please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Striking looking must visit Olde Pub with good ales, friendly staff and super clean interior.
Muzzy - 22 Mar 2022 12:03 |
2020 Good Beer Guide Tick thats long been on the list to visit but is slightly out of the City Centre..... although very handy if you are attending the 02 Academy.
Heaving - all the other punters were also attending the 02 Academy :-)
Typical Black Country Ales Pub - classic pubby feel, their signature ales and other rotating guests - all displayed on TV screens.
TItanic Glacial and Oakham Citra in good condition.
Worth seeking out.
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Still much the same as it was just over 4 years ago when I last visited (except it is now owned by Black Country Ales). I also think some external signage has been removed to reveal the original Holder's Brewery glazed tiles. BCA's Fireside, Pig on the Wall, BFG and Plum Pig were on sale last night (the last one being very good) as well as Grafton's Peanutter, Titanic's Chocolate & Vanilla Stout and Downton's Elderquad. Craft offerings were 3 from Salopian at well over £5 a pint. Whilst a pint of Plum Pig was a reasonable £3.40, a bottle of Hogan's Dry was £5.20 which seemed excessive (we should have ordered the draught Gwynt y Ddraig Black Dragon but opted for a more local cider). Easy to find a seat even on a Saturday night.
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An unexpected gem. We were heading to the Keg and Grill and decided to pop in for a quick pint.
As others have said, extensive and well-kept selection of beer.
Friendly punters too.
Not mega busy due to its location even on a Saturday evening.
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Good pub.
Nice old fashioned decor and plenty of really well kept real ales (11 I think) and ciders.
Landlord obviously knows a great deal about beer - so do the regulars.
One minor gripe: for an unfashionable site away from the city centre the prices could be cheaper.
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Welcome addition to Birmingham's proper beer scene. Handy for New Street yet not as manic as the other options.
anonymous - 31 Mar 2016 22:57 |
I'd recommended this pub to a few other people and they liked it. So a return visit was planned for Tuesday afternoon this week. The place is clearly now a haunt for real ale enthusiasts, albeit not the easiest to find. Whilst it's a Black Country Ales pub, it appears to focus on specific breweries. On Tuesday, it was Cloudwater - Session IPA, Vermont ESB, US Light Ale, Black IPA, Pale & Smoked Porter. Black Country beers were Pig on the Wall, BFG & Fireside. Other guests were Pig & Porter Skylarking & Wishbone Rascal. Cider was Hogans Admiral Hopped, whilst the perry was Poachers Perry also from Hogans. One of Birmingham's better pubs.
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Nice traditional pub but the welcome was frosty. I am not a local, perhaps that is why. 9 beers on but here's the pity. 1 stout, 1 porter, 1 proper bitter Amber in colour but 6 pale even described as lagerish on the bar.this lack of a decent choice meant one drink only then moved on. I had Oak by Grain, well kept, good session beer, nice colour and taste. Score reflects the poor staff attitude, lack of choice for those of us that remember what beer should be like but also scored up as the 1 I had was good.
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Fairly busy, nice range of customers young, old, male female. Staff frosty to say the least, but I am not local. 9 beers on. 1 stout, 1 dark, 6 pale even described as lagerish! God help us. Only 1 Amber trad bitter, so I only stayed for 1. That 1 was good. Well kept, good flavour, nice colour so that drags the score up a point. When will pubs and Brewers realise that there is still a need to provide decent English bitters and not an overwhelming flood of American pale, citrus lagerish ale?
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Nice traditional pub but the welcome was frosty. I am not a local, perhaps that is why. 9 beers on but here's the pity. 1 stout, 1 porter, 1 proper bitter Amber in colour but 6 pale even described as lagerish on the bar.this lack of a decent choice meant one drink only then moved on. I had Oak by Grain, well kept, good session beer, nice colour and taste. Score reflects the poor staff attitude, lack of choice for those of us that remember what beer should be like but also scored up as the 1 I had was good.
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When In Birmingham I usually pop in here. this time 2 nights on the trot.
Friendly barman, I presume the owner. Good knowledge of beers that he's happy to pass on. Church End Porter £3.80 was very good. Squawk Gallena Centinal
(i think) £3.80 and Fixed Wheel Chain Reaction at £3.40 were also very good.
