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20-04-2023, 14:20
Visit the Paul Bailey's Beer Blog site (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-outlook-for-birmingham-is-mild.html)
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Three of the six pubs I visited in Birmingham last Friday hadmild ale on sale. It was dark mild as well, and what's more it was the cask-conditionedversion too. So, three different pubs and mild from three different breweries, eachdark and distinctive in its own way. Drinking this dark, mellow, and rathertasty beer, was a rare treat, as we never see cask mild in Kent or indeedanywhere in the south east. We might occasionally see keg mild, but it's stillvery much the exception.Each of the milds I enjoyed last Friday we're of the higheststandard, being well-conditioned and keenly priced as well, and the fact it wasbeing stocked at all, bodes well for the future of what was once a very commonstyle of beer. This is despite the many threats facing mild ale, althoughcontrary to the rest of the UK, Birmingham and the West Midlands have alwaysbeen a haven for this once popular beer style.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jBHQfLB8IpE5bse-k3w8YU7tkirB49FnGUosahtOxi1YMhpY2LVQeoC3_vlgDu4O1Q tIfMilfiUfMAru9lMSJCSrvvoTIg9iCKB4pCdh2NTuvlElV67R 4BQcl7mGw8achcyEx7dCVfcj_orf9tl4fIbwL7ih_-XT5fSOE7xrvd9PuyJVDgTh6h45/w400-h225/OPV%20Bar.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jBHQfLB8IpE5bse-k3w8YU7tkirB49FnGUosahtOxi1YMhpY2LVQeoC3_vlgDu4O1Q tIfMilfiUfMAru9lMSJCSrvvoTIg9iCKB4pCdh2NTuvlElV67R 4BQcl7mGw8achcyEx7dCVfcj_orf9tl4fIbwL7ih_-XT5fSOE7xrvd9PuyJVDgTh6h45/s3900/OPV%20Bar.jpg)
My first beer on arriving in Birmingham was a well-earnedpint of Hobson’s Champion, a 3.2% abv dark and “nutty” mild. The pub where Ienjoyed this beer was the Post Office Vaults, (https://www.postofficevaults.co.uk/) a subterranean bar reached fromthe street by a flight of steep descending steps. Below ground, this opens outinto a long bar with tables and chairs at either end.
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Described as "Birmingham’s premier, specialist beer bar," thePOV stocks beers from Belgium, Germany, France, Norway, Holland, Austria, andthe USA, alongside a range of up to eight cask ales, micro-breweries around theUK. We received a warm welcome from the two girls behind the bar, and given therange of beers available, it was a shame we couldn’t stop longer, but needsmust, and after a quick catch-up with my fellow pub explorers it was time tohead off to sample a few of Birmingham’s finest.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-Qo4H8cgT0d-o9upT7lOL01vHRf-0VcjxHFbJDfpoan2e-HY89rG6Hn36wLvJQPd9vjpILm2HcVeNFAoV-kTcsRABGQTnNDNU4l86GTRJ-xecg4biyew9ra91_x4F2JsiBUfhg9Xsl8uDlLRNGbQ4B9d8YL3 l0fupio_XBituDpoAI4zxqh04MUe/w400-h225/Queens%20Head%20counter.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR-Qo4H8cgT0d-o9upT7lOL01vHRf-0VcjxHFbJDfpoan2e-HY89rG6Hn36wLvJQPd9vjpILm2HcVeNFAoV-kTcsRABGQTnNDNU4l86GTRJ-xecg4biyew9ra91_x4F2JsiBUfhg9Xsl8uDlLRNGbQ4B9d8YL3 l0fupio_XBituDpoAI4zxqh04MUe/s3881/Queens%20Head%20counter.jpg)
Traditional Mild was also available in the second pub of theday, which was the Queen's Head (https://thequeensheadbirmingham.co.uk/), a modernised, terrace pub in the Colmoredistrict of town, and just a stone’s throw from Birmingham’s imposing town hall. The pub had a bright and well-litinterior which was enhanced by the use of reflective, metallic tiling aroundthe bar, off-set by some much darker tiles in other areas. There was a warm andwelcoming feel about the place, which translated into large numbers of officeworkers enjoying a lunchtime pint, along with a bite to eat. (The food lookedgood, btw!)
