It's All Bright Over Bill's Mother....

A long away trip where the detail of the journey would make a blog in itself, this was a rare visit for me to the Midlands to check out some of the pubs and beers of the country's second city and take in a vital match for both teams involved in the football at Kidderminster....

It was an early start for a Saturday.

The alarm went off at 6, then it was a quick shower, get dressed, finish packing the bag, a quick brew and a slice of toast. The taxi arrived just before 7 as, with the local trains on strike, it was a case of heading into Halifax to meet some of the lads and then catch the 7.30 bus to Rochdale. The ride over the hills and the drop down into Greater Manchester was spectacular in the bright early morning sunshine, but due to the the bus's basic suspension and the state of the surface of the roads, it was a relief when the bus pulled into Rochdale's Interchange, and the shakes and rattles stopped. Then it was across the road to the tram terminus where a few minutes later we boarded a tram into Manchester. We got off at Market Street and then off to Piccadilly, where after a seriously over-priced breakfast at the Mill Bar & Kitchen (we should have called at Greggs, located nearby on Station Approach), we caught a slightly delayed train heading towards Cardiff. We alighted at Crewe, and then it was a hop across the platforms for our train to Birmingham, arriving into the sprawl of New Street Station just before 12.30 to complete the first epic stage of the day's journey.

We walked through the busy city streets, passing some impressive old buildings like the City Hall, and headed into a quieter area where our Travelodge for the night was located. An early arrival had been booked for one of our rooms, and so we quickly dropped off our bags, and then we were back out on the streets, heading to our first beer stop, and a most welcome first pint of the day for those who had passed on the train beers. Our first pub was the Wellington on Bennetts Hill, which had quite a blokey atmosphere with fans of both Aston Villa and Brentford enjoying pre-match pints in the bar before their teams did battle later at Villa Park. There are an amazing 27 hand pumps to be found in this Black Country Ales pub as, as well as the downstairs bar, there is another room upstairs. Beers are from Black Country along with guests, from which I selected an HPA from Wye Valley, which made for a pleasant start to the day (NBSS 3). It was a decent enough pub, one of those that would be worth visiting when quieter, when it would be easier to take a proper look at the place, which also has its own roof terrace.

The Wellington, Birmingham

From the Wellington, it was a short walk back up the hill and a left turn to the Colmore. This is a very attractive Thornbridge pub which as as is the case with their Banker's Cat in Leeds has been fashioned out of a former bank in the city's financial area. An elegant frontage greets you, whilst behind is a stylish interior with wood panelling and fixtures, glazed booths, strategically-placed mirrors, attractive lighting, and Latin inscriptions in tiling on the walls. Meanwhile the bar featured a good range of Thornbridge beers, plus the odd guest, with some of the lads going for the ever-reliable Wild Swan whilst a couple of us went for Wild & Free, an extremely sessionable West Coast IPA which was in good form (NBSS 3.5). There was a great atmosphere here, a much more mixed clientele than the Wellington had had, and the service from the friendly staff was excellent. An excellent pub that is well worth calling in.

The Colmore: the boys on tour and a little Latin

Mindful of the fact we had a train to catch to Kidderminster for the TV-determined teatime kick off, we decided to visit one more pub in Birmingham and then go for it. So we headed down to Edmund Street where at the bottom of a slope in what I had forgotten was quite a hilly city centre was the Old Contemptibles. This is a Nicholsons pub, with separate areas within a single room. It features the usual stylish wooden panelling, flooring, and attractive bar you'd expect, plus the house pale ale and Proper Job on hand pump, both brewed by St Austell, and a range of guests, all sold at the premium prices you expect from Nicholsons. Most of us went for one of the guests, Kaleidoscope from Bristol brewers Wiper and True, their 4.2% best-selling hazy session pale featuring Citra, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops which was in fine fettle (NBSS 3.5). We were then handed a better transport option to Kidderminster, when an off-duty train driver who was having a drink with his wife overhead our football-based chatter and suggested we went for a direct service there from the nearby Snow Hill station rather than walking back to New Street and catching a train which would have required a change en route. 

Old Contemptibles: the pub that is, not the people

And so, following the train driver's advice, we caught the train and 40 minutes later, having passed through gradually thinning suburbs followed by some attractive countryside, we pulled into Kidderminster's modest and modernised railway station. Across the large car park there was what appeared to be an older, more traditional building housing the southern terminus of the privately-run Severn Valley Railway which runs for 16 miles to Bridgnorth in Shropshire. In actual fact the building is a very faithful 1980's recreation of a 1900's Great Western Railway station, and within it is a museum, cafe, and stacks of railwayana, along with an excellent traditional-looking pub, the King & Castle.

The pub was busy, with a mix of football fans, railway geeks, families, and pub lovers. There were 8 hand pumps on the bar featuring beers from the likes of Hobsons and the locally-brewed Bewdley, but there was one beer they had that I just had to try. It was several years since I had enjoyed a pint of Bathams Bitter, a classic beer from a legendary small, family-run brewery in the Black Country who started out in 1827, and two hand pulls at either end of the bank testified to its popularity here. I ordered a pint of it and we left the busy bar and went outside where we sat at one of several tables under the station canopy. The beer was excellent: pale, fruity, not too bitter, sweet with a dry finish, and a very refreshing beer which is very sessionable despite its 4.3% ABV (NBSS 4). And paired with a cheese salad cob (as they call their butties in these parts), and sat amidst the old suitcases, potted plants, and piles of second hand books with the sun shining bright it made for a most enjoyable visit to this fine pub.

