls, Busted Biscuits, Foggy, Awaken, Baked Alaska, Aztec, Elephant Juice & Shamrock.

I'd imagine that craft beer enthusiasts could enjoy a good session here. We didn't have too much time before we needed to get a bus to Luton. So, it was a swift half for us, which may have meant that we didn't quite get to appreciate it as much as it deserved. I suspect I will give this place another go one day, when I have a little more time. First impressions were that this is a half decent place

On 5^th May 2024 - rating: 6
[User has posted 2501 recommendations about 2500 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Clive Thompson left this review about Mad Squirrel Tap

Always a good welcome here, and always some crazy and strong craft stuff to get stuck into. They have increased the number of taps over the years and also have two hanpumps, one of which usually has one of their own beers. Pleasant outdoor patio area with views of the Abbey.

On 19^th January 2022 - rating: 6
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]

Please Note: This review is over a year old.

Pub SignMan left this review about Mad Squirrel Tap

Standing in the shadow of St Albans cathedral, this is a pleasant, modern brewery bar from the local Mad Squirrel Brewery. The bar has a simple, single room set-up with smart new floorboards that contrast nicely with the timber-clad walls and a dark painted feature wall with some wood-cut style decorative patterns along it. Seating is a mix of rustic high metal framed tables with padded bar stools and some short banquettes and a few chairs, both serving nice, modern tables, whilst ample standing space has been created through the centre of the room. Décor is mostly of a promotional nature, with the most striking example being a large metal squirrel head shaped cut-out on the right-hand wall, but various brewery posters also dot the wall and a pump clip collection is making its way across the ceiling and down the back wall. The bar is in the rear right corner of the pub and has a dark wood counter in front of what looked like a tiled bar back with all of the keg taps lined up along it, above a large slops trough. A large window to the front right looks out to a nice side patio drinking area with several picnic benches and patio heaters and a glimpse or two of the cathedral. More seating was advertised on the first floor, but I didn’t get around to visiting, preferring to stay in the busy main bar area where a great contemporary punk soundtrack played at a sensible volume.
There were just the two cask ales available on this visit – Mad Squirrel Pacific and Mister Squirrel – but these were ably backed up by no less than 24 keg beers listed on the boards above the bar. All but six of these were Mad Squirrel brews, with the guests coming from the likes of Verdant, Newton Park, Atom and Wild Weather. Beer can only be ordered via QR code, which was a problem for me, as my phone can’t read them, so the guy that greeted and seated me sent someone over to take my order the old-fashioned way instead. He sold me on the Pacific on cask, but I thought it was a very weak, watery and flavourless beer and didn’t really enjoy it at all, in marked contrast to other Mad Squirrel beers I’ve tried in the past. Payments can only be made by card.
Having enjoyed this brewery’s Berkhamsted bar, I had high hopes for this place, but left feeling a little underwhelmed thanks to the flavourless beer and rather functional interior. I generally enjoy beers from this brewery and wouldn’t let one disappointing visit deter me from returning again, but this didn’t really stand-out from the crowd in the way I had hoped and expected it would.

On 18^th August 2021 - rating: 6
[User has posted 3126 recommendations about 3126 pubs]

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