Subside

My visit to Subside is a significant one for this blog, it is pub number 150. Not a bad effort considering firstly we are not even half way through the year, secondly I had four weeks off the beer in January and thirdly in addition to the 150 there have been a huge number of repeat visits. For example I have visited The Gate twenty one times so far this year.

Subside is a bar that I pass every night on my way home from work. It describes itself as 'Birmingham's rock and alternative bar' so being a Brummie and a fan of both musical genres my blog wouldn't be complete without a visit to this place.

Little has changed about the place since its time as the  Xposure Rock Café. There are photographs of various rock icons on the walls, okay so I've heard of Metallica and Guns 'n' Roses but who the heck are Parkway Drive?!! It sounds more like a brand of cigarettes !!

I didn't hold out much hope for a decent pint, especially a decent pint of real ale. I was intrigued by the availability of a keg version of Wychwood Hobgoblin which was okayish, unsurprisingly not a patch on the cask variety and certainly didn't justify the £4 price tag.

My Subside experience was completed by a soundtrack of shouty music, I am not sure whether it was death metal, thrash metal, black metal, doom metal, speed metal or industrial metal but it certainly wasn't what old fashioned me refers to as heavy metal. I felt like pleading for them to turn the racket off in the style on an exasperated parent !!

If you want picturesque views of the city centre then Subside isn't the place for you, a quick glance out of the window offers you sights of cars going round Paradise Circus. The 1960's town planners must have been on some pretty strong drugs when they looked at a road traffic interchange and decided that Paradise was an appropriate moniker !!

I was intrigued by a collage on the wall of various rock concert tickets and back stage passes from the likes of Poison, The Cult, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden, ZZ Top etc..

What amused me was the fact that amongst all this rock memorabilia was a VIP guest pass from Birmingham City v Norwich City !!

Whoever thought of the World Cup drink promotion at Subside should be given a role as an economic policy adviser to the government as, according to my reckoning, what seemed like a generous offer at the time has in actual fact not cost the pub a penny. Their offer was 'All England games will carry special offers while they lead and for the rest of the night if they win'. Considering we won no games and never took the lead then the pub was quids in !!

Apparently I can 'Phat It Up' every Saturday night at Subside whatever that means. I didn't hang around long enough to find out..

The Soloman Cutler

I hurriedly left previous pub Velvet Music Rooms where I had watched the first half of the USA v Germany World Cup game in search of somewhere better. I poked my head into Players (no commentary) and The Figure of Eight (huge queue at the bar) but decided on The Soloman Cutler.

Anywhere that describes itself as a 'pre club bar' wouldn't normally be the type of place that I'd frequent but being a Lloyds Bar I knew there'd be real ale on offer at reasonable prices. I was right, a pint of Abbot Ale and a packet of salted peanuts was a pleasing £2.99, cheaper than the pint of tasteless Carlsberg that I'd had a few minutes earlier at Velvet Music Rooms.

The pub is built on the site of a former glass works that was founded by Soloman Cutler, it is large pub with two floors. It is the sort of place you would want to avoid at all costs on weekend nights (to be fair that could be said about most of the bars on Broad St) but it's a decent place for a daytime or weekend early evening pint. I must admit I hugely under use this place, a situation I plan to rectify from now on.

There's been a long standing female fallacy that blokes are unable to multi task, well my visit to The Soloman Cutler disproved that myth, not only was I able to simultaneously drink my pint and eat my peanuts, but, thanks to the fact that the pub has got several screens, I was able to watch both the USA v Germany and the Ghana v Portugal games at the same time.

I was sat by a large table of office workers, a group that included an American. How I laughed when one of his colleagues, with a broad Brummie accent, tried to explain what a Party 7 beer can was. He was as unimpressed with that tale as he was when Germany went one nil up. Thankfully the reaction of American keeper Tim Howard was inaudible which was a good job seeing as he suffers from tourettes !!

The game finish one nil to Germany with the other game ending in a draw which meant that Germany and USA had both lasted longer than England whose millionaire players were already back in their mansions.

Time for a swift pint elsewhere before catching my train..

UPDATE 1st July

My visits to The Soloman Cutler are like a poorly run bus service, none for ages and then two come at once. I did vow to rectify the fact that I don't use The Soloman Cutler enough in my previous post but little did I realise that I'd be in there less than a week later.

