Bimbling Around Beertown for a Burton [Re]Union

As usual I'm the last to report on the most recent Beer & Pubs Forum Proper Days Out.

There are two entries from Paul's Beer & Travel Blog here and here, there are also two more from The Pub Curmudgeon here and here and even Life After Football has beaten me to it here. But that's how it should be...someone has to be last, and it may as well be me!

 The first port of call on a Proper Pub Day Out, before even getting on a train, is of course the local café and a hearty breakfast! This is where you'll find me most days between 12:30 and 1:30pm! Then it was a short walk to the station and an easy, uneventful journey to Burton-upon-Trent.

Our meeting place was The Devonshire Arms, but I was a bit early (a rarity for me!). This did give me a few minutes to get a picture of the Cooper's Tavern in the bright morning sunlight even though we wouldn't return until early evening.

 By the time I returned, most of the 'gang' had arrived and were odering their first pints of Bass for the day - I chose a pint of Dark Star American Pale Ale which was very good. The group at this stage consisted of Pub Curmudgeon, Stafford Paul, Wickingman and his friend Chris (neither of whom I'd met before - but they turned out to be as friendly and as nice as everyone else I've met on these days out so far!). It wasn't long before Sheffield Hatter and Paul Bailey joined us to complete the set.

No sooner had the gang assembled than we split up! The more athletic amongst us headed for the Derby Inn (which if I was fitter I'd've loved to visit), Sheffield Hatter headed for some other pubs he wanted to sample and the remainder of us headed for the National Brewing Centre...but not before having a half of Bass, which was also good.

I've been to The Devonshire Arms before and it was just as good as I remembered it and would recommend it to anyone who visits Burton...a proper pub with rolls in cling film on the bar!

It was then quite a stroll to the National Brewery Centre, but it gave us time to appreciate the scale of brewing in Burton (even now when a lot has disappeared!) and the architecture of the town.

The Brewery Tap was pleasant enough and the food was good (a portion of chips was all I needed after my earlier breakfast!) but the others had more substantial fare. All three of us had pints of Charrington IPA, produced by the Heritage Brewing Company, which we all agreed was very good. The breakaway group caught us up here (having thoroughly enjoyed the Derby Inn) and shortly we left for the Burton Bridge Inn, which wasn't too far away.

Another lovely, cosy pub but it was lacking in a bit of atmosphere at the time we were there  I had half a pint of Golden Delicious which was pleasant. The owners are trying to sell the pub and brewery which possibly accounts for the lacklustre atmosphere, but it is still a very good pub!

Then we were off again for a long stroll to The Elms. Over the River Trent (which was still in flood, although it was on the way down) and up a gentle incline to find one of the best looking pubs you'll find anywhere.

Inside it was just as good (after risking life and limb to cross the road!) and, considering it was mid afternoon, the place was very lively with a wide range of folk (and assorted dogs) in attendance. The beer selection wasn't to my particular taste (it was too early for a pint of Carling!) so I tried the Reverend James even after being warned it was darker than my normal choices. It was as described, but enjoyable nonetheless (although I'd not fancy a full session of it).

It was here that the group split up again with the more athletic members heading for Stapenhill (Barley Mow, I think!) and the more 'built for comfort rather than speed' members calling a taxi to our next stop, The Dog. A wise move as the newer bridge crossing back over the Trent is even longer than the old one!

The Dog is a Black Country Ales pub with a wide selection (some would say too wide - 11 cask plus at least 5 craft!) of ales. However, my pint of Salopian Safe Room was excellent.

Then we were off again for a 10 minute amble through the town centre to the most famed of Burton's pubs...the Cooper's Tavern.

This was from the morning as it was dusk by the time we arrived there. This is another pub I've visited before and it was just as wonderful as on the previous visit. Yet again I eschewed the Bass and had a pint of Joules Blonde which was good.

All too soon it was time to move on again to our final destination The Roebuck Inn, but a couple of our group went for a curry first!

I couldn't resisit taking a 'romantic' photo of the moon over my beloved Carling tanks...the real beer of Burton! The Roebuck Inn was just around the corner.

