My notes petered out after the Slater’s bar, which is always a good and a bad sign.
Given that the Shrewsbury Arms was pub No. 5 for some of us, a slowing down was inevitable. Not that this was a Pub Crawl of Preston Proportions.
In truth I’d only intended to do the three GBG newbies, but how can you walk past this beauty?
“Oooh, is that a new pub and might it be a prospective pre-emptive tick ?”
Well, the Shrewsbury Arms has had a couple of years under Black Country’s “care”, so ample chance to make the Guide.
It’s a bit simpler than some of their houses, but no less comfortable and pubby for it.
As you’ll know, I’m a bit dubious about the lauded “masses of pumps” approach by BCA, though the last newbie I did in Brum was a corker.
Seven ales here. Look closely.
I bet you thought Paul had the Dunton Hopoholic, didn’t you ?
Surprise ! We all had the Brew XI. I surreptitiously made sure I had the 3rd one pulled, which didn’t go unnoticed.
The young landlord was very chatty but I never quite worked out how he’d opted for a beer routinely rubbished on CAMRA Discourse, but which I now know to be a mighty fine beer in the right hand; crisp, chewy and refreshing (NBSS 3.5).
Don’t expect to see it at IndyMan (or the Manchester Beer Festival) though.
And yes, I was very tempted to go for that other forgotten classic.
retiredmartin 
Did you have the normal scrum when fighting for the third pull? Surprised you are alive.
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Brew XI? I’m amazed. I thought whoever it was that took over Bass’s brewing interests (it might have been Molson Coors), killed that old M&B classic off years ago.
Back in the days of Bass Charrington, there was also a Brew Ten – “For the men of the north.” (Women weren’t supposed to drink beer back then.)
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I’ve seen keg Brew XI and Worthington in the clublands of suburban Birmingham and Wales, but was amazed to see them on cask as guests in what is largely a specialist beer house.
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Cask Brew XI is brewed in Cardiff by Brains.
It was also a guest beer in BCA’s other Stafford pub the Bird in Hand early last year.
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Would you think there’s Stafford drinkers who remember it fondly from M & B days, Paul?
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Not really because of the many Stafford pubs that became Bass Worthington most had the proper Joules Bitter from Stone or M&B Springfield Bitter from Wolverhampton rather than the M&B Brew XI from Birmingham that tended to be in the few ex Atkinsons pubs.
However most of those pubs had Springfield which was a lightly hopped beer as is Brew XI – and I think that accounts for why tastier beers such as Pedigree haven’t sold well in Stafford until recently and why Bombardier is suitable for ordinary pubs that can only manage one cask beer.
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I see Worthington is another beer that no longer admits to being a Bitter 😳
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Who brews Worthington’s rather weak cask ale, and where?
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Brains of Cardiff.
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I’m reading this Stafford jaunt from finish too start so slightly skewiff but Brew XI is a fantastic drink !!!
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When I was at university in Birmingham the city was awash with Brew XI and I never thought much of it, but I’d love to go back in a time machine for a reassessment.
Apparently the name was thought up by M&B head honcho Alan Walker and was inspired by contemporary numerical names for car models, rather appropriate in the centre of Britain’s motor industry.
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That’s a beer museum that. Tell me there’s a secret handpump with Ansells Mild on and I’ll drive over this afternoon…
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Wouldn’t put it past them!
15 years ago a pub near Cambridge Airport with Ansells Mild as its main beer got in the Beer Guide. Closed soon after 😕
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