The 5pm starts for many of the World Cup matches may be handy for the Benefit Street generation but they are not much use for those of us who feel the need to go to work to earn a living so I needed to find a venue near to work to watch Argentina v Switzerland.

I had no desire to repeat my experience of watching another World Cup game in the dreadful Velvet Music Rooms so risked the chance of missing an early goal and went the extra distance to The Soloman Cutler.

It was Steak Night so I looked round carefully to see if Uruguayan carnivore Luis Suarez (who was now relieved of World Cup duties) had popped in for a bite to eat !!

Given the fact that the pub is one of the busiest on Broad St, £1.95 for a lovely pint of Ruddles Best Bitter is a real bargain and I took solace in the fact that I was drinking a nice pint rather than dwelling on the fact that I was watching a particularly uninspiring game of football.

Stand by for a bit of a smarmy smile on this selfie...

For a while I thought that a man on the table next to me was taking part in a Man v Food style time challenge. I have never seen anyone eat so fast. Anyone that has seen me polish off a full English will testify that I'm no slouch but this bloke was in a league of his own. I didn't time him but he must have seen off his mixed grill in less than five minutes !! I hope that he'd got a packet of Rennies tucked away in his pocket !!

I stayed to watch the Argies go through with a solitary extra time goal in a very dull game and made my way home thankful that I'd had three nice pints knowing that the fast eating man was probably feeling the first effects of a well deserved bout of indigestion !!

UPDATE 11th October

It was celebration time as my brother Dave and sister in law Julie were celebrating their silver wedding anniversary and were very kindly treating Shelley and myself to a meal at Red Peppers in The Mailbox.

Dave had given himself palpitations by checking out the drink prices at the restaurant on line ahead of our visit, so amusingly suggested that we 'load up' in a cheaper venue first as the beer prices were 'frightening' !! The Soloman Cutler was my suggestion as I knew that with Ruddles Best Bitter at a Dave pleasing £1.95 a pint he couldn't possibly complain.

I was first to arrive so got 'em in and found time for a bit of selfie action ahead of everyone's arrival...

I think I am beginning to have a need for a non selfie photo in this pub !!

Dave was next to arrive and, as he is a fairly frugal character, he was delighted to hear that he could get a pint on a Friday night on Broad St for less than two quid.

I don't know what happened to the place at around six o'clock but everything seemed to change, most of the bar staff disappeared, the Ruddles ran out, and one of the two tills was taken off, so getting served and choosing a beer was no longer the doddle it was earlier. There's no wonder we rarely visit 'Birmingham's premier entertainment venue' on weekend nights.

Dave went onto the Greene King IPA, while I was on the Adnams Broadside, amusingly, and somewhat appropriately in the event of a silver wedding anniversary, both were served in old man style jugs.

When the four of us finally got together (Julie on white wine, Shelley on Th*tchers Gold cider) we got the happy couple to reflect on their quarter of a century of wedded bliss. Aaaah.

Right, enough of this romantic nonsense, I reckoned that if we all necked our respective drinks we'd just got enough time for a quick stop off ahead of our meal. Next venue The Canalside Café.

UPDATE 17th October

Two Friday visits on the bounce to The Soloman Cutler for me and Shelley, the previous one was with my brother Dave and sister in law Julie, while this one was with our friends Deb and Andy.

Now when it comes to work locations Deb and Andy are at opposite ends of the geographical spectrum, poor Andy works in deepest, darkest ast*n, a Darren Bent miscued shot away from v*lla park, whilst Deb works just off Broad St meaning her pint was being poured as she was walking to the pub and was waiting for her when she arrived.

The round was a bit of a mixed bag, I fancied a session on the pale ale so I was on the Greene King IPA, Andy was on Carling, whilst Shelley and Deb were on different types of cider, Th*tchers and Strongbow respectively. Variety is the spice of life I guess. This was certainly true for Deb who switched to Carling part way through the night thus creating a 1980's style snakebite internally.

The conversation flowed with 80's music being amongst the many varied topics though I will admit to feeling a bit ostracized when they began discussing Shalamar !!