Of all the pubs we visited, this is the one I've been in on most occasions and it didn't disappoint. As I'd been on the real ale all day, my mouth needed something a little more refreshing; something to cleanse the palate; something local...there was only one choice...a pint of Carling, please! It was everything I expected and may have been my pint of the day! (Only kidding, the Salopian Safe Room just pipped it!)

It was here that Life After Football made his debut on a Proper Day Out. And what a sparkling debut it was, despite none of us having met him in the flesh it soon felt as though we'd known him for ages. He was on a tight schedule, but he had time to get me another pint of Carling...and all too soon it was time to get the train home. (Apart from Stafford Paul who was going on to see the up-and-coming folk star Julie Felix...age 81!)

Another sucessful Proper Day Out, meeting old friends and new, visiting some great pubs, a good variety of beers, excellent conversation (as ever) and a beautifully sunny day.

Let's hope that our next outing on 24th April to Chester doesn't fall foul of the current, virus inspired, madness and that pubs are still allowed to open. 

Seeing the Light at Burning Soul

This is going to be a slightly different entry from usual and the 'blame' lies with squarely Pub Curmudgeon, West Midlands Exploration, BRAPA, Life After Football and Retired Martin. Whilst all of us share a love of pubs, their constant blogging about the joys of real ale and the incessant photography of pints/halves of (mostly) 'nectar' have turned my head.

I'd got to the stage where I would choose Oakham Citra over my long-term choice, Carling. That was before Saturday! Some friends had been so impressed on a brewery tour of Burning Soul that they wanted to return for a session.

 In typical micro pub/brewery style, the opening hours are extremely limited (Friday 4 - 8 pm; Saturday 1 - 8 pm).

It was a cool, overcast evening, but seats were still difficult to find. I imagine that on a warm summer's evening there would be twice as many people there.

There were seven different beers on the list which kept on changing as beers ran out and were replaced with new ones; all served in half-pint measures.

My first impression wasn't good as the beer I'd chosen ran out as it was being poured. To my untutored eye as a confirmed lager man, I was struggling to find something that appealed, but I did make a choice and sat down.

The first mouthful changed my demeanour, instantly. It was cool, fruity, tasty, complex and refreshing - words I never expected to be using in relation to real ale. I sampled two more of their beers (can't remember any of the names!) which were equally superb. They are all a bit stronger than normal ranging from 4% up to 7% ABV which is why they only serve in halves (and why I can't recall what I had to drink!).

Inevitably, 8 pm arrived all too quickly and we had to leave to search for some nibbles and more drink. It was only a short walk to The Church.

The Church is a lovely street corner boozer which has been well refurbished and was nicely busy. It is now an Everards pub and they had Sunchaser on. I've had this before and quite enjoyed it. I ordered a pint and one of my companions ordered a pint of Tiger. Well, what a comedown! My pint was lifeless, flat and might as well have been dishwater; the Tiger was similarly unimpressive. Neither were actually 'off', it's just that after Burning Soul's fresh, brilliant beers anything else was always going to be a disappointment.

For the first time, I understood what the real ale aficionados had been wittering on about for years - I'd finally seen the light! After a shared bowl of nachos and some chips (which all helped the beer to go down), we moved on to the newly refurbished Jewellers Arms.

It has been taken over (and refurbished) by Black Country Ales. They've done a good job, but on a Saturday evening, it wasn't that busy. Again, I can't remember what I ordered (but it was something that I liked the look of) and, again, it was dull, dull, dull! (Although not quite as disappointing as the Sunchaser.)

So, have I undergone a Damascene conversion? Er...no! I now understand what the esteemed gentlemen, above, have been going on (...and on...) about for years, but I've not been converted to the real ale scene as a born-again beardie! It has, however, opened my eyes to the new world of craft/real ale and from now on I'll be much more likely to try out new beers.

New Pubs 2016: or What I Did on My Holidays (Part 1)

I set out on this blogging journey almost five years ago. I had lots of photos of the outside of pubs and I wanted to show how they'd changed (or not) throughout the years. Over the past few weeks, I've noticed a slight weakness in this approach - we still visit new pubs on our canal journeys, but by the time I report on them here (10, 15, 20 or more years in the future) I've generally forgotten what they were like on the inside. So, what better way to address this than to report on each new pub straight after the canal trip.

Our most recent foray on the cut took us into new territory on the Northern BCN and the delights of the Wyrley & Essington (or 'Curley Wyrley' as it is known), Rushall, Walsall and Tame Valley Canals.

