Birmingham Crawls?

[Andy Ven]

Never having ventured to Harborne, which pubs would you recommend?

Just by coincidence, I discovered today, Birmingham CAMRA has published a guide to Harborne in its Summer 2010 edition of its quarterly publication, Out Inn Brum. It says:

Old House at Home: Greene King, Old Speckled Hen, Wells Bombardier, Fuller’s London Pride
Court Oak: Marston’s Pedigree, M&B Brew XI, Guest Beers
Scarlet Pimpernel: Guest Beer
Bell: M&B Brew XI, Guest Beer
Vine: Marston’s Pedigree, M&B Brew XI, Banks’s Bitter
New Inn: Banks’s Bitter, Mild, Guest Beers
Junction: Guest Beers, Traditional Cider
Harborne Club: Guest Beers
Proverbial: Greene King IPA, Wells Bombardier
Arco Lounge: Bath Ales Toga Man
Harborne Stores: John Smith’s Bitter, Marston’s Pedigree, EPA
White Horse: Greene King Abbot, IPA, Guest Beers, Traditional Cider
Sportsman: Davenports IPA, Highgate MILD, Guest Beers
Green Man: M&B Brew XI, Purity UBU, Guest Beers
Plough: Wye Valley, Butty Bach, Purity Mad Goose, Guest Beers

[Andy Ven]

and BTW: the International Food Fair is on in New Street, Victoria Square and Chamberlain Square (10am to 9pm) offering barbecue, venison, ostrich burgers, Chinese, Greek, Spanish etc and a mobile trailer (www.unibeers.co.uk) selling almost the full range of Highgate and Davenports CASK ales.

Not bad at all. I had Davenport's Fox Nob and it went down very well (alas Highgate MILD was one of the missing ales - the chap thought that there wouldn't be much demand for mild at an outdoor summer event - maybe he'll rectify that next week)

[General Staal]

Just by coincidence, I discovered today, Birmingham CAMRA has published a guide to Harborne in its Summer 2010 edition of its quarterly publication, Out Inn Brum. It says:

Old House at Home: Greene King, Old Speckled Hen, Wells Bombardier, Fuller’s London Pride
Court Oak: Marston’s Pedigree, M&B Brew XI, Guest Beers
Scarlet Pimpernel: Guest Beer
Bell: M&B Brew XI, Guest Beer
Vine: Marston’s Pedigree, M&B Brew XI, Banks’s Bitter
New Inn: Banks’s Bitter, Mild, Guest Beers
Junction: Guest Beers, Traditional Cider
Harborne Club: Guest Beers
Proverbial: Greene King IPA, Wells Bombardier
Arco Lounge: Bath Ales Toga Man
Harborne Stores: John Smith’s Bitter, Marston’s Pedigree, EPA
White Horse: Greene King Abbot, IPA, Guest Beers, Traditional Cider
Sportsman: Davenports IPA, Highgate MILD, Guest Beers
Green Man: M&B Brew XI, Purity UBU, Guest Beers
Plough: Wye Valley, Butty Bach, Purity Mad Goose, Guest Beers

Which of these pubs would you recommend, Mr Ven?

[General Staal]

Widening this a little, I was drinking with my most excellent friend, Soup Dragon, last night in Walsall - I have known him since primary school, and we both agreed that Walsall is a far superior pub crawl.

The Victoria, the White Lion, the Lyndon House Hotel, the Black Country Arms, The Walsall Arms, the Red Lion, the Fountain, the New Inns (the Pretty Bricks), the Butts Tavern - All of these are superb pubs.

In Hockley, only the Red Lion and the Lord Clifden come close. The Bartons Arms and the Black Eagle are excellent but a little out on their own.

In Digbeth, the White Swan is up there, but the Anchor is overrated.

In Birmingham, well, you have the Prince of Wales and maybe the Wellington.

[Andy Ven]

I too had a soup with the dragon on Wednesday evening.