I did vow in my last post to try and capture a non selfie photo in this pub, but once again I failed in my mission so I captured a snap of myself on the pub's top floor looking resplendent in my new shirt...

Another failing was our desire to catch the 21.03 train, the night was too good to finish that early so more beer was ordered. Unfortunately the table that we had used since 6pm was considered to be surplus to requirements at around 9.30pm and was unceremoniously taken away from us by the pub's staff presumably to give more space for the Friday night revellers. I will confess to proudly not counting myself in that crowd.

The last time I was out with Deb and Andy I mysteriously cut my shin on my way home so I took extra care making my way to catch the 22.03 after we'd said our goodbyes !!

Velvet Music Rooms

According to their website Velvet Music Rooms are the 'Best Independent Bar on Broast Stree'. I can only assume that Joey Essex is their proof reader !!

The main reason for my visit was the proximity of this 'independent bar' to my place of work. I wanted to watch the USA v Germany World Cup match and I was conscious of the fact that during the 5pm game the night before two goals were scored in the first five minutes so time was of the essence.

Nearest bar West 12 is too expensive and soulless so Velvet Music Rooms, at the top end of Broad St (not Broast Stree !!) was my closest viable option.

In all honesty this is a dreadful place, it's a bit like a downmarket Wetherspoons in the day, if Benefit Street had its own bar it would be this one, but needs must so I puffed out my chest and entered this den of iniquity stopping to check that my attire did not contravene the pubs strict dress code, no hats, no hoods and no sportswear. In other words no chavs !!

The game was six minutes old though thankfully it wasn't the goal fest that the previous night had been as it was still nil nil. Most of the pond life in there were on the Carlsberg so I assumed it was on offer and ordered one due to the fact that there was nothing even remotely resembling a real ale. £3.10 was probably more than I'd expected to pay. Carlsberg don't do divey pubs but if they did this probably wouldn't be the best divey pub in the world !!

I took my seat and settled down to watch the match.

It was hard to concentrate on the match as a band were setting up and doing a soundcheck. The drum kit was colossal, completely over the top, it was the sort of thing Motley Crue's Tommy Lee would play !!

A quick look round the place gave some sort of indication of the horrors that must occur on a weekend night, a 4am bar, VIP booths, house bubbly £15. Pur-lease !! I'd make sure I was wearing a hooded track suit top to make sure I didn't get in !!

I ensured that my pint lasted all of the first half then bolted for the door when the half time whistle went.

Bolehall Swifts Supporters & Social Club

It was England's final World Cup game so I'd arranged to meet neighbour Alan at the Bolehall Swifts Supporters Club. As England had already been eliminated it was hard to get motivated for the match against Costa Rica especially as manager Roy Hodgson was giving the squad players and the youngsters a run out but, if nothing else, it was an excuse for a few pints with a mate even though he's a v*lla fan !!

I left work early and was genuinely surprised how little atmosphere there was I as I walked down Broad St, this was in sharp contrast to before the Uruguay game when Broad St was buzzing and we were full of optimism. Bar Risa was trying its best with World in Motion blaring out of the clubs speakers but Messers Balotelli and Suarez had already pooped our World Cup party.

I arrived at the club in plenty of time for kick off so took the opportunity for some selfie action..

As the crow flies The Bolehall Swifts Supporters Club is the closest licensed premises to home. Bolehall Swifts are a non league football team that play in the Midlands Combination Premier Division, their ground has a 2,000 capacity and their floodlights were officially opened (I'm not sure how you officially open floodlights!!) by Mark Hughes then of Manchester United.

This blog is inadvertently turning into a football blog, I need to get it back on track !!

Granted I wasn't expecting the club to packed to the rafters given the fact that the match was effectively a 'dead rubber' however when I walked in I was greeted by the barman and one customer !! It is some considerable time since the Sold Out notices have been displayed at v*lla park so I knew that Alan would feel very much at home when he arrived !!

The club is a good one, it's a bit functional and too bright, but it's close, it sells alcohol, and best of all we can stagger home across the field when we leave. Actually sometimes it's more of a tiptoe than a stagger as naughty dog owners don't always clear up after their pooing pooch's.

There was a choice of two ales with me going for Wells Bombardier which was a really really nice pint.