But first, we were in Wolverhampton on the evening of Thursday 9th June 2016. After reporting on The Posada (#076), I received a comment from The Pub Curmudgeon that The Great Western was the go-to pub in Wolverhampton. Well, four years later and we finally made it...and he wasn't wrong!

The Great Western, Wolverhampton

Unfortunately it was early evening and the place was very quiet, but I can see that it is a great little pub with typically friendly locals and staff. We will be returning.

After an obligatory visit to The Posada and pleasant plate of pasta we headed for the Dog & Doublet which is a new establishment in the city centre and was recommended by Retired Martin.

Dog & Doublet, Wolverhampton

By this time it was 10:45 and people were queueing to get into Yates's across the street. However, the Dog & Doublet was ticking over nicely with a female singer singing folk style versions of modern(ish) pop songs. It is hard to believe that this is a new pub as it looked and felt like a long established 'proper' pub. As we sat there with our last pint of the evening, the pub actually got considerably busier which was hard to comprehend on a 'school night' until we discovered that it was open till 1 am and that places like The Posada closed at 11. Definitely another pub to return to at a later date.

The next morning, Friday 10th June 2016, our journey took us into the unexplored country that is the Curley Wyrley. Our first mistake (of many!) was not to stop for an early lunch at a pub called the United Kingdom only to find that the next three pubs on our (20 year) old map had all disappeared! Eventually, this place hoved into view.

The Fingerpost, Pelsall

The Fingerpost, Pelsall

Sadly, our timing was awry, arriving in the middle of the two hour period when they weren't serving food!! Inside it was decorated and laid out like many similar pub restaurants...pastel shades and a 'rustic' feel. There were few other customers, so difficult to judge the place, but it filled a need.

We set sail again into what soon became a torrential downpour and ended up mooring outside a pub in Rushall, with another just 100 yards away! Bliss...except neither did food!

The Boathouse, Rushall

This is the pub we moored outside and whist they'd stopped serving meals there were some cling-film covered rolls so we didn't starve!! The pub is an open, family friendly place with a unique seating arrangement of a 'narrowboat' shaped seating area in the middle of the large lounge!

We then made the long journey (100 yds max) to the historic, and unusual, Manor Arms.

The Manor Arms, Rushall

From the outside it looks just like a typical back-street Banks's pub, but inside it becomes something a whole lot different - a pub with no bar! When I'd read about this, just before we moored, I couldn't quite work out how this would work.

As you walk in the door, there are two small rooms to the right, with service through a hatch - so far, fairly familiar territory, A couple of steps further on there's a doorway (no door) into the bar on the left. At first I hesitated because I was walking into the area where the barmaid was pulling a pint, but then I saw that there were several people at tables drinking and chatting (as you do in a pub bar!). After getting served, we sat down and had a great evening chatting with the very friendly locals in what I'm fairly sure will be my Pub of 2016. For those who can't visualise what a pub with no bar looks like, here's the picture.

The Manor Arms, Rushall

 The next morning, Saturday 11th June 2016, we moved off and travelled along the Rushall Canal followed by the Tame Valley Canal where we again fell victim to the disappearing pub phenomenon. We eventually ended up for a lunchtime stop in Ocker Hill and, after a walk through a housing estate we found the Waggon & Horses.

Waggon & Horses, Ocker Hill

A fairly basic pub, not serving food, but with rolls behind the bar so all was not lost. It is also home to the Toll End Brewery.

We decided to take a stroll to see whether we could find anything better. After a 10 minute walk we discovered this place.

The Dew Drop Inn, Ocker Hill

This is a real 'dumpy, old man's pub' that I thought had been driven to extinction by the smoking ban and sundry financial crises over the past few years. But no, The Dew Drop Inn continues with its glorious ordinariness that was once so commonplace but is now an endangered species.

Back on Peggy Ellen and we made our way along the Walsall Canal to the centre of Walsall itself. There's a shiny new development that includes such delights as a Hungry Horse and a Chef & Brewer which we decided to eschew in favour of more traditional pubs. The first of these, The Oak Inn, is a typical just out of town centre boozer.

