The Sir Robert Peel is a smallish pub which is a regular entry in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. There are generally up to five real ales on offer and I think they may have also started brewing their own beer as they appear to have taken over the neighbouring property and they have started selling a brew called Sir Robert Peel Apeeling which I went for and very nice it was too, quite similar to Doombar.
The Pub was the venue for our third date and we actually stood by the very same table where the magic happened over five years ago...
The pub is a favourite of the local heavy rock fraternity highlighted by the fact that my kind of music is normally played on the pub's fine jukebox. The pick of the songs that night was Led Zep's Ramble On, something I'm guilty of doing after a few too many !!
I spotted Bob Catley having a pint in there and, though he was a major rock singer in the 1980's with his band Magnum, he went relatively unnoticed. I reached for my phone to go on line and show a picture of him to Shelley however when I typed Magnum into Google images all I came back with was photographs of ice creams, not very rock 'n' roll !!
UPDATE 27th February
Even on nights when Tamworth town centre is quiet there is normally plenty of life in The Sir Robert Peel, this was the case when we called in on route to our romantic meal at Champagne's Indian restaurant.
The bar was busy for a Thursday night, and, as is always the case in The Peel there was a great variety of ales to choose from so I went for a previously untested Oakham Inferno, it was okay though not one I'd choose again as it was a bit too citrusy for my liking.
Something else that wasn't too my liking was the selection of music that my ears was unfortunately subjected to. The rules are simple when selecting music on the jukebox in this pub, it should be guitar based, preferably rock but punk is acceptable, what is most definitely not acceptable is either George Michael or Rihanna yet both had been selected that night. I prayed for a power cut !!
If there is a down side to this pub it is accessing the loos, they are up the most ridiculously steep winding wooden staircase. You almost need a rope and crampons if you need a comfort break, and there is always the danger of a dreaded man down incident when attempting the descent. Best to cross your legs !!
UPDATE 1st March
After getting fed and watered in previous pub The Silk Kite we popped into The Sir Robert Peel on our crawl home. We literally bumped into one of our mates Martin when we walked through the door, he went to give Shelley a European style kiss but it ended up being more of a Glasgow kiss as there was a co-ordination issue which resulted in Shelley getting a headbutt to the cheek !!
I opted for another pint of the Sir Robert Peel Apeeling which I enjoyed immensely during my visit a few weeks before.
As I mentioned in my previous post this pub has always got plenty going on and this visit was no exception as it was like the parade ground at Crufts, we found a table next to two huskies and a sheepdog whose owners were nearly as hairy as their respective pooches !!
I was quite disappointed by the music during my last visit but my faith in the taste of The Sir Robert Peel clientele was well and truly restored when one of my favourite ever songs Holy Diver by Dio came on the jukebox. I am sure Shelley was delighted when I sang along to every line (girls love that sort of thing don't they?!!) and all my disappointment of hearing that Blues had lost one nil at Ipswich disappeared in an instant.
UPDATE 4th April
We followed our well trodden path from The Bolebridge to The Sir Robert Peel via Tamworth town centre. We were serenaded when we arrived by an ageing hippie stood at the entrance of the pub playing a very bluesy number on his guitar.
I've not really strayed too much from the pub's own beer Apeeling all year and that was once again my choice with Shelley going for cheeky Cornish cider Rattler.
I've mentioned before that The Sir Robert Peel is a dog friendly establishment and the pub was once again full of our four legged friends that night. We literally had to step over dogs and dog bowls as made our way from the bar to our seats.
As usual the music had a rock bias to it which is one of the things that attracts me to the place. One punter obviously wanted maximum value for his money from the jukebox as one of the selections that night was LA Woman by The Doors, all seven minutes and forty nine seconds of it !!
The rock pedigree of the pub is demonstrated by one of the posters on the wall, the line up of the 1981 Castle Donnington Monsters of Rock festival..
...and to think recent headliners at Glastonbury have included the likes of Beyoncé and 50 cents. Where has it all gone wrong?!
The pub is always full of characters and I could not help but be baffled to see a family in there given the fact that it isn't really a child friendly pub. It was quarter to eight on a Friday night and a Mum and Dad were in there with two boys, Mum was drinking pints of lager, Dad was drinking cans of Red Stripe while the lads were drinking pop and eating crisps still dressed in their school uniform. Bless. I'm sure Sir Robert is turning in his grave reading this !!
UPDATE 12th April
The Sir Robert Peel was the final destination of our Saturday afternoon/evening pub crawl in the centre of Tamworth, it was venue number eight so it was quite an impressive effort from the two of us. My alcohol intake that day means that my recollection of our visit to The Sir Robert Peel isn't as good as it should be, as by that stage my thoughts were focussed on my impending chicken and mushroom pie and chips !!
The only thing that I remember is that I was on the pub's own ale Apeeling (which was nice even though the face I am pulling in the photo suggests otherwise) and Shelley was drinking Rattler.
I have virtually no memory of my visit so it was definitely home time though not before a walk through the town to the chippie. On our way to our fine dining establishment we passed The Old Stone Cross, a venue I have referred to a previous post as being where Mick Jagger is barred from for relieving himself against the bar during a visit in the 1960's. I could not help but chuckle when I noticed that the pub have cashed in on that story with the renaming of Jaeger Bombs..
