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Pub Crawl Reports
A Visit to Harborne (or How We Kept On Meeting Tim Taylor) November 2007
One example of the way that choice in real ale has improved over the last few years is the greater availability of beers that were previously restricted to their own regions. A point that was made on the branch’s recent visit to Harborne in Birmingham.
Starting point was the Old Contemptibles opposite Snow Hill station. While obviously not in Harborne, it was a central meeting point, does food throughout the day and is near to Colmore Row and the number 22 or 23 bus stop. Beers on tap included Fullers London Pride and Timothy Taylor Landlord.
Staying on the bus through Harborne the first stop was , a 300-year-old former coaching inn next to St Peter’s churchyard. Listed in the 2008 Good Beer Guide, two real ales are available from the small bar situated in the hallway. Sitting in the panelled snug overlooking the bowling green, we all enjoyed a pint of Everards Sunchaser.
It was a short walk back into the centre of Harborne and , with its modern bistro style pub interior. Both Everards and Timothy Taylor were represented, with the latter’s being Golden Best rather than the usual Landlord.
Next stop was at the other end of the High Street and the , a typical Ember Inn, which is also in the 2008 GBG. Again of the four real ales available two were from what were traditional regionals: Charles Wells Bombardier and Timothy Taylor Landlord.
The final pub was the , a traditional pub situated just off the High Street. There is a central island bar for the front snug and a large lounge at the back. With eight real ales available it is no wonder that it is in the 2008 GBG. Included in these was the by now rather common - and how we would have liked to be able to say that in the days when the only known place to get it was the Black Eagle in Hockley - Timothy Taylor Landlord.
Malcolm Harry
A Night on the Tiles November 2007
Oxford CAMRA, led by original Solihull Drinker editor Matt Bullock, recently made a foray into Birmingham and a number of Solihull members joined them for what was very much a crawl of the tiles.
Starting point was the Grade II, CAMRA National Inventory of pub interiors listed in Newtown. Easily reached by the number 51 bus from opposite Moor St station, the interior has been restored to its original splendour by Oakham Ales. While some of us admired both the beer and the Minton tiles others fortified themselves for the crawl ahead with Thai curry.
Next stopping point was the in Hockley, located very close to Soho, Benson Road Metro station. The Black Eagle is a multi roomed traditional pub retaining many of its original features, including Minton tiles. All beers tried were in excellent form. The Batham Bitter on offer was ignored as the next stop was to be the on Great Hampton St, but unfortunately this proved to be closed despite the Good Beer Guide 2008 stating otherwise.
The only solution was to move to the next scheduled pub, the in Highgate. A pub well known for being the only regular outlet for Stanway beers in Birmingham, it was good to see it hadn't changed in the years since last visited.
From the Lamp it was a short walk to the in Digbeth, another Grade II listed, CAMRA National Inventory listed pub. Like the Black Eagle it has won the accolade of Birmingham CAMRA pub of the year on a number of occasions. Well known for its beers festivals and number of guest beers the Anchor did not disappoint.
Having fortified ourselves with the Anchor's great value food and played pool with varying degrees of success we moved up Bradford Street to the , also listed in the CAMRA National Inventory. It was from here that the Solihull contingent left to make their way home, but not before admiring the original tiling in the hallway. Oxford CAMRA still had more pubs to visit, with at least the , and on their list.
All in all a great day, with superb pubs and excellent beer in all pubs. All pubs visited are in the 2008 Good Beer Guide and all travel was either by bus or foot, with a Day Saver costing a mere £3.00. Many thanks to Matt Bullock and Oxford CAMRA.
For more information on pubs on CAMRA's National Inventory see the Pub Heritage website.
The Beers (with apologies for any omitted) - : Oakham JHB, Oakham White Dwarf, Oakham Bishops Farewell, Green Jack Canary; : Timothy Taylor Landlord, Burton Bridge Sovereign Gold, Batham's Bitter, Oakham JHB, Ansells Mild; : Church End Gravediggers, Everards Tiger, Stanway Stanney Bitter, Hanby On Target, Bazen's Picture Perfect; : Elland Down Digbeth, Phoenix Gerry's Gothic Ale, Banks's Salute Ale, Salopian Eruption, Church End Anchor Pearl; : Jennings Cumberland Ale, Jennings Cocker Hoop, Hydes Jekyll's Gold, Banks's Original.
Malcolm Harry
Warwick: The Beer Drinker January 2007
Wanting to widen our horizons from the usual Solihull pubs, ten Solihull and District members recently caught the train to Warwick, just over twenty minutes by Chiltern line from Solihull station.
Our first stop was the 15th century . The recent Wells' and Young's tie up was clearly in evidence, with Young's Winter Warmer joining the usual Eagle IPA and Bombardier.
