The Stockbridge Tap – I was wrong
My preconceptions about this corner pub weren’t borne out.
I don’t know what gave me the impression that The Stockbridge Tap may not be my cup of tea. I think it started with the name. The word “tap” conjures images of lines of shiny stainless steel valves lined up along the wall behind a brushed metal bar, each with a number above which must be cross-referenced to a corresponding name on a large board.
I don’t automatically have a problem with these places, especially as the craft beer they serve can be top-quality, and they frequently offer exciting and niche choices you wouldn’t get in a normal pub. But not often are they described as cosy, instead opting for a colder, more detached vibe which sometimes borders on the soulless (ahem, Brewdog).
To get all that from the word “tap” might be stretching it a little. I admit, I was guilty of making a snap judgement from the cool blue stencilled sign outside. But inside, it’s a different story. I’m glad to say I passed a pleasant Sunday afternoon inside, which defied many of my expectations.
The Stockbridge Tap is a corner pub on Raeburn Place, the neighbourhood's main high street. The interior has less of a corporate chain vibe than the feel of stepping into somebody’s living room. That is, if their living room walls were reserved for posters advertising long-gone Edinburgh breweries and they served 17 different beers on tap.
Oh yes, there’s quite the selection here. Seven casks and ten kegs, spanning lager to pale to IPA to red to brown to stout. I enjoyed an Azacca Mosaic pale ale from Newcastle-based Two by Two Brewing – a hoppy, bitter, piny New England-style thing with an almost soupy texture. It was good, if you’re into that sort of stuff. This was followed by a Little Red from Bonnington brewer Pilot. You don’t often see their beers on cask, and this had a pleasantly well-balanced fruitiness to it.
A carved wooden bar puts all the beers, and their pump clips, on full display – no lines of numbered taps here – while the gantry behind it contains a decent selection of malts. Above the bar hang ornate lanterns which suggest this pub has a long history (old maps suggest a pub first popped up here some time in the early twentieth century). Plenty of seating stretches round the corner, and the air is rippling with relaxed Sunday afternoon chatter.
This won’t be the last time I visit The Stockbridge Tap. And each time I visit, I shall be reminded not to make snap judgements about a pub just by looking at its exterior.
The chaser
What pubs have you unfairly judged by its name or exterior? Let us know in the comments.
Where is it?
Open every day from 1pm to 11pm.
Where next?
You’re not far from the lovely neighbourhood establishment The Cumberland Bar.
