Claregate, Wolverhampton:
A lovely micropub in a Wolverhampton suburb. One room inside, but a little more atmosphere than The Turtle’s Head. Great beer, great snacks, friendly locals and staff. Part of our tap house tour, and the tap house for Morton Brewery.
Bilston:
Right next to the bus station, this is very unispiring as you approach, a 70s-looking rebuild. Inside, it’s a bit bright, and had the feeling it could get a bit erm, vibrant. Staff were friendly, beer was Banks’s, and my bitter was perfectly drinkable, cobs behind the bar, and it did mean my escape to the bus was last-minute.
Bilston:
[edit: now closed, and the site is a car park]
Right up one end of town, next to Lidl, we’d never been here before, and it was quite pleasant. Very traditional inside, comfortable and friendly. Beer choice a bit limited, but it was cask Banks’s- mild and bitter, so OK. Quite a surprise.
Bilston:
A legendary music venue and pub, this was the saviour of our Bilston trip, and we nearly missed it, as it closes at 4pm on Saturdays. We’ve been caught out before.
Anyway- Holdens on the pumps, friendly staff, nice atmosphere and good music. A great pub.
Bilston:
I hadn’t been in here for years: If it were in a country village, it would be famed, a historically significant building that feels it inside, but the effect is ruined a little by the TVs (one showing sport, one Come Dine With Me, of all things). No ale, either, so we had a rapid half of Girl’s Stella and warmed ourselves by the lovely open fire, before heading for The Trumpet.
Our meeting place for the continuation of 100Pubs, I’d heard dark things of this previously notoriously good real ale pub/hotel from several people.
As it was, it wasn’t too bad, but wasn’t brilliant. The beer has been Greene Kinged, and I’m not keen on that- Andy likes GK IPA, when he hates IPA as a rule – so GK IPA was off for me, and I ended up with Benajmin’s Red Molasses Beer, which was at least interesting.
Staff were friendly, and the place looked cleaner and brighter, but it was *freezing* inside. No sign of food, which was there before, and the beer choice is very, very limited compared to before.
Wolverhampton:
A ‘spoons. Standard stuff.
Wolverhampton:
A pub I’ve frequented before now, but now refurbed nicely and renamed.
The refurb is nice- it’s freshened and smartened things up, but retained the old layout, the beer is good, and the atmosphere great. No complaints here form any of our party, great staff, and a really nice pub. Given that #100pubs had already seen off our usual favourites, this was great.
Wolverhampton:
I Loved this.
Others were less keen. It’s a big, slightly grotty pub, Wolverhampton’s Trough, if you will. Inside, it’s dark, there’s a bit of goth theme-park about it, but I loved it. Extra marks for Lucretia, My Reflection, and for Trooper.
Wolverhampton:
IIRC previously the Little Civic ticket office, this is a nice surprise: real ale, music, and a blend of traditional and modern architecture, and a nice vibe when we visited, Saturday early evening. It can apparently get a bit crowded at times, but it was a nice place for a pint with outside space.