From there it was a quick walk across Warwick to the , a GBG regular. Originally named the Warwick Tavern when built around 1800, it takes it name from selling a coffee and tot of rum to the navvies for only 4d. Six beers were available, and our leisurely stop meant most sampled both RCH Pitchfork and Church End Goat's Milk, with both being in very good condition.
It was then on to the in the Market Place for a taste of Tilted Pig from Warwick's own Slaughterhouse brewery, a brewery that the branch had the opportunity to visit a few years ago.
The penultimate stop was the GBG 2007 listed , a 17th century half-timbered coaching inn. Again, six real ales were available, including Milestone Brewery's Home Wrecker, which was brewery new to all of us. (Subsequent research on the Internet revealed that Milestone is actually based in Cromwell, north of Newark on Trent). The Caledonian Deuchar's IPA was also appreciated. There was some discussion amongst the longer serving members as to when we had last visited the pub, a visit which included a tour of the sadly short lived brewery. To prevent arguments the pub's website states that the brewery was in operation from Dec 1997 to May 1998.
From the Millwright's it was a short walk to the , where we were pleasantly surprised to find Oakham JHB on at £1.85 a pint.
Malcolm Harry. Photos: Robert Cawte.
Postscript
Some took the earlier train home, whilst a few of us could wait for the Solihull Late Night Express. For those few, the final stop was , which we had passed between the Millwright Arms and the Crown and Castle. There was a choice of Tim Taylors Landlord, take it or leave it - the other beers on the sandwich board outside were not available. So we had a nice pint of Landlord.
Then, shock horror, on the way to the station we stopped for chips only to find everything had closed at 10:30pm... beware.
Robert Cawte.
Postscript 2: Warwick in Pictures
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The New Bowling Green. |
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Steve and Alan (back) display their funky new hairstyles. |
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The striking signage for the Old Fourpenny Shop... |
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... and its comfortable interior |
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Young ladies flee the Tilted Wig as word spreads of Ian's imminent arrival. |
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Intriguing theming at the entrance to the Globe. |
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Last official stop: the Millwright Arms. |
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And a quiet pint at the Oak, to recover from the crawl before the trek home. |
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Gordon Clarke
Survey of Solihull December 2006
The great thing about CAMRA is that no matter where you are, you can always find some advice on where to find a good pint, be that the Good Beer Guide, or fellow CAMRA members for the local low-down. Any poor pubs are soon weeded out. The problem is, how does a pub get into the good books ? Its a tough job, but someone has to do it. Armed with their own cash your intrepid local members braved the wind, rain and the cold and "did Solihull" one Sunday afternoon.
Individuals are tasked with a detailed report on each pub, see Real Ale Reporter (you'll notice someone filed his report before the rest of us had finished the real work - part timer), but here is what we endured: starting at the White Swan (Weatherspoons) for a spot of lunch and a few pints - until they were reduced to a choice of only 4 (note "only" ).
We then made our way to the Hog's Head next door (well, it was raining) where the choice was more limited. Then the Mason's Arms - again a limited choice of something I'd had already and an empty hand pump.
Across to the British Legion - not the 30+ we get at our beer festival, but a couple of beers and mine was OK (St Austell Tribute) - with a new guest beer to follow soon.
To the Town House - again a bit limited and my half of Hoegaarden was £2 which was not the cheapest beer I've had.
From there to the Metro Bar - not what you expect and £1.50 a half, but no question as to what to head for - Enville Ale - on good form. Unanimous verdict.
To round off the day, the Saddlers: a bit noisy with the football, and the choice was Marston's Pedigree or their ordinary bitter.
The team retired to the White Swan to recover. Not a bad pint, or a short measure, in sight. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. See the local reports for more details.
Robert Cawte
Solihull Branch Sent to Coventry
An intrepid band set off from Solihull to make a snap judgement about the latest state of Coventry pubs.
We congregated at the Nursery Tavern in Spon End, an old favourite which didn't disappoint. A typically interesting range included Brunswick Triple Hop from Derby. Mouth-puckering dryness doesn't do it justice. Just up the road was the Craven Arms, very much a back-street local, with a welcoming (Taylor) Landlord behind the bar.
Down the hill to the Malt Shovel, where an old pub serves modern classics such as Church End Gravediggers and Oakham Bishops Farewell - no complaints here. Across the inner ring road next to the Gatehouse Tavern. First disappointment of the evening. A new pub built with history in mind, maybe it needs a few more years to settle down. Nice to see a Church End beer but as an alternative to Bass, there wasn't much competition. Across the road to the Town Wall Tavern, where a choice of 3 bars and several beers awaits. For novelty value we chose the Donkey Box, a small snug with only a door to the street in between the 2 larger bar/lounges. Probably used for off-trade only in the past, we sampled the likes of Adnams in quiet seclusion.