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I've read the reviews for this pub and can only guess I frequented the wrong establishment! Rudest staff I have ever witnessed in my life! One of our group enjoys lager, is that a crime? If it is then why sell it? We were swore at! Laughed at! and made to feel so uncomfortable!
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Definatley worth the walk to find this hidden boozer in Brum.
Friendly staff and regulars await you in the pub. I had a pint of bank vault which was different.
Will definately be returning in the near future and will be on my pub crawl list!
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Worth the slight walk out of the city centre (10 minutes from New Street station) to this Grade 2 listed Edwardian pub with its majolica tiled exterior, etched glass, stained glass windows, green tiled fireplace and a superb range of ales. Last night's offerings were Glentworth's Thousand Stars, Wiper & True's Milk Shake, Cwrw Iâl's Kia Kaha, Siren Craft's Liquid Mistress and Ryseing Tides, Durham Brewery's White Amarillo, Black Country's Fireside and BFG and Church End's Boston Fat Boy. The two I tried were both very good indeed. If real ale pubs are your thing, then this is a must.
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Nice historical looking alehouse couple of minutes from the City Centre. Seems to be getting lots of plaudits from the real ale and cider brigade. Personally I think it`s ok but not somewhere I`d be drinking on a constant basis...same as the Wellington which isn`t quite my cup of Bovril. Must visit if your into that sort of thing.
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I Had not visited this pub since 2010 It has changed for the better, a range of Black country ales and 4 guests i think. A nice touch is the landlord has written tasting notes for the guest beers and put them next to the pumps. Good music was playing which could be a bit loud for some. Top pub.
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There's not much I can add to the recent comments. Wonderful beer, friendly service (a 'Thank you' as you leave costs nothing and makes a lot of difference), it's a pity it's not bigger but that might ruin the atmosphere of what i think is now the best pub in the city centre.
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I went to this pub with a group of enthusiastic beer drinkers. Everyone agreed that the Craven Arms is one of the best in Birmingham. I particularly liked the card by each pump describing each of the beers.
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Probably the best pub of the 11 we visited over the weekend - great beer in a friendly clean pub.
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Good traditional pub in a Birmingham backstreet but not too far from the centre or from Broad Street. A wide range of beers and also cider. Doesn't do food - it's a traditional pub after all - but does allow and even encourage the punter to bring their own.
Well preserved tiling and interior as well.
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Another Oasis of a pub, not busy at all - the Square Peg seemed like a distant bad dream. Service instant and a very pleasant place to be in. Several ales were on and I partook of the Summer Wine Barista Espresso Stout - magic.
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Great pub. Friendly welcome, efficient service, nine handpumps offering a tasty selection of ales including three dark ales on my visit. Good, relaxing atmosphere. 10/10.
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Look out all you Brum Real Ale Pubs there a new Kids on the Block and its consistently Good - Have dropped in with several sets out people and everybody loves it -- Good selection of Real Ales at Reasonable Prices best Pork Scratching in the West Midlands - No music so you can have a great chat ...... You'll miss out if you dont visit
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Great beer, great food, great atmosphere, just great. Not far away from the Mailbox so it's very easy to find. The Craven has just run a beer festival with a fine selection of London beers, also a good Ale from Wrexham called Melyn Golden Bitter. The Craven is so good infact, I go there often so of course my review is biased. But for those who haven't yet been, I highly recommend you visit.
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First visit for me here on Wednesday. The pub has been really well done out. 3 Black Country Ales plus 6 guests. Three beers tried, all in good condition.
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what a boozer! great pint, fabulous array of beers, and although the guvnor was very busy he took time out to chat about forthcoming ales. terrific interior and exterior, a must-visit for the committed ale drinker.
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Despite the last reviewer's comment I found the bar chap very welcoming. Good selection of real ales, the ones tried were excellent. After visiting the trendy Penny Blacks it was a pleasure to find this proper pub, exterior tiling is super. Best Birmingham pub visited today apart from the Post Office Vaults.
