KIDDY KOMPLETE

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Lots of people are boring on about the best pubs in real ale honeypots like Stockport, Berlin, Nottingham and, of course, Newbury.

Not much yet from the smaller pub towns which often provide the best pub crawls. Places like Nuneaton, March or Kidderminster, whose Beer Guide collection I finished off last week.

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On the day Robert Plant released his latest solo record, I played the predicable tourist for a change, and walked the trail of Kiddy’s proud musical heritage.

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The Zep

Not quite enough to bring in the tourists on a Thursday night in October, and the over-modernised town centre isn’t the best in the west.

But the pubs were all lively and cheery, as they always are. And the sole newbie, the Beer Emporium etc, looked far too inviting. The windows suggest life, without quite disclosing what’s going on inside (nothing bad.  This IS Kiddy).

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The Beer Emporium

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Yes, it looks and feels like a micro, but there are proper seats rather than posing tables down two lines, so you could integrate or hide fairly easily.  Being able to be unsociable in a pub is an underrated virtue.

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One of the friendliest micros so far, reminding me a lot of Dover’s wonderful Lanes.

A treasure trove of pub conversation, and of breweriana;

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For old folk like me with poor eyesight, the Emporium’s giant beer blackboard is a joy.

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Some will think that’s not the most cutting-edge range of beers.  That suits me fine, and I welcome a showcase for the excellent Hobson’s beers, which you rarely see travelling round the country.

Everyone seemed to be on the Green Hop, and I always follow everyone.  It was beautifully presented from the barrel, a clear NBSS 3.5.  I still wished I’d had the Mild though.

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If anyone thought me odd for taking photos of the top of the beer they didn’t say so.

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As I’ve said before, I rate Kidderminster one of the very best places for a pub crawl anywhere in the UK.  Cheery, characterful places with high quality beer.

I hope our regular US visitors will confirm that status by paying it a visit now they’ve done the honeypots of Bewdley and Bridgnorth.

 

Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

28 thoughts on “KIDDY KOMPLETE”

  3. And when I look up the mild on Hobsons website, I find it is brewed using Maris Otter malt, Fuggles and Golding hops which is my favorite combination of ingredients.

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  4. Hobson’s Mild is one of my favourite beers but it seems to be becoming quite scarce compared to the brewery’s other ales. Spent a week in and around Ludlow last month and didn’t find any.

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    1. That’s disappointing for a beer that won Champion Beer of Britain not that long ago. I don’t see it much, though I did enjoy it in the Post Office Vaults in Birmingham this month.

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      1. He’s several hours ahead of you, something to do with living to the west.

        It’s a very specific quality that distinguishes the best pubs from micropubs, though many would see the forced integration as a reason they like micros.

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  7. I am pretty sure i have posted on your blog,Martin,that i did a large pub crawl in Kidderminster quite a few years ago and was not that struck on the town,the massive shopping centre in the middle of the town centre seems to spoil the town in my humble opinion.

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      2. It’s not great, but on our pub crawl and curry night a year ago we had a fantastic time. Everyone really cheery and 3 lovely pubs in the Beer Guide. A real surprise.

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  9. “Everyone seemed to be on the Green Hop,”

    I would assume (from what I read on Paul’s blog) that be mainly due to the time of year.

    And I like the way the Beer Emporium frosted the bottom half of the windows.

    Cheers

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  11. It’s abut time we all started categorising micros on a sliding scale – cheap start up, basic, considerable amount of effort, well thought out, very professional. A complementary scale is also required – crap, passable, good, excellent.

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  12. This is not only a lovely piece on the delights of drinking in Kidderminster but it also has some gems in the comments from Alan Winfield and Rich Coldwell
    Two proper #pubmen

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