I got us two seats at the front though I could have also got us seats down the sides or in the middle such was the apathy for this game. Had he been there it would surely have brought a tear to the eye of the mascot for the 1966 World Cup finals, World Cup Willie.

Alan arrived and we watched the match which in all honesty had the intensity of a pre season friendly. The heat in Brazil was almost matched in Tamworth so Alan and I made sure we took plenty of fluids on board and unsurprisingly getting served was never an issue.

It was hardly a shock when England ended their World Cup campaign with a whimper, a dull nil nil draw. There was plenty more bite in the other game in that group that was taking place at the same time as wayward Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez sunk his teeth into the shoulders of an Italian defender. Unbelievable Jeff !!

The barman was keen to close at full time but we persuaded (okay, we bribed him with beer) to stay open a bit longer before we wearily trudged our way home.

Roll on Russia 2018.....assuming we qualify !!

The Old Rectifying House

Venue for our post match pint was The Old Rectifying House, we headed there to drown our sorrows after Warwickshire had slumped to an embarrassing eight wicket defeat at the hands of local rivals Worcestershire.

Two of our party (Gray and Big Gray) were in the pub before the rest of us as they couldn't bear to watch the end of the humiliating defeat. Gray even sung 'Is there a fire drill'?! at himself as he made his way out in front of the jubilant Worcester supporters.

Although I'd been to The Old Rectifying House before I had very little recollection of the place as my previous visit followed a very long alcohol fuelled session at the cricket. It's a really good pub, a bit on the trendy side but hey, I'm a trendy type of guy !! As well as the usual selection of premium lagers and world beers I was pleased to see that real ale fans were catered for with Otter Bitter being the ale in question.

Once again we made the most of the weather and drank in the large outdoor area out the back which had a really good vibe with a dj playing tunes of the chill out variety, he says making believe he knows what he's on about !!

I think I must have left my picture taking originality back at home in Tamworth as the photo from this pub of Jule, Sarah and Chris is virtually identical to the one I took in previous pub The Swan With Two Nicks, still it makes a change from yet another one of me....

The night very nearly ended literally in tears when Jule's fun loving nephew Daneville decided he was going to make a move to get the last train home. Rather than doing what most sensible people would have done and leave the pub by the front door he inadvisably decided that climbing over the gates at the back of the pub would be a better option.......it wasn't !!! He managed to clamber up to the top of the gates but panicked when they began to move. The pub looked on in genuine horror when he began to fall to the ground though thankfully one of his mates was on hand to break his fall so mercifully all that was hurt was his pride which came after rather than before this particular fall. Brian, his Dad, must have felt very proud as he witnessed the whole event.

It was time for the rest of us to drink up and get the train home though we all took the front door rather than the gate option !!

The Swan With Two Nicks

The intention every year when we go to see the Warwickshire Bears play away at Worcester in the T20 is to visit a few pubs before the game and the outcome is always the same, we get settled and only manage a couple. It was two on my previous visit and two again this time, previous pub The Cricketers and the next pub The Swan With Two Nicks.

The pub is very historic with the building dating back to 1550 though it wasn't actually a pub until the mid 1700's. It would appear that the pub is in two halves, the front part looks original with the back part looking as though it is a more modern extension. Be warned, the ceiling is very low, so much so that I reckon that actors Warwick Davis and Verne Troyer would both have to duck if they walked in !!

It was the day after England had lost to Uruguay in the World Cup all but eliminating them after playing a paltry two matches. The fact that the pub was decked out in red and white flags of St George made the memories of the Luis Suarez double the night before come flooding painfully back.

I was even unable to escape the World Cup theme when I ordered a drink, I initially asked for a pint of Waens Festival Gold but the barrel ran out part way through so I reluctantly opted for a pint of Slater's Goalden Glory, a beer launched to celebrate England's participation at Brazil 2014 !! Real ale is notorious for not keeping for long but the beer lasted longer than England did !!

We made our way to the outdoor seating area at the back of the pub passing through an alcove decorated in beer mats of all descriptions with Fox's Nob being one that got me sniggering like an immature schoolboy.

Our numbers were rapidly increasing as was the volume of the group who were getting a bit boisterous by this stage with numerous shouts of Yooo Bears in support of the team from Warwickshire not withstanding the fact that the match didn't start for nearly two hours.

