Category Archives: Burntwood

The Wych Elm

Burntwood, Staffs:

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We’d been for an excellent Chinese meal nearby, and I’d not been in here for some 35 years, so we gave it a go as it was a handy place to get picked up from, and we’d already been to Vintage Liquid Taphouse nearby.

It’s not bad, but nothing special, either: a typical family feedbag pub, a little grubby in places. Evidently older than I remembered it (I thought is was modern, but it’s probably Victorian)

Standard feedbag menu, some cask ale, usual suspects otherwise. Surprisingly quiet for a Friday night.

Vintage Liquid Taphouse

Burntwood:

Previous Incarnation

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This is Sankey’s Taphouse reborn, with new owners. The old place was great, so this had a lot to live up to.

It’s not massively changed inside, but that’s no bad thing. Very busy, at early evening on a Friday: we had to sit on stools.

Pleasant staff and locals. My first pint was, however, clearly knackered, but changed without any issue, and the replacement was great.

It’s much nicer than the name suggests: to me the name suggested a load of hipster wankery, in actual fact it’s a nice micropub with a good range of beer and a nice atmosphere.

Revisit: The Uxbridge Arms

Chasetown, Burntwood, Staffs.

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A revisit to a pub I already liked a lot, but it has now been taken over by Black Country Ales, extensively refurbished, and re-opened just a couple of days ago.

It’s lovely. The outside has been smartened up, the inside is fresh, clean, and firly bright, but still traditional. There’s the standard arrangement for Black Country pubs: TV screens displaying the huge choice of ales, cobs on offer, traditional decor.

Outside there’s a decent smoking shelter if that’s your thing, and a nice beer garden.

Beer was in excellent form, too. With the other 3 nice pubs nearby, there’s quite the making of a good pub crawl here.

[CLOSED] Revisit: Sankey’s Tap House

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It’s been 4 years sine we went here, and it’s changed a little.

The layout has changed a bit, it’s been decorated and refurbished. There’s two toilets now, not just a single one. The proprietor has settled in to the place and now seems entirely at ease: our first visit was very early on and he was getting to grips with it.

What hasn’t changed is that said proprietor is really friendly, the beer is still fantastic, the music is still present but not too loud.

It has continued table service after the lifting of Covid restrictions, and I feel this suits it well: the benefit of not having crowds around the bar.

Basically, it was great in 2017, and it’s even better now 🙂

The Crown Inn

Chasetown, Staffs:

Been meaning to go in here for some time, but the lure of other nearby pubs, coupled with a reputation for being a bit “vibrant” had put us off.

Well, it may have been vibrant a while ago, but there’s been a new landlord since October 2020. Inside, it’s open plan, tidy, and pleasant. There’s 2 old Banks’s fireplaces of the sort that used to be common around here. 2 real ales (61 Deep & Hobgoblin Gold this time), music at a sane volume, and the landlord is friendly and keen. Well worth a visit, especially given the surrounding pubs are good too.

The Star Hotel

Burntwood, Staffs:

A Ember Inn, so it’s a pub for people that don’t like pubs :-).

I’m being unkind. Ember Inns are OK, in their way. The food’s usually at least OK, they tend to have a few cask ales on, the interiora are a bit of a fake-traditional thing- and this was the case here. It’s an imposing building outside- late 19th century at a guess.

Ember Inns used to have a no children policy, but I they’ve sadly relented on that now, not that it was a problem for us on a weekday lunchtime.

Beer was fine, but maybe a bit cold for some real ale twats, fine for me.