25 MINUTES BEFORE THE TRAIN FROM WOLVERHAMPTON. WHAT TO DO ?

July 2023. Wolverhampton.

With West Midlands GBG in the bag, I reckoned one more pint before home (slowing down, old age).

Colmore in Brum ? Not after Si’s withering assessment at the weekend.

How about Wolves ?

Perhaps the Chindit on the walk back ? Haven’t been there for a decade. Sign advertising for a new landlord, never a vote of confidence.

I dithered a bit, taking in the joys of the Wulfrun centre.

It’s a grand old city,

just a little worse for wear and lacking that temporary burst of modernity that Slaters and Hooded Ram brought for a while before closing.

That said, I love the new station.

But what pub to shelter in for 25 minutes ? Posada ? Hogshead ? That Spoons that Stafford Paul loves ?

You were expecting the Sunbeam (Hungry Horse), weren’t you ?

Never one to follow the herd, I’ve been quite happy to tell you the Great Western isn’t as great as everyone says previously,

Well, it was great on Tuesday. Packed with life of all ages and cultures, a “melting pot” as What Pub used to describe the White Lion in Walsall.

The feel of a good desi pub, in fact, though the menu here is Old Skool Black Country.

I would have had the grey peas (grae, surely), but it was so busy I was standing at the bar for near 10 minutes before getting served when the guvnor said “You’ve been waiting a while mate“. Top observatory work. We don’t want queues in the Great Western, do we ?

Quite a mix of drinks,

but I reckoned two-thirds cask and half of those Batham’s.

But you don’t go in a Holdens pub to drink Batham’s, any more than you go in a Beards Greene King pub in Lewes and demand Harvey’s, and the Golden Glow was cool and foamy and gorgeous (3.5) and well under £4.

With a bit of foresight I’d have asked the aforesaid Paul Mudge to join me, but I suspect I’d have stopped for three (at least) so best I didn’t.

But I’ll be back, in September if not before, and those corner seats look incredibly inviting.

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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.

45 thoughts on “25 MINUTES BEFORE THE TRAIN FROM WOLVERHAMPTON. WHAT TO DO ?”

  1. “Packed with life of all ages and cultures” but very quiet compared to a New Year’s Eve in the eighties.
    I’ve never seen an Elgoods beer on in there before.

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    1. It’s very rare to see an Elgood’s beer anywhere these days, Paul. I think Leverton near Wisbech was last pint I had. They did seem to be on the Spoons festival list when they did daft seasonals.

      I recall a pint of Pageant in a remote dining pub by the Wash (Dyke ?) being near perfect 25 years ago.

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      1. Yes, my only Elgoods for ages was when my wife persuaded me to go for one of Tim’s breakfasts on my birthday which was late April .

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  3. Sorry to disappoint you Martin, but Beards sold out to Greene King many years ago. They ceased brewing decades before that – early 1960’s, although I’m sure Stafford Paul will remember the exact date.

    Harvey’s brewed for Beards after that, and whilst the beers were just re- badged Harvey’s, they were sold under the Beards name.

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    2. T’other Paul,
      Beards stopped brewing in 1958, two years before we started at infant school.
      Sadly my memory of the Lewes Arms is of four years ago this month learning from ‘Citra’ that Richard Coldwell had died.

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      3. Oh sorry, Harveys supplied all the Beards pubs from 1958 until 1998 when Beards sold their 43 pubs to Greene King.

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      5. The rumour was that Beards were suffering from a yeast infection in their brewery, but when you read Harvey’s side of the story, it made commercial sense for them to brew for both companies.

        I can actually remember the Beard’s pump clips, which were more or less identical to those of Harvey’s, apart from the name.

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  5. I reckon Golden Glow is Holdens’ attempt at Bathams; they taste very similar, in my opinion. Although Bathams still outsells it in the GW, despite being about a quid a pint more expensive.

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      1. Yes, a mystique from its rarity.
        I doubt though how many drinkers could tell a pint of Bathams Best Bitter from a pint of Holdens Golden Glow. I’m not sure if I could.

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      2. I’ll be honest, last few pints of Batham (including the Bull and Bladder) I’ve had haven’t been that great but you’re not allowed to say that. Cobs in the Vine were terrific.

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      1. Thanks, looks a similar distance west to the distance east to the GW. So there’s a few possibilities. Posada looks like the best photo opportunity 🙂

        In other news, I made it to the Eagle Vaults for the first time yesterday. One of 4 new to me pubs visited. Think I’ll go for ticking all the Worcester pubs (about 55 to go).

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      2. Andy,
        I was in the Posada eight days ago, the first time I’ve known Banks’s Amber Bitter there, very nice and £3.20 or less with a CAMRA discount.
        I still prefer the Great Western though.

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      2. In the end we had a beer in both Posada and the Lych Gate. The Posada was definitely the star with a mix of local life featuring post match Wolves football supporters looking a lot less happy than the Coventry City fans we saw in New Street station. The Lych Gate was typical Black Country Ales and full of concert goers. Somehow we got a seat in both pubs.

        The Stranglers were amazing.

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      5. I only had the Bath Ales Gem, it was in pretty good condition (3ish). BCA Pig on the Wall in the Lych was better but that probably had something to do with the rate it was being served with the pump in constant use (which is why I chose it).

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  8. Yes, I remember you mentioning the Posada on another thread Paul. 🙂

    The Bell in Worcester, is also very photogenic. And I actually thought the beer quality was better than last time I was in the Bullbaiters, which is just up the road. The Bullbaiters is, of course, more CAMRAy and the Bell more gritty boozer.

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