I caught up with Jule and Sarah (friends of mine for nearly a quarter of a century) and Sarah's other half Chris..

Sarah and Chris were over from Byron Bay in Australia and had seemingly brought the weather with them so we were confident of a full nights play later.

The trip to Worcester is a popular annual outing and the same faces turn up year after year including former ast*n v*lla striker Gary Sh*w who joined us in The Swan With Two Nicks. Old Father Time hasn't been kind to the former joint winner of Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year. Even though I'm a proud bluenose I don't think it would be unfair of me to say that he is carrying a bit of timber these days. He was also sporting a very large (think Homer Simpson) pair of white underpants that were on display for all and sundry to see.

I'm not sure how many were in our gang by this stage, Jule attempted to count and made it twenty six however her figure lacked credibility considering that amongst those she missed was her husband Graham !!

The start of the match was imminent so we finished off our drinks and made our way along the bank of the River Severn to the picturesque setting of Worcester County Cricket Club.

YOOOO BEARS !!!

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The Cricketers

Warwickshire's (or should I say the Birmingham Bears'?) T20 (or should I say Nat West T20 blast?)fixture away at Worcester has become a regular social event in recent years. So I had put June 20th in my diary some time ago. The game started at New Road at 5.30pm so what could be better then a few beers in Worcester ahead of the game?

I booked a half day from work and met various members of our large party on the train on the way into Worcester including friends Sarah and Chris who were over from Australia. First stop, very appropriately, was The Cricketers, a leg side glance away from Worcester's Foregate Street train station.

It's no exaggeration to say that we literally took over half of the pub, pictured are just a few members of our motley crew..

The pub itself describes itself as a country pub in the city centre, and in all honesty that's not a bad description. It is full of character with cricketing memorabilia adorning the pub's walls.

There is plenty of choice too on the beer front with me going for a pint of Wye Valley HPA. I was careful not to gulp my first pint as inexplicably I was working the next day. My drinking tactic for the day was slow and steady I was just hoping that Warwickshire's top order batsmen weren't going to adopt a similar approach to their batting later on that day.

We were blessed with some fine June weather so whilst the pub would be great on a typical British day, stifling heat and lack of beer garden meant that it wasn't a lengthy visit so the call to move on came fairly quickly which was a bit of a shame as The Cricketers is definitely a place where you could happily spend a few hours.

The Figure of Eight

At last, a visit to The Figure of Eight. I have been in this pub at least twenty times this year but none of them have merited an entry on this blog as they have all been for my customary alcohol free Friday breakfast.

Friday mornings follow a standard approach, I grab a free Birmingham Mail when I get off the train and make my way up Broad St to The Figure of Eight for a sausage bap and a cup of coffee, all for the budget friendly sum of £1.69. Whoever coined the expression Rip Off Britain has never joined me for Friday breakfast.

The Figure of Eight gets its name from the fact that when the canal system was set up in the 18th and the 19th centuries they crossed the country in a Figure of Eight which centred on Birmingham. It is a pub that I like, okay it's your standard Wetherspoons offering but it is by some way the cheapest pint on Broad St and also boasts the biggest beer garden in the city centre. Granted there isn't as much greenery in it as I'd like but it's not a bad place for an outdoor pint.

The post work drinking numbers had risen to ten by this stage (following our earlier stop off at West 12) and the drinks order was a real mixed bag with most people opting for something different. Unsurprisingly I was the only one on the Ruddles Best Bitter.

I was also the only one not eating out so I was an uninterested spectator while they debated the venue for that night's meal. I couldn't pronounce the name of the eventual winner but it was a curry house in the city centre called something like Itchy Ass !!

They stayed for a solitary drink while I got myself another pint, said my goodbyes and settled down to watch the Brazil v Mexico World Cup match cursing the fact that sausage baps are only available until midday.

I stopped for a very unflattering selfie on the way out....

Surely when Bucks Fizz said the camera never lies they weren't telling the truth?!!

UPDATE 17th October

It was the second week in a row that I had arranged to meet Shelley straight from work on a Friday. The plan was a relatively simple one, so we thought, I would meet Shelley at 5.15pm in the Wetherspoons on Broad St. I arrived at The Figure of Eight and there was no sign of her, so I assumed therefore that she would be in The Soloman Cutler (a Wetherspoons/Lloyds establishment) but she wasn't in there either. I could almost hear the strains of 'All by myself' playing in my head. I decided to head back to The Figure of Eight and wait for her but as I soon as I arrived I spotted her by the door, unfortunately my earlier visit coincided with a trip to the ladies !!

