Birmingham Crawls?

[General Staal]

For those of you who live in Birmingham, which crawl is best:

Hockley (and I would include the Bartons Arms and the Black Eagle)
Birmingham City Centre
Digbeth

or AN Other?

[Soup Dragon]

I prefer Hockley these days, though Digbeth has a special place in my heart!

[hopwas]

For those of you who live in Birmingham, which crawl is best:

Hockley (and I would include the Bartons Arms and the Black Eagle)
Birmingham City Centre
Digbeth

or AN Other?

Welcome to forum.. I live in Tamworth but regular visitor to Brum.

I agree with Barton Arms and Black Eagle, both are excellent pubs. However you could try Red Lion, Rose Villa and The Jewellery Arms

For Birmingham City Centre,

I would go for The Wellington (famed for up to 16 real ales), Old Joint Stock, Prince of Wales (Near NIA), Tap and Spile, The Lamp Tavern and few others

For Digbeth.. simply there is only two is really worthy.. The Anchor and The White Swan

Barton Arms is miles away from these pubs I have mentioned so go there first. Then work your way from Hockley to Digbeth via City Centre or vice versa.

Hope this helps

Hoppy

[Andy Ven]

Tough choice.

If you do Digbeth, the Lamp Tavern in Barford Street (I assume Hopwas meant this one - GBG says its in Highgate but it's borderline Digbeth) is very good so that would make a nice trio. Soup D speaks highly of the Bull Ring Tavern - somewhere I've not ventured.

City Centre - the Bull in Price Street, on the outer edge of the ring road, is a very charismatic pub. I would add the Old Contemptibles to a city centre crawl.

GBG lists the Black Eagle, Lord Clifden and the Red Lion under Hockley.

The AN other would be Harborne but I think your 3 options are better. The 3 of them are all good - if I was doing the crawl during the evening I would stay in the city centre, especially if my group was small, but that's just me

[General Staal]

Ah, Hockley! I would start at the Bartons Arms, get a taxi in to the Queens Head, possibly pop in to the Ropewalk (which, in truth, I am not too keen on), walk up to the Red Lion, Rose Villa Tavern, Jeweller's Arms, Lord Clifden, the Church Inn.

Alternatively, start at the Black Eagle, then get the tram back into the Jewellery Quarter.

I did the Bartons version recently with my brother-in-law. We nearly toddled off to the Bull, by the old fire station too, but neither of us could move and I had to get my wife to pick us up.

Digbeth has to include the Anchor, the White Swan (one of my all time favourite pubs), the Spotted Dog, which has good Mild and real ale, but amazing Guinness, and the Lamp. I would start at the Bull Ring Tavern, which has no real ale, but is a 'Birmingham experience.'

Going through the City Centre itself is not something I actually do, but, definitely the Prince of Wales, Old Joint Stock, Bennetts, the Wellington, the Shakespeare, and down to the Fox by the Hippodrome. I have heard good things about the revamped Old Contemptibles.

For its compactness, I would probably got for Hockley/Jewellery Quarter.

Have I missed any pub gems here?

[Soup Dragon]

Staaly is a good drinking buddy of mine - until he reaches his second pint!

[hopwas]

Good shout, Old Contemptibles. I forget about them. It tends busy on lunchtimes with office workers having quick pint or lunch.

I knew Lamp Tavern is in Highgate but not far from Digbeth.

Not sure about Bull Ring Tavern.. althrough I haven't visited it since gang-war brawl in 2005. I have mentioned this somewhere in this forum.

[General Staal]

Hi Andy,

Tough choice.


The AN other would be Harborne but I think your 3 options are better. The 3 of them are all good - if I was doing the crawl during the evening I would stay in the city centre, especially if my group was small, but that's just me

Never having ventured to Harborne, which pubs would you recommend? Also, is Moseley any good?

[Andy Ven]

I'm not sure I would bother with Bennett's and The Old Fox doesn't float my boat these days but each to their own.

Tap and Spile, Canalside Cafe and Pennyblacks are all very close together if you get around the canal area

[hopwas]

down to the Fox by the Hippodrome.

I would personally cross off The Old Fox, I have visited it few times and it seems get worse each time I went in. Mind you last visit was in Oct 2009.

Not sure if it has improved since then..