Latest reviews from Sedgley
| 78 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “On our list of heritage pubs. Classic pub interior, spreading over two rooms. Neat and cozy, not many people inside but since it was early afternoon that does not surprise me. Beer selection is limited to 3 Sarah Hughes casks and three guest ones. Good quality and great condition of beers. We had a short chat with the brewer, but couldn't see the brewery since he disappeared somewhere. Worth a short detour if you're passing nearby, I'm certainly glad we've visited this one.“ |
| 58 /100 White Lion (Bar) 104 BILSTON STREET “Looking a little out of place amongst the re developed area but pretty much opposite the Beacon Hotel. Inside it is bright and welcoming if a touch stark perhaps, rambling knocked through rooms. There are 4 sticks on the bar with a reasonable choice of guest beers if a touch safe. Worth popping in.“ |
| 84 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “Classic old school Black Country boozer in the industrial heartland of the West Midlands that hasn't changed a bit since it was built in the 1850s, certainly much of the decor is exactly as it was then, including the curiously small central bar with hatches into the corridor and two adjoining rooms. The outer shell of the original Victorian till is still present, though now fitted with a modern touch-screen system. Four Sarah Hughes beers on cask, including the very rare Pale Amber and the classic Ruby Mild, all served in old school dimple pint handle glasses. All the beers I tried were super fresh in perfect condition. A couple of guests from Allendale and a local indie I can't remember, plus a draft Sam Smiths cider and a couple of Sam Smiths bottles including their imperial stout. Local pork scratchings. Lovely place.“ |
| 74 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “Visited 31/05/17. I guess this place is iconic and am not sure what I can add. Super old schoo serving hatches - the barmaid could have spoken up as I failed to notice her asking what I wanted. Ruby mild is a great beers, the others more average. Interested to see the Sam Smiths lager on tap. Only downside was the brickies smoking spliffs and discussing knocking people out. Don’t think they liked my pink shirt.“ |
| 60 /100 Bulls Head (Holdens) (Bar) 27 BILSTON STREET “Guess this pub and/or Holdens beers are not on the Black Country list as I had to add this pub. The pub itself doesn’t have particularly fancy or traditional decor, but is pleasant enough. When we first came in there was a buzz as a group of regulars chatted however all but one left shortly afterwards. A rear dining room which only had one couple Sat in it - having said that the cooking smelled amazing and my mate assured me that the Thai food is great, despite looking like a standard pub dining room. Four Holden’s regulars on cask plus a seasonal. Liked the place, it had a honesty to it. Young barmaid friendly enough.“ |
| 76 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “Visited here numerous times but last occasion on a bus beer crawl. A lot of rooms and a tiny bar with a serving hatch, there’s also a sort of garden room in the place, it’s quite bizarre. Beer range on cask comes from the attached brewery plus a couple of guests. Qualty is good as are the prices. A gem of a pub and one I must go back to.“ |
| 80 /100 144 HIGH STREET, “Really good old boozer with a great selection of ales and freindly staff. A bit chilly on the night I visited, could have done with some heating! Nice mix of people and friendly atmosphere. Definately worth the trip.“ |
| 74 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “Part of the Black Country pub crawl organized by SarkyNorthener, RichTheVillan and jmgreenuk. Large car park. Really interesting tiny central bar with a window so you can’t look your barman in the eye. Lots of other rooms, nooks and crannies, plus a botanical garden. Nice place.“ |
| 88 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “One of those pubs that’s terribly hard to rate. On one hand they only(!) offer about seven real ales... On the other hand, it’s beer heaven. Several labyrinthine rooms lead to the central bar which offers three Sarah Hughes beers (Amber, Ruby Mild and Surprise), with guest beers from Kinver, Fernandes and Arbor. It’s perfect really, but as this is RateBeer, it’s marked down for selection. Just a bit.“ |
| 62 /100 Clifton (JDW) (Bar) BULL RING, “Smallish spoons with 10 casks and all the usual bottles. Bog standard spoons, nothing more.“ |
| 76 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “A Black Country gem and one for getting those Sarah Hughes beers, though you see them quite often these days. A proper traditional multi roomed boozer including a bar with a modesty screen. 2 guest ales (Downton and Arbor) on this visit. Worth going to see how pubs should be.“ |
| 70 /100 White Lion (Bar) 104 BILSTON STREET “From the outside this place needs a tidy up, it looks most unappealing and I was expecting nothing special. On the inside it’s nice, welcoming and a decent range of ale. Beer was in good nick and well worth a visit. Virtually opposite the Beacon Hotel.“ |
| 90 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “What a marvelous place this is! Its a time warp in many ways. Beer is very good, especially the Sarah Hughes Pale ale , with some good guest ales for good measure, although a limited selection. A good mixed crowd of local familes in the garden, old folks, people winding down after work, its a proper black country pub. Really recommended, a real pub, real people, real beer....get over there!“ |
| 78 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “Magnificent Victoriana, is probably two words that sum this pub up best. Architecturally superb, insane tummy level serving hatch so you can’t look staff in the face, and all the Sarah Hughes beers on tap, which are brewed on site. Lovely big garden, conservatory, little snugs dotted about, and lets not forget the manager, Alexandra Marchant, is both charming and beautiful. A real tucked away Black Country gem. Wonderful.“ |
| 78 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “Visited during the RateBeer Black Country Bus Bash. Solid place. Great garden out back. Good beers. Unique bar (you have to see it). Friendly staff. Definitely worth visiting if you are nearby.“ |
| 76 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “A quirky brewery and pub – well worth a visit. There’s been a brewery here since 1921 (or so the sign says) and in fact it looks like an old fashioned brewery in miniature with a pub tacked onto the front. There’s a tiny central bar with two or three small hatches at waist height and the pump clips face inwards so you have to find the blackboard with the list of beers and then bend down to poke your head through the hatch to get served. I’d have thought it contravenes some health and safety regulation or other because the bar staff must be permanently stooped. Having said that, it’s charming. There’s a drinking corridor, a couple of snugs and a smoke room leading into a conservatory, plus an area to sit outside in the brewery yard at the back. When we visited on the Ratebeer Black Country Bash they had three guest ales on draught alongside their own three flagship beers.