We were celebrating our six year anniversary the next day (yes, really it's been that long !!) so, as you would imagine, we are very familiar with one another by now, Shelley had already been up the bar and bought me a pint from the Wetherspoons real ale festival that was taking place. It was a great choice, Oakham Great Gustav, a pale golden ale that had been brewed exclusively for the festival.

Unfortunately this was my first, and not my planned second, visit to the Figure of Eight that day, You can usually set your watch to the fact that I will be in the pub at circa 8.05am on a Friday morning indulging in a bit of coffee and sausage bap action. Unfortunately staff at Cross Country trains hadn't set their watches that morning so a half hour delay on my train to work meant that I had to head to the office bapless.

The main purpose of our night out was to catch up with friends Deb and Andy who we were meeting at 6pm in The Soloman Cutler. I must admit I was looking quite dapper for the occasion in new attire, a shirt, jean combo..

We headed down Broad St to meet them after a solitary pint.

UPDATE 24th October

If Broad St awarded hat-trick balls, rather than stars, me and Shelley would now be in possession of one as this was our third consecutive Friday night appearance on Birmingham's self proclaimed 'premier entertainment venue'.

This visit was a civilised one, we were meeting up with my Dad to go to the Symphony Hall to see the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra perform the likes of Bach's Orchestral Suite No 3, Prokofiev's Montagues and Capulets and Khachaturian's Spartacus - Adagio. Impressed?!! Well, don't think we've gone all highbrow, you probably know those particular pieces as, the music from the Hamlet cigar advert, and the theme tunes from The Apprentice and The Onedin Line. I wouldn't know a musical scale if it hit me in the FACE (NB That's a subtle gag for the musical scholars !!).

My Dad was already waiting in the pub for me, when I arrived straight from work, and caught me off guard when I asked him what he wanted, 'A pint of Peroni and Wiltshire ham, egg and chips' he said without flinching. I was expecting him to say half a Carling, especially as I'd told him, when clarifying arrangements a few days before, that we wouldn't be eating !! The Peroni was an unexpected choice too, premium strength Italian lager for a pensioner from Hull? The world's gone mad !! Not to worry, I dutifully obliged, as any son would, however the thought, wait 'til it's his round did cross my mind !!!

Wetherspoon's international beer festival was still in full swing so I opted for a pint of OG Wheat IPA, a beer all the way from Oregon in the US of A to complement the old man's Italian number.

Getting served was an absolute nightmare not helped by two staffing no shows and the fact that the girl that served me quite clearly didn't want to be there. When I eventually got it my beer was very pleasant though I had to disappoint my Dad and substitute Italy for the Netherlands swapping the unavailable Peroni for Amstel, I didn't tell him, and if he noticed he didn't let on.

Shelley turned up which is more than can be said for my Dad's meal, there'd been a mix up with the order and his meal had gone to another table. Quelle surprise !!

I was worried that if they didn't hurry up he'd still be eating it part way through the string solo in Verdi's Force of Destiny Overture (the Stella ad). Thankfully it did eventually turn up so it was eyes down..

...before we headed off.

West 12

West 12 is the nearest bar to where I work. It is situated at the Marriott Hotel, a hotel that is a regular stop off point for Premier League teams ahead of fixtures at Midlands based Premier League clubs. The list of Midlands based Premier League teams sadly doesn't currently include Birmingham City. Wipes tear.

The Marriott Hotel was also the place where former US president Bill Clinton stayed on his visit to Birmingham in 1998. Being a four star hotel a full laundry service is available to residents should the need arise for unsightly stains to be removed from clothing !!

My visit to West 12 was an unscheduled one, it was a meeting point ahead of a meeting point i.e. we were going to The Figure of Eight but various members of our party were staying over at The Marriott so they called in at their rooms for a quick freshen up so a swift pint was the order of the day for any non residents like myself.