The Oak Inn, Walsall

It's difficult to make a judgement on this pub as England were playing Russia and there were less than 20 people in the place. We moved on at half time.

Not knowing where we were going, we wandered for about 15 minutes until we found The Pretty Bricks.

The Pretty Bricks, Walsall

This is a Black Country Ales pub and was formerly known as the Tap & Spile and also the New Inn. Inside it was a cosy, well decorated little pub, but despite it being Saturday evening there were only a few people in there (and no football!). I imagine that, on a busy night, it would be a great place to spend a few hours. It was also the pub where Walsall CAMRA was founded in 1972.

That's the last of the new pubs from this trip, most of which I'd be happy to visit again (with one or two notable exceptions!) 

Birmingham Pubs (Back) in the Doghouse (Part 2)

After their trip from Wales and a punishing walk to the Barton's Arms (and back to New Street Station) the intrepid crew from Doghouse - The British Pub Magazine returned to Birmingham for another pub crawl.

This time it was to be around Digbeth, an area rich in proper pubs and a place that I've covered extensively in previous posts. Their first stop was The Bull Ring Tavern - not a place I would've chosen, but it is the site of one of my most memorable pub visits!

It was back in the days before the smoking ban and we walked in one Saturday lunchtime. Inside it was like stepping back in time into something akin to a scene from a Hogarth painting. The atmosphere was so thick with smoke that after one pint it was too much even for my 20+ a day companion - even his eyes were watering! The clientèle seemed oblivious to the smoke they were creating...and what a selection of folk it was...there were people of all shapes, sizes, ages, sexes and races having a great time...and the most diverse range of facial features I've ever seen in one place! 

We went back after the smoking ban and it was 'dead' - the magic had gone! That's how it still is.

The Doghouse team then moved on to the White Swan on Bradford Street.This is a pub I've covered previously (#064)

 The write up in Doghouse captures The White Swan and the state of lunchtime drinking today perfectly.

They then moved up the road a bit to The Anchor (#025) - another fine example of the red brick and terracotta pubs built by James & Lister Lea in the late 1800's/early 1900's.

The Anchor is a pub I've only ever visited occasionally, but it is a great example of how pubs used to be.

Next, they moved on to The Fountain (#054). Not the most obvious of choices, but a good one. It is a place I've been in a couple of times and it is a lovely, proper pub. Doghouse put it better than I ever could -

"Your average Joe would probably stalk past The Fountain every day of their life, glancing through door and window merely to reinforce their own conceited prejudice about the place. But to those who understand, a session in this pub would be an experience worth travelling for"

Then it was on to The Old Crown (#016), possibly Birmingham's oldest pub. Outside it looks inviting, but inside it doesn't live up to the promise!

And, finally on this leg of the Doghouse pub crawl (sorry, I mean survey!), they popped into the Craven Arms (#086), which isn't in Digbeth, but is always worth a visit. Over the past few years it has been renovated and is now run by Black Country Ales

That was the end of the second leg of the Birmingham visit, but there was a third, shorter, instalment when Doghouse went to the Jewellery Quarter to sample a couple more of Birmingham's finest pubs.

First was a visit to the Rose Villa Tavern which has been wonderfully restored by the Bitters 'n' Twisted group. My first visit was before the regeneration when it was in quite a sad state, but the potential was definitely there to make a great pub.

My only visit after the changes was on a Saturday night when a disco was in full swing, so I probably didn't get the full appreciation of the new Rose Villa Tavern...but I was impressed with what I did see.

The next pub is one that I hadn't set foot inside until very recently, but I'd admired from the outside.

The Jewellers Arms has a magnificent sign and I always wanted to see what it was like inside. Again on a Saturday night I ventured into the Jewellery Quarter to sample the delights of some more pubs. At first, the Jewellers Arms looked to be closed, but it turned out that the lounge was open and we went in. Having left a very busy Lord Clifden it was sad to see that the Jewellers Arms was almost empty. This is a double shame because it was like stepping back in time to how cosy and comfortable pubs used to be 30+ years ago.

The Doghouse team then sampled two more pubs that I've never visited - the Black Eagle in Hockley and The Villa Tavern in Nechells.

I'm glad that I found Doghouse and that they came to Brum because it made me (re)appreciate just how many good pubs there are in this fair city - an observation that needs to have a much wider audience!