More short posts you can read over your teatime pint.
I feel like I’ve done Halesowen to death, so I can’t be bothered to give you another cultural analysis of the “Jewel on the A456“.
The big question, of course, is this;
“Is Halesowen in the Black Country ?”
The pubs certainly have that feel, and you can’t argue that a pub with cobs for £1.50 doesn’t deserve the same status as one in Cradley Heath.
The beer range in this micro is pure Stourbridge though.
An odd jam jar for Hop Twister, which did a poor job of selling it to me.
To be honest, the rolls looked better than the beer, and the Lemon Dream was the very definition of “adequately kept”. And by that I mean adequately kept.
But look at the life in here, clustered around proper tables with German beermats.
Very much the small community pub, with Old Boys, tradesmen, schoolchildren and those four legged friends you either love or don’t.
The trade in rolls was staggering, but would be beaten a few miles up the road later that evening. It’s the Black Country, after all.
retiredmartin 
Pumps with hunting scenes on -very retro ! I like to see dogs in pubs -something to watch if the conversation runs dry (not that it happens to me- always got something to say even if it is often rubbish )
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Who put the “ale” in “Halesowen” ?
“over your teatime pint” – I’m just back from three late teatime pints of Bathams in the Swan at Whiston. I overheard the barmaid saying “Everyone’s on it, it doesn’t last long” and I’m not the least surprised.
I loved the proper Titanic Stout in the Stafford Arms twenty odd years ago but now, other than the Cappuccino version I don’t like, I only see it on keg so would have loved to catch that Stout Stout there.
.
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So it’s Monday and the start of a new week.
Mrs PP-T and I resolved to have some time off from tippling after our tsunami of turps down Mexico Way.
But you know what an ordinary Monday night is like when you’ve had a weekend on the lash – you try to go to sleep without a drink on board and you’re there at 2am lying ramrod straight in bed wondering why you can’t nod off.
So we mooched around with a bit of shopping and drove back slowly past our local hoping each would be the first to say ” well a fast one wouldn’t harm .”
She weakened first of course but only a nano-second before I was going to say ” they’ll be wondering where we are.”
Anyway,we kept it sensible.
Just a half gallon.
Don’t want to think we have a problem.
Christ they were lovely pints though.
” And we need some spuds on the way home ” she said,knowing full well she’d deliberately forgotten to get them in the supermarket because there’s a convenience store next to our second favourite pub on the way home which sells them.
And would you believe it the pub had a new guest ale on – an ” American-style IPA ”
Not bad.
But you can’t judge a new beer with only one pint.
So a quart it was.
By then Mrs PP-T had what we in Ireland called ” the lip .”
So it meant another detour to the other supermarket which sells her favourite red wine called Ta Da.
And I lashed up a quick supper of lamb shanks with fresh rosemary and garlic mashed potatoes.
Thank Christ I got the two bottles of wine because the first went within the blink of an eye.
Anyway,all’s well that ends well.
It’s good to be home.
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Nice to see photos of pubs filled with people. And I love that cob cabinet– they seem rather more committed to their cobs than the average pub!
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Not as substantial cobs as in Ilkeston’s Dewdrop a few days ago.
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You kept quiet about that one !
I trust you enjoyed your visit.
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Yes, a splendid pub where I was at 4pm opening time last Tuesday for Nottingham Brewery’s Bullion.
Before it I had been in Derby’s Brunswick, Ole Dolphin and Merry Widows and Chesterfield’s Royal Oak.
After it were Sheffield’s Bath Hotel and Grapes and Hathersage’s Little John.
( All on a £6.50 Derbyshire Wayfarer train and bus ticket )
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Glad to see you getting full value from our excellent public transport, Paul.
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Yes, and what a shame it is that County Councils other than Derbyshire don’t realise what an investment subsidised public transport can be bringing in as it does outsiders who’ll boost the local economy by spending £30 a day on beer, £10 on food and fork out for three nights bed and breakfast.
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Pies are often presented in cob cabinets, cobs are normally just dumped in a big pile !
Just wait for the next post.
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Which pub was that?
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Crafty Pint. Marked it on the map to make it hard for you to work out 😉
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