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The Queen's Head is owned by Davenport’s Brewery (https://www.davenports.co.uk/), a name thatsome of us remember from the 1970s. No one seemed quite sure when the original breweryclosed or even when it reopened, but when I lived in Manchester, during themid-1970’s, Davenport’s distinctive delivery vans were a familiar sight on thecity’s streets, offering the company’s unique, “Beer at Home” bottled beerservice for those unwilling, or unable to venture out to the pub.
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A spot of online research revealed that the Davenport's Bath Rowbrewery ceased production in 1986. After its closure, the company was bought bythe Highgate Brewery of Walsall, who brought the Davenport’s name backto life. Sadly, this revival was short-lived as Highgate itself wentinto liquidation after a failed attempt by two property developers torescue the brewery. The company alongwith the Davenport’s beer brands and recipes, ended up in the hands ofSmethwick-based pub branch company, Global Star.
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The revived Davenport’s name along with its beers, is now, onceagain, a familiar sight in the West Midlands, and for someone like me, who isinterested in brewery history, it was great to enjoy a few of these beers onceagain, on their home turf. There were four, Davenport’s caskales on sale at the Queen’s Head, CB Original Bitter, IPA, Gold Ale, plus atraditional dark mild. All four ales had their own, distinctive, retro pumpclip, and the 3.5% abv mild was especially good. I also tried a half of CB OriginalBitter, for comparison/nostalgia reasons.
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The next, and the final mild ale pub, was actually No. 4 onour guide (LAF)’s list, but No. 5 if you count the rather strange Big Smoke Bar.Stafford Paul and I swerved that one, after departing the Barton’s Armsslightly later than the rest of the group. We didn’t miss much, by allaccounts, not unless Shisha and fortified Jamaican wine are your recreationaldrugs of choice! We stuck our heads throughthe door, in passing, but only to confirm we’d made a wise decision in givingthat particular pub a miss.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmiOMFPYew-PiFNosoZxCXX6_H4rb6bSs15WPGO5l1bbs2llJyRGuVtCee7j8 dliOW8T7YVZDig1x_qP5_o2lRliU8pqdIFxwPkINonvAV7cXaF ya7Zf_EBO-SgPW-YLKT902Ib-ELcVS9pZpLlz_HlUW0dBiBdwNzb6BYRE_bsoiSL0PQYRbR9Rv/w400-h225/Bull%20(Brum)%20bar.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmiOMFPYew-PiFNosoZxCXX6_H4rb6bSs15WPGO5l1bbs2llJyRGuVtCee7j8 dliOW8T7YVZDig1x_qP5_o2lRliU8pqdIFxwPkINonvAV7cXaF ya7Zf_EBO-SgPW-YLKT902Ib-ELcVS9pZpLlz_HlUW0dBiBdwNzb6BYRE_bsoiSL0PQYRbR9Rv/s3930/Bull%20(Brum)%20bar.jpg)
Instead, we carried on, along the busy urban, dual-carriageway back towards the city centre, before crossing to pub No. 4, which was theBull. As we walked across the car park behind the pub, the rain started, anddidn’t stop until I was safely back at Moor Street station, several hourslater.
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We made our way inside this classic, Birmingham street-corner pub, (http://thebullbirmingham.co.uk/) gladto have escaped the rain, and feasted our eyes on the interior of this popularbackstreet local. The Bull is one of the oldest pubs in Birmingham and has asnug, comfortable and homely feel to it. There are two distinct drinking areassurround a U-shaped bar with a smaller back room for more privacy. A collectionof over 300 ceramic and porcelain jugs adorns the ceiling, along with a numberof old pictures and memorabilia.
