Is that pub all that?

[Mobyduck]

Some pubs have big reputations,the question is are they justified?Liking a pub or not is obviously down to personal preference but could be affected by circumstances on the day e.g unlucky to catch the end of a barrel or a rowdy stag party happens to have taken over the bar on your visit spoiling the atmosphere.A few examples from my experience are-
The Harp,Charring cross , great pub great reputation and totally justified in my view,
Ye Olde Mitre ,Holborn ,Big rep yet Iv'e visited on several occasions and never been satisfied with the outcome,either average beer, or great difficulty in being served e.c.t.Although agreed a good looking pub.
The Wenlock Arms always divided opinion some thought it a tip others mecca,I veer towards the latter,
The Evening Star ,Brighton,great beer good pub yet I prefer The Great Eastern down the road as a pub altough it doesn't come close in the beer stakes.My examples are southern based, but what are your experiences in your neck of the woods? Could be controversial.

[oldboots]

The Bree Louise would be my nomination for the most over-rated pub, I can't think of better example of dross that's been talked up so much.

Usually I've found the high reputations are deserved, I'm thinking about pubs like the Brunswick in Derby or the Marble Arch in Manchester and so on.

[gillhalfpint]

The Wellington in Birmingham has a great reputation and is one of the pubs to visit while in Birmingham.

The Anchor in Digbeth is another must visit pub with a good reputation, but where I rate the Anchor best for new brewery beer choices I rate the Wellington better for keeping the beer condition right.

The newer kid on the block, the Post Office Vaults in New Street has fewer beers, but kept in good condition and a must for anyone into foreign beers.

[Soup Dragon]

The Wellington in Birmingham has a great reputation and is one of the pubs to visit while in Birmingham.

The Anchor in Digbeth is another must visit pub with a good reputation, but where I rate the Anchor best for new brewery beer choices I rate the Wellington better for keeping the beer condition right.

The newer kid on the block, the Post Office Vaults in New Street has fewer beers, but kept in good condition and a must for anyone into foreign beers.

It all comes down to personal taste and the time of visit (if a one time visit is the basis of a review, of which mine usually are). I am a Midlander that likes a head on his beer, which i seldom get at the Welly or Vaults and the quality of the Hobson's MILD varies enormously at the Anchor. Why the Lamp in Digbeth is rated, i will never know. Quite why Ember Inns and Spoons places make the GBG is beyond me too, as their pubs are so erratic.

I am just about to review the Swan With Two Nicks in Worcester - Quinno likes it, OB doesn't - it was great at my visit, but then i am miserable and liked the fact nobody was in - i think i would hate it later in the day. Unless we are talking about Ingoldmells, i tend just to write a somewhat benign account and say what i see.

[Mobyduck]

Quite why Ember Inns and Spoons places make the GBG is beyond me too, as their pubs are so erratic.

I have to agree with the above,I guess they are there simply on the amount of different beers they provide,a good idea but if their is a problem with consistent quality, which has been my general experience, then the idea is not so good.Which leads me to the same conclusion as oldboots regarding the Bree Louise.

[Thuck Phat]

Just Beer Micropub in Newark has had a lot of positive publicity but I found it to be hugely overrated and couldn't find anything I wanted to drink there.
And for the controversial pick, I was a little disappointed by the Brunswick in Derby which, whilst a lovely pub with a wide range of ales, seems to choose guest beers which don't overshadow its own, fairly dull in my experience, range. By contrast the Smithfield in Derby had one of the best ale selections I've ever seen, a great shame it's closed - what do I know?

[General Staal]

Quite why Ember Inns and Spoons places make the GBG is beyond me too, as their pubs are so erratic.

If all Embers and Spoons got in, I would agree. However, some are much better than others. The Queslett in Sutton Coldfield is an Ember clone pub, yet the beer quality and service is uniformly excellent. They also do not have the 'usual suspect' ales on all the time and their range changes. The Bishop Vesey in Boldmere is a Spoons, but again, the beer is very good and I never have a complaint about it.

The pubs in Birmingham that have a very good reputation that I would disagree with are:

The Anchor in Digbeth. I can see why people like it, but I find it unfriendly and the beer is hit and miss.
The Lamp in Digbeth, or is it Highgate? This is a very friendly pub, but again, the quality of the beer is really erratic.

I love the Post Office Vaults in Birmingham City Centre. The beer is excellent and it has a warm, friendly atmosphere.
I do like the Wellington, but it gets very full and cramped and lacks atmosphere, in my opinion.
Across in Hockley (Jewellery Quarter) the Lord Clifden and the Red Lion deserve their reputations - excellent pubs!

In Sutton Coldfield, the Station and the Duke have very good reputations. I can't see why the Station is so special. The Duke is a good old boozer and the ales are well kept, but the range is unadventurous and expensive. The King's Arms in Sutton, in my opinion, is by far the best pub. The Theakston's Mild is excellent and the service is second to none.

The Station in Whitby has a good reputation and well deserves it. Ale, atmosphere and service are all excellent. The Black Horse Vaults is also excellent as is the Endeavour. However, many of the pubs in Whitby are expensive, but well worth doing a crawl of.

[Andy Ven]

I love the Post Office Vaults in Birmingham City Centre. The beer is excellent and it has a warm, friendly atmosphere.

You may be interested to read this review from one of our local celebrity beer bloggers, Marverine Cole aka Beer Beauty: http://www.funf-media.co.uk/beerbeau...ingham-review/

[Quinno]

The Bree Louise would be my nomination for the most over-rated pub, I can't think of better example of dross that's been talked up so much.

I second that one sir. A genuine 'how does that get into GBG?' pub. And I am well-qualified to ask that, as Pubs Officer and GBG co-ordinator for the Reading & Mid Berks branch (cue flurry of questions about why Pub X in Reading isn't in - I will happily tell you!)

I also found The Devonshire Cat to be well-overrated on my visit. I am intending to get back there in August so we'll see if I change my mind.

[trainman]

I second that one sir. A genuine 'how does that get into GBG?' pub. And I am well-qualified to ask that, as Pubs Officer and GBG co-ordinator for the Reading & Mid Berks branch (cue flurry of questions about why Pub X in Reading isn't in - I will happily tell you!)

I also found The Devonshire Cat to be well-overrated on my visit. I am intending to get back there in August so we'll see if I change my mind.

I'll third that emotion re Bree Louise - to be highly commended for trying to take the real ale route, but serving everything so flat aint gonna have folk flocking back.

I dropped the Devonshire from recent tour; very good beer range but a bit spoonsy (apart from viw of tap room, iirc). 'Well-overrated' may be slightly harsh and it would be on-map during a 2-dayer, but others take priority on flying visit.

Britons Protection, Spinko; you may feel the beer range is bland for you, I can understand that, but one could hardly apply that term to the pub itself - an outstanding survivor in an age where heritage pubs have been lost forever due to moronic 'designers' who have probably never set foot in a proper pub in their lives!