Final port of call was the Old Windmill. Not on the original list, a beer festival enticed us in. 14 gravity served beers were tucked away in a cosy back room (I wouldn't recommend a Summer festival in these conditions!). Nice to see and taste a good selection of Frankton Bagby beers from nearby Rugby, the rest were from Lancashire or the South West - not sure what the theme was.
On the whole - an interesting crawl, though the phrase 'Coventry - more interesting than Solihull' may take a while to catch on.
Steve Wood
The Wild, Wild West (Brom)
A number of 'pardners' recently donned their ten gallon (or should this be ten pints?) hats, saddled their trusty tram and moseyed on down (or across) to West Bromwich as part of Solihull & District CAMRA's Metro Link crawl.
Our intrepid travellers started at The Vine, a pub which specialises in Indian cuisine, which was heaving because of this and also due to the fact that West Brom had played and won, not a rare experience just in case there are any Baggies fans reading this! Only one real ale was on offer, Nellie Dean from The Old Mill Brewery: pleasant enough but nothing out of the ordinary. Then back on the tram and of to The Old Crown. This pub again does Indian food, although it seats fewer people, however the range of ales is bigger (and better?). During our visit one could sup Ma Pardoe's Old Swan (a mild) plus the more well-known Charles Wells' Bombardier and Greene King Abbot. Despite my reputation as the branch 'human dustbin' who can eat for England and Germany (owing to the nationality of my mam) I actual desisted from partaking of the culinary delights*.
The next port of call was a Wetherspoon's, namely the Billiard Hall. The usual Wetherspoon's interior décor, i.e standard wooden, plus the usual mix of house beers and guest beers, the former being Hop Back summer Lightning, Shepherd Neame Spitfire and (again!) Greene King Abbot, with the latter being Badger's Fursty Ferret, Woodforde's Norfolk Nog and Ringwood's Fortyniner. Now as most people will know, Wetherspoon's has the 'get 'em in, sell 'em cheap' strategy, but the prices here were ridiculously cheap, £1.29 a pint! We thought it was a mistake at first, but the manager said that prices in West Brom town centre pubs are very competitive. I actually spoke to him at length and he came across as very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about real ale: he was also very helpful.
Last, but by no means least, we ventured into The Wheatsheaf, a Holden's pub. Being a fan I particularly enjoyed what was on offer, being Mild, Bitter, Special, Golden Glow, plus Midsummer Madness and Jolly Harvester. Very tasty beers!
All four pubs had a very good atmosphere, with Wetherspoon's being the more 'modern' and the other three being more traditional. The quality of the beers in all the pubs was very high, and the range generally good. We'd recommend this trip to anyone!
* although I couldn't resist the odd packet, 3 being the odd number to be precise, of scratchings!
Martin Collinge
An April Ramble And a Pint or Two April 2005
The Solihull and District April Social, a ramble round Earlswood Lakes, was well attended, and nine adults and two children set off for a pleasant and educational walk. The day was fair, and the three reservoirs that make up Earlswood Lakes were viewed with enthusiasm. They were created in the early 1920s and took 5 years to construct, and nowadays fulfil the joint duty of both reservoirs and wildlife sanctuaries. There are three pubs in the vicinity, but time permitted only the enjoyment of one: The Reservoir, which predates the Lakes; back in time it was a coaching Inn. They usually have at least two guest real ales; at the date of visiting, these were Davenport's Original and Marston's Dragons Tail. Walkers who had worked up an appetite also tucked into a meal from the extensive menu with gusto.
Julia Hammonds
Putting The Boot In - The Birmingham Pub Crawl January 2005
This year the Branch social caledar began with an informal tour of Birmingham. 11 of us met at the Anchor in Digbeth (including 2 brave new members). For those unfamiliar with this pub, it is hidden at the back of the Digbeth Coach Station. A real gem is the standard cliché for this establishment.
From the Anchor we set sail for the distant White Swan (actually just a minutes walk up Bradford Street). A Banks's pub, it was built by the same architects responsible for the Anchor (and the more famous Barton's Arms as it happens).
From the White Swan we paddled upstream to the Lamp Tavern, a cosy pub famed locally for it's Stanney Bitter. Also available was it's slightly less powerful but refreshing sister brew, Cotteswold Gold.
We left the lights of the Lamp far behind us as we made Hurst Street our next goal. This proved to be a rather disappointing stop at the Old Fox. A splendid pub with theatrical connections due to the proximity of the Birmingham Hippodrome across the road, but sadly they had almost run out of Cask Ale, Fuller's London Pride was all that was left. Perhaps the beer-ordered was on holiday.
From the Old Fox it was time to hunt down our final pub, which was the newly re-opened Wellington on Bennett's Hill. A very welcome addition to the Brum pub scene, it features, among others, 3 beers from a new local micro-brewery, the Black Country Brewery in Lower Gornal.
The Wellington proved to be our Waterloo, but it was a fitting end none the less.
Steve Wood
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