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At last someone has finally gotten a grip on this pub and spotted it's potential. As mentioned an outlet for Black Country Ales with 10 or 11 eleven choices for my visit. I wouldn't say I got the warmest of welcomes from the bar staff, and it offered further proof that outside of Wetherspoons, £3.20 is the going rate for a pint of decent beer in the city centre. However for quality, quantity and comfort I'll take the Craven over any of the half dozen or so of it's over rated rivals every time, and I suggest this is the pub you should head for whenever you find yourself in the ritzy Mail Box locale.
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Two weeks on from my last visit, I had read that the pub had now opened. So I tried again to find it open on a Sunday evening, unlike many pubs in Birmingham city centre. The pub did not disappoint with 9 ales, a cider and a perry. Whilst it was quiet, there were still several people including people who are clearly intent on making this their local. The landlord was friendly and knowledgeable. He clearly knew his beers and breweries. Ales on were Black Country BFG, Pig on the Wall & Fireside, Great Heck Golden Mane & Porter, Muirhouse Shopping For Hops & Magnum Mild, Frys Golden Armour & Morton Scrummage. The cider and perry were both from Gwynt y Ddraig - Dog Dancer & Two Trees. I overheard the landlord say that the cider and perry pumps would soon be used for 2 more ales with the cider and perry still retrieved from the cellar. This is a welcome addition to Birmingham's growing list of decent pubs. Whilst not in the best of areas, it's not too far from New Street station and its commitment to featuring guest beers from smaller breweries will ensure I pay a return visit next time I have any length of time to spend in Birmingham.
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This pub is currently closed and is in the process of being refurbished. It appears that Black Country Ales are adding it to their collection of pubs and a quick peep through the windows revealed a long row of handpulls. One to try in the future. But no rating for now.
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Small and friendly, good homemade bar food. Hobgoblin, EPA and Cocker Hoop on when I visited. Well worth the walk out of town.
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Nice pub with friendly bar staff. 2 TV's, one with cricket and the other playing a music channel. Got here at knocking off time, so there were quite a few workers in here. Please lads take off your fluorescent jackets i needed sunglasses. Marstons and Hobgoblin on tap.
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Fine little corner pub with a magnificent blue tiled exterior and a good looking cornerstone above one door. Inside is full of red leather settles and dining tables and chairs. The settles have small mirrors set in the back of them for the vain types. The neat wooden bar has mirrors at the back and some interesting lights above it. There are two green tiled fireplaces and a DJ rig in one corner. The windows are nicely done and are engraved with the name of the pub. There are three handpumps but only two were on, these were selling Pedigree and Hobgoblin. I tried a pint of the Hobgoblin which was fine. The menu on the table had some fairly standard pub grub on it but at very competitive prices e.g. Steak Pie, Chips & Peas for �3.95, I didn�t try any though. It�s a neat little pub and a far cry from the plastic bars in the Mailbox just along the road.
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My first visit to this interesting back street boozer . the outside is fantastic and should be listed (if it isnt already) Inside is small and has benefited from a recent refurb , as a result is spotless as are the toilets - probably the cleanest I have seen in any pub !! Two Ales on - Hobgoblin , which was smack on and Pedigree (not so good) they are trying hard and deserve some success - give it a go if you are the mailbox next door. 7 out of 10 and one to watch.
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This pub is now open. The extrior is fantastic - ceramic tiles; the inside was clean and the people behind the bar friendly
Has usual stuff, It looks like they are trying to find their feet a bit, as the Banks's MILD wasnt on and the Banks's bitter pump actually turned out to be Hobgoblin - what a bonus!
Good Luck to them and look forward to going back
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Still closed - 3rd May
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Being refurbished. Open in May, I think.
Regis - 22 Apr 2009 16:30 |
Very disapointing. Nice interior, but no food & no Ale on my visit last week, so I walked out. It also stank
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Agreed, lovely place with great exterior and pleasant interior. But it was almost dead and the quality of the ale was poor on my visit. Then again it was a weekday early evening. Hope it can survive and turn around a bit.
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A nice survival, but distinctly lacking in atmosphere on a late Thursday evening - Banks was OK.
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Handsome old boozer with original etched windows and external tiles. Banks' Original was very tasty. Nice this place has survived so well right next to the �ber chic Mailbox complex practically next door.
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