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There was also a good choice of cask ale, with beers fromHook Norton (Old Hooky), Oakham (Citra), and Church End Brewery available. The3.8% Grave Digger’s Mild, from the latter company, was my choice, and it turnedout to be the best pint of mild of the day, and possibly the best pint overall.Paul and I hadn’t been at the Bull long, before the rest of the group arrived,and they were as equally enamoured of the Bull as we were. The pub wasdefinitely a nice place to while away a rainy afternoon, but there were atleast two more pubs to visit of LAF’s itinerary, and possibly more.We will leave those pubs for another day, as this article issupposed to be about mild. I must admit, that despite Birmingham being aenclave for the style, I still didn’t expect to find it on sale at three of thesix pubs we visited, and for it to be in such good condition. It was keenlypriced as well, with the Grave Digger’s Mild retailing at just £4.20 a pint, atthe Bull. So, if you are someone with a craving for this increasingly rarestyle of beer, you know where to head for, and even if mild is not your tipple,I’m sure you will find some of the other beers to your taste, alongside some ofthe finest pubs in the land.
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More... (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2023/04/the-outlook-for-birmingham-is-mild.html)
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Three of the six pubs I visited in Birmingham last Friday hadmild ale on sale. It was dark mild as well, and what's more it was the cask-conditionedversion too. So, three different pubs and mild from three different breweries, eachdark and distinctive in its own way. Drinking this dark, mellow, and rathertasty beer, was a rare treat, as we never see cask mild in Kent or indeedanywhere in the south east. We might occasionally see keg mild, but it's stillvery much the exception.Each of the milds I enjoyed last Friday we're of the higheststandard, being well-conditioned and keenly priced as well, and the fact it wasbeing stocked at all, bodes well for the future of what was once a very commonstyle of beer. This is despite the many threats facing mild ale, althoughcontrary to the rest of the UK, Birmingham and the West Midlands have alwaysbeen a haven for this once popular beer style.
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My first beer on arriving in Birmingham was a well-earnedpint of Hobson’s Champion, a 3.2% abv dark and “nutty” mild. The pub where Ienjoyed this beer was the Post Office Vaults, (https://www.postofficevaults.co.uk/) a subterranean bar reached fromthe street by a flight of steep descending steps. Below ground, this opens outinto a long bar with tables and chairs at either end.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4UnY-w6kExl4UzJG2qhi-jtd2y-flc6qPizS7-_pDWLH2d5YscxkzsK1zFHxNzBD90LvUoxGM1N5voFE8ghcvaXs ANtyz-rVVSJUxV8-h9phK9mU2J8RXe-Z3b3Y5-D_DUCawK7vUoTlF6obfHah6GzzJc71eC3PqLPZ_qbGO9b3yUo-CnVDdJvx/w400-h263/Queens%20Head%20ext.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4UnY-w6kExl4UzJG2qhi-jtd2y-flc6qPizS7-_pDWLH2d5YscxkzsK1zFHxNzBD90LvUoxGM1N5voFE8ghcvaXs ANtyz-rVVSJUxV8-h9phK9mU2J8RXe-Z3b3Y5-D_DUCawK7vUoTlF6obfHah6GzzJc71eC3PqLPZ_qbGO9b3yUo-CnVDdJvx/s3403/Queens%20Head%20ext.jpg)
Described as "Birmingham’s premier, specialist beer bar," thePOV stocks beers from Belgium, Germany, France, Norway, Holland, Austria, andthe USA, alongside a range of up to eight cask ales, micro-breweries around theUK. We received a warm welcome from the two girls behind the bar, and given therange of beers available, it was a shame we couldn’t stop longer, but needsmust, and after a quick catch-up with my fellow pub explorers it was time tohead off to sample a few of Birmingham’s finest.
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Traditional Mild was also available in the second pub of theday, which was the Queen's Head (https://thequeensheadbirmingham.co.uk/), a modernised, terrace pub in the Colmoredistrict of town, and just a stone’s throw from Birmingham’s imposing town hall. The pub had a bright and well-litinterior which was enhanced by the use of reflective, metallic tiling aroundthe bar, off-set by some much darker tiles in other areas. There was a warm andwelcoming feel about the place, which translated into large numbers of officeworkers enjoying a lunchtime pint, along with a bite to eat. (The food lookedgood, btw!)
