HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY. No. 39 – STAFFORDSHIRE

If memory serves me right, I declared Staffordshire our No.1 Midlands pub county recently.

So it’s only fair picking half a dozen pubs should be tricky, and divide families.

But here’s five pubs to give you a flavour of Staffordshire, a county of beautiful scenery, “challenging” post-industrial landscapes, oatcakes and Robbie Williams. I expect my choice to ensure I’m written out of Paul Mudge’s will in which I was due to receive his collection of Doom Bar memorabilia.

In no particular order, but if you DON’T visit the Vaults in your lifetime you’ve never really visited a pub.

Uttoxeter – Vaults

Another Mudg(i)e wrote about the Vaults;

“perhaps Uttoxeter’s classic pub. A narrow, shop-like frontage conceals a pub of great character running a long way back from the street. There’s a front bar area where most of the drinkers seem to gather, a middle room with a devil amongst the tailors game“

One of a handful of pubs to generate two blog posts from a single visit, my second missive last March focused on the pub life. Unfathomable games, the pub piano, the two-and-fro between the regulars.

A reminder, the Vaults is often NOT in the Beer Guide.

The same is true of our next pick.

Leek – Blue Mugge

If I had to pick, I’d say Leek sits well above Uttoxeter as an essential visit for the tourist, but the Vaults edges it on the Bass.

The Blue Mugge, which I’d never heard of before that 2019 visit with the Southworth twins, wins on food.

Perhaps they’ve gone upmarket since 2019, or doubled prices due to Covid/COL/Colin the Cauliflower/whatever, but I hope not.

Just when you think you must have done all the classic pubs after ticking the GBG for 30 years, along come places like this seemingly unchanged in 300 years.

Perfect seating, beer, and hospitality.

We were summarily ejected at 3pm; trad hours and all that. But what memories.

When in Staffordshire, a Pub Man’s thoughts inevitably turn to the home of brewing.

Burton upon Trent – The Roebuck

And to curry. A visit without taking your pint into Balti Tower is a visit wasted.

And while here you must visit the home of Britain’s favourite beer, its heritage dutifully protected by Molson Coors.

But it’s Bass you want, and while the Coopers and the Devonshire and the Elms have their advocates, the Roebuck was the one that was open and first up from the station, and has the best sign.

“You could do a crawl of Britain’s great beers just standing at the bar. Abbot, Pedi, Bass, Courage, and whatever that is at the far left, possibly cider.“

“It’s a lovely Bass, served at the perfect temperature and with lacings to bring all the Bass fanboys to the station yard. Perhaps a tad too foamy for perfection, but NBSS 3.5+ is not to be sniffed at.“

And the Old Boys debating politics at the bar are worth an extra 0.25 point at worst.

The customers in the 4th pub are also the stars;

Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent – Coachmakers Arms

Hanley isn’t a well-regarded town, even in Stoke-on-Trent, but the Art Gallery, golden horde and all, is a corker, and, despite attempts to turn the centre into a car park, there’s some great multi-roomed boozers.

“A third visit, confirming it as one of the great pubs, attracting what the GBG often calls “a melting pot of humanity“. The room on the right is buzzing, and packed, so I’m confined to the snug.”

“The landlord could sense my mild devastation at the news that the Coachmakers had no Bass supplies. You might not believe this, but the Lymestone Ein Stein was as good a sub as Fernandinho coming on for Rodri on Tuesday at the Etihad.“

But I had to stop for a Bass, even if it was the one from Preston.

As they say in Staffs,

And finally,

High Offley – Anchor

Stafford Paul wouldn’t have forgiven the omission of this one, tucked away next to the Shropshire Union canal in one of Britain’s most unexplored areas.

Before the invention of cars, Stafford Paul used to cycle here for a quart of 6X.

My only visit was 20 years ago, before cameras, so enjoy these from Google Maps,

and expect an entry in Great Pubs, Revisited.

What I will say is that the lone beer (is plenty) 6X was one of only a half dozen NBSS 5 I’ve awarded.