The King and Castle, Kidderminster

After another pint of Bathams, we headed down the hill to Weavers, a micro pub popular with football fans that we had visited on our previous and ill-fated trip to Kiddy when they had knocked us out of the FA Cup. It wasn't as busy as last time we'd been, and whilst we were there it continued to thin out as kick-off time approached. From the 8 hand pumps on the bar I went for a pint of White from Enville Brewery, whose beers I have rarely come across since they started out in 1993 as they only generally sell into the free trade local to their South Staffordshire base, which is a few miles north of Kidderminster. After being spoilt by Bathams, the 4.2% White Ale, which is brewed with wheat, was a little bit off-kilter for me, although was well-kept and in good condition (NBSS 3). 

It was then less than 10 minutes' walk to Aggborough, the home of Kidderminster Harriers, where we had come to see if FC Halifax Town could get the points to keep their push for the play-offs on track, whilst the home side needed the points in their battle to avoid relegation from the National League. The teams came out into bright sunshine with a strong wind swirling around, although that can't really be blamed for the turgid first half performance we had to endure. The only saving grace was the quality of the food on offer, the burgers and cottage pie in a different league to the standard normally encountered. The game came to life when Town's Max Wright lobbed the ball over the keeper's head to put the away side ahead. The game swung Town's way from there on, and when Wright got his spectacular second goal of the afternoon, there was no way back for Kiddy. And that made it 4 wins out of the 5 away games I have been to this season.

We streamed back to the station, where we had a short wait for our train back to Birmingham. From Snow Hill, we walked back into the city centre which was full of Saturday night revellers. Our first stop, the Post Office Vaults on New Street though seemed remote from this, a subterranean drinking den far removed from the bustle on the streets above. Here there was a fairly blokey verging on the geeky crowd, although a few older couples were sat enjoying a pint and a half of lager in this one room bar. On the walls were old photographs of Birmingham from years gone by, whilst on the bar were 8 hand pumps with a huge range of bottled beers from all over the world if you wanted to venture further, plus a good range of ciders and perries too. I ordered a pint of First Class Stamp which is the house ale, brewed by another small South Staffordshire brewery, Kinver, which was a pleasant 4.2% malty, sweet, and slightly bitter beer (NBSS 3) which I drank whilst trying to avoid the remnants of a spilt pint left on to our bench seat by a previous customer. Overall, for the atmosphere, friendly staff, and beer it is a place I would happily call again.

Post Office Vaults, Birmingham

Which is not what I could truthfully say about the next stop. The Head of Steam on nearby Temple Street was full of life, beautiful young things, and had a good range of beer. If you want to meet your friends for a game of shuffleboard or shout over the loud music to hold a conversation, then fine. But if you want to discuss the infinite permutations of the National League play-off race it does not fit the bill. Now my beer - a cask version of Chaff from Farmyard Ales which I had had on keg at the Angel in Manchester only the previous week - was good (NBSS 3), and the rest of the lads seemed happy with theirs, most opting for beers from HOS owners Cameron's small batch label, Tooth & Claw, and the fact the place was busy shows the formula works. The music too was fine in general, just too loud. But the problem I have with chain bars like Head of Steam - and I realise there are obvious exceptions in their own portfolio - is that they have been bit-part players in the homogenisation of our towns and cities in that there is very little to link them with the location where they are situated. If you woke up here you could have been anywhere in the country.

Our final stop of the evening, the Old Joint Stock, certainly did address that issue as it is firmly rooted to its location even though its current owners are from further afield. It is a stunning place situated in a grand old building, which was originally designed as the library for St Philip's Church which it overlooks, before becoming the Birmingham Joint Stock Bank, later acquired by Lloyds Bank. It is Grade ll-listed, retaining many features from its days as a bank, and has a spectacular ceiling and large central island bar. It was only converted into a pub in 1997 when London brewers Fuller, Smith, and Turner acquired the building. Today according to the pub itself it is apparently the biggest seller of Fuller's London Pride in the land (not the Parcel Yard?), but what makes the Old Joint Stock stand out is that it is home to its own theatre. Opened in 2006, it is located on the first floor of the building, seating up to 80 customers, and flicking through the guide left on our table, there is a busy and varied programme over the next few weeks featuring comedy, fringe theatre, burlesque, cabaret, and novelty bingo! I digress. The pub was busy, but had a good atmosphere, and the London Pride was a decent enough pint with which to finish the day (NBSS 3).

And from there it was back to the hotel.  It had been, as they say in those parts, a bostin' day out. There is another local expression used to describe the weather; they say it's looking black over Bill's mother when there are dark clouds in the sky, 'Bill' supposedly being William Shakespeare, whose mother lived in Stratford-upon-Avon. Speaking figuratively our day had gone well and any potential dark clouds had dissipated; yes, we were all tired after a very long day, but the transport connections had all worked, we were basking in the result at the football, and we had enjoyed some good beer and good company along the way. And the following day all went to plan as well as we returned back north by a much simpler route. The weekend had been a welcome return to this part of the country after a long hiatus, and I look forward to visiting again soon....

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