(Visited 6 July 2013).“ |
| 70 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “Quirky! One of the oddest serving arrangement I’ve ever seen, a belly button level serving hatch. Can’t look the staff in the face. Nice side bar and nice garden. Watch out for the tiled floor - slippery fucker when wet! Solid beers here if a narrow selection. All in all well worth a visit.“ |
| 78 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “Visited on the RB Black Country bus trip - first visit here for some 12 years!
Cracking Victoriana boozer on a large plot of land.
The interior is split into a number of rooms and the engine of this pub is the serving hatch near the main entrance. You litterally have to stoop to one of the hatches to get served, there is no bar per say!
Beers featured 3 or 4 offerings from Sarah Hughes who’s brewery is on site. Guests from Oakham and Newark, all the beers were in good nick.
A large beer garden is out the back and we sat outside in a small pavillion taking some shade onboard.
Cracking place.“ |
| 72 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “Excellent Brewpub included in many a Black Country pub tour. Multi roomed, all with their own character, interesting serving hatches, lots of locals. Top notch.“ |
| 82 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “Visited during the Ratebeer Black Country Bash. Awesome place. The Beacon’s a massive free-standing pub with a large beer garden and play area in the back. Sarah Hughes brewery is located right on the back side of the building. The selection’s not large, but the standard of the beer’s quite good. There were 3-4 Sarah Hughes beers on plus a couple of guests from Newark and Oakham. The prices were solid. Overall, strongly recommended.“ |
| 86 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “Gem of a place in Dudley, architecturally superb, serving hatches in the bar, glorious tiled floors, there own Botanical gardens in the conservatory, delightful beer garden will return. Also Green Devil in cask.“ |
| 84 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “What a wonderful pub this is. Panelled walls, old benchs, numerous rooms with small hatches to order your beer. An excellent place to spend a day or night. Sarah Hughes beers, Sadlers and Oakham beers. All top quality beers.“ |
| 64 /100 Clifton (JDW) (Bar) BULL RING, “A cinema conversion Wetherspoon, but apart from the wall decorations you probably wouldn’t realise from the inside. It is comfortably furnished with several defined areas to sit in. There’s a small patio area at the side of the building. Ales are on two pump rows.“ |
| 84 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “The traditional Tower Brewery and Beacon Hotel of Sarah Hughes is a very welcoming place, the locals and staff are friendly and the beers top notch at all times.
The old till in the central bar is worth seeing, let alone trying all the Sarah Hughes beers on tap, Sedgley Surprise and the famous Dark Ruby Mild to name but two. The serving area covers all drinking areas and must be difficult to work in, with screens and openings on all sides, certainly not your ordinary bar space.
No Black Country tour would be complete without a visit here for any roaming beer lover, my 6th visit was in March 2012.
“ |
| 76 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “A lovely, nay classic boozer, which regularly features on CAMRA’s pub of the year list. Some quaint and unspoilt features and a bizarre central serving ’hatch’ from which you order and receive your beers without actually seeing the barman! Home, of course to Sarah Hughes brewery and it’s Ruby Mild. Unmissable in the area.“ |
| 90 /100 129 BILSTON STREET “This is a fantastic Black Country gem. It is an unspoilt brewpub producing its own brewed ales, and it is worth coming to the English Midlands to visit. The landlord and landlady are friendly, as are the regulars. I live nearby, but I am not biased having travelled (and drunk) extensively in Britain and Europe, Flanders in particular.
There are other pubs within a few miles, some of which are almost as good.“ |