Right, over to you to nominate the Railway in Stafford for a 6th pub, then…

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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.

39 thoughts on “HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY. No. 39 – STAFFORDSHIRE”

  2. Another great pub county – you could easily pick another ten of the same standard, some of which you have named.

    Three more worth a mention are the Boat & Horses in Newcastle-under-Lyme, the Yew Tree at Cauldon, and the Red Lion at Dayhills (east of Stone).

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  3. A very well chosen five indeed, though I might have expected the Yew Tree at Cauldon Low. And there’s nothing wrong with the Red Lion at Rugeley and (yet) the Railway in Stafford.

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    1. I wasn’t struck on the Yew Tree on my lone visit (average Bass, felt a bit like an intruder in a locals Bar) but the setting is great.

      Only thing wrong with the Red Lion in Rugeley is that it’s on Rugeley.

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      1. The Yew Tree hasn’t had Bass for some time – the regular beers are now Burton Bridge Bitter and Rudgate Ruby Mild. On my infrequent visits I’ve found a decent mix between regulars and incomers; it hasn’t come across as cliquey. Maybe to some extent it is trading on past reputation, but the interior is still quite amazing.

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      2. That’s good to hear. It’s also a feature of pubs that makes them so good, you do get different experiences from visit to visit. Some will fill the Yew Tree a bit cluttered of course !

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  5. Not so familiar with Staffordshire yet been to the Vaults, Blue Mugge and Anchor, classics all. Could nominate the Cock in Woodseaves, it’ll never make the Guide but a good pub nonetheless. A couple of good pubs in Eccleshall too.

    And my mum was born in Hanley.

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      2. No, the Railway in Stafford is due a refurbishment.
        The branch meeting last month unanimously carried my motion “Aware that no other public house in Stafford retains as much historic fabric as the Railway Inn, CAMRA’s Heart of Staffordshire Branch believes that its unique character mustn’t be jeopardised during any refurbishment and that fittings, especially in the main bar, that have been in place for at least several decades should be preserved” but there’s no knowing if that will have much effect.

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      2. Checks notes – it was the 2015 Guide. It had been knocked through by then, but I thought it was a decent enough pub. Had Holden’s Golden Glow. Two other pubs in Woodseaves have closed.

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      3. The Cock was sold by Marstons and became a freehouse in 2012 which is probably about when it was knocked into one, a dining room being added a few years later.
        Woodseaves was worth a visit when there was also the Reform Tavern and the Plough.

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  6. The Holy Inadequate would have been a shoo-in but beer choice has decreased significantly.
    Boat & Horses, and Swan in Brewood both musts.
    Leek is a great night out but beer quality in the Blue Mugge was poor last time I was in.
    For food the Crown in Wrinehill is unmissable.

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    1. Yes, I agree about the Swan in Brewood, hence me having got the bumpy bus there three times in the last few months.

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      2. Pronounced ‘Brewed’, it is very good indeed.
        The Swan has, as far as I’m concerned, about the best beer choice in the county ( and a proper skittle alley ), the Bridge has the rare Banks’s Mild and the rare Marstons Old Empire, there’s Holdens in the Three Stirrups and there’s also the Lion.
        It’s never had a railway – hence the lock making industry moving to Willenhall – but it just about still has a bus service and there’s a Post Office – for withdrawing my beer money -, a library – for waiting for the pubs to open -, a butchers and a bakers – for a mid morning snack.
        It’s where those who’s done well in the Black Country, like Jim Lea, now live.

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    1. Neil,
      I would have agreed with you before last Saturday when the Bathams Best Bitter wasn’t drinking well in the Horse and Jockey. They’ve now got Draught Bass but I think eight cask beers is too many.
      Upstairs unisex toilets put me off the Beerbohm.

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      3. Neil,
        The Horse and Jockey’s beer was certainly good in October 2018, January 2019 and March last year.

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      4. I’m always conscious that even the best pubs will occasionally serve a poor pint at the end of the barrel, but I would guess that if you went to Wem or Uttoxeter today you’d have fairly similar experiences with beer quality as we did last year.

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