I said that I crawled around Walsall on the day of the last home game of the season and visited The Red Lion (OK but just Banks's Bitter on hadpull on that day), The White Lion (best pub of that night), we reminisced outside the now long-closed Duke of Wellington, the Wheatsheaf (not bad but is it a pub or a diner these days?), Walsall Arms (sadly very quiet on the night and only Marston's Burton Bitter on handpull - I hope it was just a one-off), diversion to the Spring Cottage to meet someone on their stag do (not a real ale pub) and The Fountain (a decent real ale pub).

Memories of The Victoria ..... I went in there the day I left school when it was the Katz. Chip butties and Mexico '86..... Lineker!!!!

If we repeat the day out next year, without the diversion to the Spring Cottage, I will be looking to go in the Lyndon House, the Black Country Arms, the Butts Tavern and maybe through the back streets to the Pretty Bricks. I'm almost certain that these will provide an improvement to the mix of good and OK places we went to this time around.

If you get outside of Walsall town centre (and your have some means of transport) try the Manor Arms in Rushall, The Four Crosses in Shelfield, The Railway in Pelsall and the Turf Tavern in Bloxwich

as for Digbeth, well, The Lamp Tavern makes up a good trio

[Andy Ven]

Whilst on the subject of Walsall, there is a society called Friends of Highgate Brewery through whom you can arrange brewery tours and attend social evenings (every other month) at the brewery itself, as well as other social evenings. Membership is £5 per year and brewery social evenings cost £3 (to cover duty). Drink Highgate Mild (and their other brews) to your heart's content. Bargain!

http://www.fohb.org.uk/page3.html

[DannyO'Revey]

Hi, sorry just caught this thread. As Andy says there is a pull out guide to Harborne in the latest Birmingham Camra magazine, in recognition that all 15 pubs now serve real ale! I personally would recommend the White Horse for beer and the Junction as a pub, having gone there last Friday.

I have an electronic version of the pull out Harborne guide (or rather map), but can't post it on here because its copyright, but if anybody did need a copy..

I would also recommend the Station in Kings Heath as a place to go as well (not too far from the Old Mo, at least not by bus).

Does anybody know if the Wellington Hotel on Bristol Street in Birmingham is still open, as it was shut when I went onat 5pm on a Thursday, and didn't look very used?

Danny

[Andy Ven]

Whilst on the subject of Walsall, there is a society called Friends of Highgate Brewery through whom you can arrange brewery tours and attend social evenings (every other month) at the brewery itself, as well as other social evenings. Membership is £5 per year and brewery social evenings cost £3 (to cover duty). Drink Highgate Mild (and their other brews) to your heart's content. Bargain!

http://www.fohb.org.uk/page3.html

Oh no! I'll start a new thread but Highgate Brewery has gone into compulsory liquidation today

[The Giant]

In Digbeth, the White Swan is up there, but the Anchor is overrated.

I don't think The Anchor is overrated. It just might take a bit of getting used to! Its problems are:

1. Some Bar Staff can be a bit abrupt at times. Also none of them drink real ale.
2. Some of the beers are still sold when not at their best. Can happen when there are so many on.

Both of these issues are fairly well known and factored into any ratings of The Anchor you may find.

The reason people go back to The Anchor are:

1. Subject to point 2 above, the beer is usually fantastic and there is a good range you won't find anywhere else in Brum.
2. The bar staff are actually quite friendly if you get to know them.
3. Great unspoilt building.
4. No trouble.
5. A clincher for me, the pool table.

Make sure you try before you buy and send it back if it's not up to scratch.

The White Swan is lovely and I know many prefer it but the range of beer is not so good and it is often empty these days.

I'd also recommend The Spotted Dog further up Bradford Street past The Adam & Eve. It got a nice ambience and has a couple of ales on including a guest.

[General Staal]

Cheers Mr Giant. I have been to the Spotted Dog and I love it. As I have said previously, the ales here are lovely, but, bizarrely for a real ale drinker, I really like the Guinness here. I know it should be a universal standard, but I think it just tastes superb.

Getting back to the White Swan, I haven't been there for a couple of months, but whenever I have been there, it has been full, or at least, very busy. I can also get the missus to go there with me. She's not a big pubby, but even she likes it in the White Swan.