UPDATE 20th April
There was a real Bank Holiday feel to the Sir Robert Peel when we called in after whetting our whistle in The Gate on route with revellers taking full advantage of the long weekend.
I regularly mention the quality of the jukebox selections in this pub and that night was no exception with the songs matching the party mood in the place, two in a row from Madness for the boys, Wham Rap for the girls, and a pub sing a long to Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline.
It was obvious that many of the customers had been in the pub most of the day with one group of girls more vociferous than most. I've said before that the stairs to the toilets at the Sir Robert Peel are lethal so I was poised to shout 'man down' as one of the loud group of women attempted a descent in a pair of heels. Thankfully she got to base camp remarkably unscathed though was certainly more down to luck than judgement.
I have hardly veered from the pubs own brew Apeeling all year and saw little point doing otherwise that night though Shelley's Rattler cider was very tasty and will certainly become my drink of choice during the warmer weather.
I got chatting to a bloke I see walking his dog most mornings as he was making his selections on the jukebox and if he was telling me the truth he was about to be a party pooper and kill the pubs buoyant atmosphere, he'd chosen a song by Slipknot !!
My five (honestly Shelley it was five not six) of Piledriver at The Gate earlier were starting to take effect so we didn't feel the need for another especially as the Cobra in the curry house is fabulous.
Time for a curry....
UPDATE 24th April
We called into the Sir Robert Peel on route from our one pint stop in The Bolebridge to our final destination Champagne curry house. It was a Thursday night so the place was more subdued than on our last visit there on Easter Sunday when there was a carnival atmosphere.
I strayed from my usual choice of Apeeling and opted instead for a pint of Oakham Ales Inferno and instantly regretted my decision, it was a golden ale and very citrusy, okay but not to my taste. I've found out subsequently that the brewery describe this beer as follows 'This light igniting ale flickers complex fruits across your tongue leaving a dry fruity bitter finish smothering your thirst'. Who on earth writes that nonsense?!!
Shelley stuck to Corona which was a shame as I would have tried (and failed) to swap my drink for her normal tipple in the Sir Robert Peel, Rattler cider.
It was business as usual that night in the pub, there was the mandatory dog at the bar and the music playing on the jukebox was top quality with seldom heard rock track Falling Apart at the Seams by Cinderella being the pick of the bunch.
We perched ourselves on stools for a change next to posters of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zep and erm Chas n Dave !!
As I mentioned in my Bolebridge update the focus on this occasion was food not drink so we left after a solitary pint meaning that I was going for a curry after consuming just two pints !! Surely some kind of record?!!
UPDATE 6th June
After the mandatory start at The Bolebridge we stopped off The Sir Robert Peel on our way to our final calling point Champagne curry house.
It was very much business as usual in The Sir Robert Peel, there was the seemingly compulsory gathering of dogs, the usual great selection of beers (me on the Apeeling and Shelley on Rattler Cornish cider) and the normal quality music on the jukebox.
I've mentioned before that the tunes are very often of the heavy rock variety (is there any other type of music?!) in The Sir Robert Peel but that night we took a step back in time to the 1980's pop pickers. XTC with Senses Working Overtime (yes I was doing the one, two, three, four, five count in the chorus), Lost Weekend by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions (I haven't heard that for ages I hear you say), Rip it Up by Orange Juice and another song which I love but can't remember and subsequent internet searches haven't helped. I thought it was called Love Lies Lost but it obviously wasn't as if I type that into Google it brings up a little known song by Alison Moyet.
It was an alternative 80's song with a heavy bass line and a chorus that included a line that sounded like Love Lies Lost, any help would be greatly appreciated, I'd even treat you to a pint of Rattler. Please contact your blog author !!
Time to move pubs with that song going round in my head..
NB It came to me on 25th July.....Love Like Blood by Killing Joke
UPDATE 13th December
We were on a Christmas night out with neighbours Gill and Alan and had moved from previous pub The Globe to The Sir Robert Peel.
Alan, even though he is older than me, always refers to real ale as 'old man's beer' so it came as a big surprise when he began taking a genuine interest as to what I was drinking in The Sir Robert Peel. He thought my first drink, blonde ale Salopian Oracle, was okay but he really turned his nose up when I was forced to swap beer to the festively named Fixed Wheel Christmas Session Red. To be fair he was right, believe me this seasonal brew was no Christmas cracker, yule struggle to find a worse tasting winter ale. This fact was confirmed by Shelley who tried a bit and remarked 'How can you drink that stuff'?!!
Shelley was on the Rattler cider which was quite surprising considering it had been her downfall (literally !!) the previous night when she was out with the girls, infact she was still nursing the bruises !!
Unfortunately I needed to visit the loo in The Sir Robert Peel, a hazardous pastime in normal circumstances but after a few pre match drinks earlier and a few post match drinks later meant that the near vertical climb took all my powers of concentration. Never mind Dasher, Dancer and Prancer etc, it was me who needed to be pulled along by Santa's sleigh !!
We sensibly called it a night at around 10.15 though not before I'd heard Paranoid by Black Sabbath, not exactly a Christmas classic in the Mistletoe and Wine mould but a great tune at any time of the year.
Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting old but as I was going home there were hordes of revellers coming into town at the start of their night !!
Mug of Horlicks Shelley?!!
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