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The Queen's Head is owned by Davenport’s Brewery (https://www.davenports.co.uk/), a name thatsome of us remember from the 1970s. No one seemed quite sure when the original breweryclosed or even when it reopened, but when I lived in Manchester, during themid-1970’s, Davenport’s distinctive delivery vans were a familiar sight on thecity’s streets, offering the company’s unique, “Beer at Home” bottled beerservice for those unwilling, or unable to venture out to the pub.
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A spot of online research revealed that the Davenport's Bath Rowbrewery ceased production in 1986. After its closure, the company was bought bythe Highgate Brewery of Walsall, who brought the Davenport’s name backto life. Sadly, this revival was short-lived as Highgate itself wentinto liquidation after a failed attempt by two property developers torescue the brewery. The company alongwith the Davenport’s beer brands and recipes, ended up in the hands ofSmethwick-based pub branch company, Global Star.
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The revived Davenport’s name along with its beers, is now, onceagain, a familiar sight in the West Midlands, and for someone like me, who isinterested in brewery history, it was great to enjoy a few of these beers onceagain, on their home turf. There were four, Davenport’s caskales on sale at the Queen’s Head, CB Original Bitter, IPA, Gold Ale, plus atraditional dark mild. All four ales had their own, distinctive, retro pumpclip, and the 3.5% abv mild was especially good. I also tried a half of CB OriginalBitter, for comparison/nostalgia reasons.
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The next, and the final mild ale pub, was actually No. 4 onour guide (LAF)’s list, but No. 5 if you count the rather strange Big Smoke Bar.Stafford Paul and I swerved that one, after departing the Barton’s Armsslightly later than the rest of the group. We didn’t miss much, by allaccounts, not unless Shisha and fortified Jamaican wine are your recreationaldrugs of choice! We stuck our heads throughthe door, in passing, but only to confirm we’d made a wise decision in givingthat particular pub a miss.
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Instead, we carried on, along the busy urban, dual-carriageway back towards the city centre, before crossing to pub No. 4, which was theBull. As we walked across the car park behind the pub, the rain started, anddidn’t stop until I was safely back at Moor Street station, several hourslater.
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We made our way inside this classic, Birmingham street-corner pub, (http://thebullbirmingham.co.uk/) gladto have escaped the rain, and feasted our eyes on the interior of this popularbackstreet local. The Bull is one of the oldest pubs in Birmingham and has asnug, comfortable and homely feel to it. There are two distinct drinking areassurround a U-shaped bar with a smaller back room for more privacy. A collectionof over 300 ceramic and porcelain jugs adorns the ceiling, along with a numberof old pictures and memorabilia.
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There was also a good choice of cask ale, with beers fromHook Norton (Old Hooky), Oakham (Citra), and Church End Brewery available. The3.8% Grave Digger’s Mild, from the latter company, was my choice, and it turnedout to be the best pint of mild of the day, and possibly the best pint overall.Paul and I hadn’t been at the Bull long, before the rest of the group arrived,and they were as equally enamoured of the Bull as we were. The pub wasdefinitely a nice place to while away a rainy afternoon, but there were atleast two more pubs to visit of LAF’s itinerary, and possibly more.We will leave those pubs for another day, as this article issupposed to be about mild. I must admit, that despite Birmingham being aenclave for the style, I still didn’t expect to find it on sale at three of thesix pubs we visited, and for it to be in such good condition. It was keenlypriced as well, with the Grave Digger’s Mild retailing at just £4.20 a pint, atthe Bull. So, if you are someone with a craving for this increasingly rarestyle of beer, you know where to head for, and even if mild is not your tipple,I’m sure you will find some of the other beers to your taste, alongside some ofthe finest pubs in the land.
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