Everyone likes to think their local boozer is the best. But residents of Tamworth might actually be right. After winning CAMRA’s prestigious National Pub of the Year award last year, The Tamworth Tap has won it again for 2023. It’s become just the second pub ever to win the prize two consecutive years in a row, following the Kelham Island Tavern in Sheffield, which achieved the feat in 2008 and 2009.
A brewpub located in a 16th-century shop, The Tamworth Tap has gone from strength to strength since opening six years ago. With quirky interiors and a courtyard beer terrace, sit with a pint of real ale and soak in stunning views of Tamworth’s historic Norman castle behind. The Tamworth Tap boasts eight hand-pulls, which always include at least one ale brewed on-site – from experimental brews to pale hoppy ales.
The self-published Tap Times keeps locals up-to-date with regular events, anything from screenings of cult films to beer tastings and paint-and-sip sessions. Plus, there’s the newly introduced ‘Barrel of Laughs’ comedy nights, while the courtyard features regular live music with local performers for its weekly ‘Sunday Session’. A ‘CAMRA corner’ at the bottom of the stairs includes a rare, complete set of Good Beer Guides.
It won judges over as “an excellent example of a pub at the centre of its community that supports a wide variety of diverse local activity groups, with knowledgeable, helpful staff to help you find a real ale or cider to suit your taste. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and look forward to returning at some time in the future.”
“The Tamworth Tap should be incredibly proud of this feat, to be named the best pub in the UK two times on the trot is a remarkable achievement,” said CAMRA Awards Director, Laura Emson. “The pub encapsulates everything that CAMRA aims to promote and protect, and each member of the team deserves the recognition twice over! A pub doesn’t have to be a national award winner to be a vital part of a local community and following a tough few years for the industry, our support is needed more than ever.”
CAMRA’s prestigious National Pub of the Year title is the highest honour the Campaign can bestow upon a pub. Running since 1988, the annual competition seeks to find the very best pub in the UK, and the illustrious award helps to showcase quality pubs around the nation that are worth seeking out and visiting. This year, The Tamworth Tap beat touch competition in the likes of the Nelson Arms in Tonbridge, Trafalgar Hotel on the Isle of Man and The Beer Engine in Skipton. The four finalists will be presented with their awards at local events over the coming weeks.
George and Louise Greenaway, owners of the Tamworth Tap, said: “Words really can’t express how we feel right now. It took a while for the magnitude of the occasion to sink in when we won last year; to have retained it is beyond incredible! We vowed to continue to evolve, with the aim of providing the ultimate drinking experience to everyone who walks through our door.
“We aren’t just a pub; we are a hub of the community, and we aim to bring people together. That and the perfect pint is what it’s all about. Thank you to all at CAMRA, from branch to national level, for recognising what The Tap stands for. A huge thank you also to ‘Team Tap’ for delivering our vision with such passion, commitment and enthusiasm – we share this recognition with you. And, to our beloved Tappers, we have such a special place because of you. Thank you for supporting us in all we do.”
To learn more about The Tamworth Tap head here.