West 12 isn't a place to get caught for a round so I ordered a pint of Becks Vier and waited for the barman to give me the bad news. I was mightily relieved when he asked for £4.10. Did you ever think you'd see the day when you saw a £4 plus pint as a bargain?!!

Steve, my boss's boss turned up and generously bought a round for all five of us so it was a two pint unscheduled stop which just gave us time to see Belgium score a late winner in their World Cup fixture against Algeria.

Photo opportunities were limited to say the least so rather than be subjected to the usual questions when I ask someone to take my photo, why are you doing a pub blog, how many pubs have to been to etc., I went down the Helen Flanagan/Kim Kardashian route and took a selfie which turned out to be somewhat unflattering..

I know I could be anywhere but trust me I was in the Marriott Hotel not far from the Monica Lewinsky suite !!

The Samuel Barlow

I wasn't particularly looking forward to our first trip this year to the Samuel Barlow. A change in part to the ownership of the pub meant that the recent improvements that have been made to the pub ran the risk of being reversed.

Part owner Paul, an affable Aussie from Cairns, left in a huff following a row with his business partner over the price of the pub that he was trying to buy outright which was a real shame as he had really transformed the place.

The pub itself is a real eyesore from the outside, a soulless, characterless brick building, situated in Alvecote Marina.

We were pleasantly surprised on what we discovered when we walked in, the bar has been moved back upstairs, a decision I was initially a bit sceptical about but it really works, demonstrated by the fact that there were plenty of people drinking in there on a Wednesday night.

The beer was of good quality too, I was on the Morland Old Speckled Hen and Shelley (noting that she was less than two weeks into a new job) wisely stuck to Coke of the diet variety.

The food looked good with a wide and varied menu though it was a wee bit pricy with steak and chips at £14.95. I'd want half the cow for that price !!

Like at a royal occasion at Buckingham Palace we moved outside onto the balcony though we were greeted, not by throngs of flag waving patriots, but instead by a lovely view of the marina and canal. It was a very pleasant way to spend a midweek evening.

The pub has always been dog friendly (there was an attempt on the world record for dogs eating a Sunday dinner held in the pub a couple of years ago) so it was no surprise when we were joined by a four legged friend as we sat on the balcony, a Jack Russell called Jack. I wonder how the owners dreamed up that imaginative name?!!

Hunger soon got the better of us so we had a decision to make.....£14.95 for steak at The Samuel Barlow or £4.39 for a carvery at the nearby Pretty Pigs? I counted out two lots of £4.39 and made haste !!

Horse & Jockey

The Horse and Jockey is a great pub. Listed in the Good Beer Guide this used to be my favourite pub in Lichfield until The Whippet Inn opened.

The clientele are a bit older (well despite my appearance, I'm not getting any younger) and the beer selection is plentiful. I opted for a pint of what was reputed to be Madonna's favourite tipple during the Guy Richie years, namely Timothy Taylor Landlord. It was nice but I couldn't get too Hung Up about it. (Apologies for the appalling Madonna song related pun. In reality the beer was really nice).

The pub was showing the England v Peru friendly and, unlike previous tournaments, the build up to the World Cup seemed very low key with the apathetic Wembley crowd more content with throwing paper aeroplanes than cheering on The Three Lions.

The atmosphere in both the stadium and the pub changed when Daniel Sturridge scored a beauty. Maybe we've got a chance, we said more in hope than reality.

Maria got talking to a fellow Welsh compatriot who was in the pub watching the England match. I'm not sure why he was watching England, maybe he saw the starting line up and assumed that Lallana was a Welsh village !!

Buses back to Tamworth were hourly and we'd vowed to get the 21.00 so there wasn't time for another pint. We reached a compromise, a round of halves and a brisk walk to the bus station. Unfortunately getting served was a bit of an issue as the woman in front of me was at the bar with a list. Don't you just hate it when that happens?!! 'That'll be an orange and passion fruit J2O, two pints of Carling beer, a vodka and slimline tonic no ice, a WKD Blue, sorry did I mention the J2O'?!!

We quickly drunk up, said our goodbyes, with Maria saying Hwyl to her fellow countryman, and rushed for the bus back to Tamworth where a trip to a curry house was a nailed on certainty.

The Gatehouse

Lichfield is blessed with two Wetherspoons venues so we moved from previous Wetherspoons pub The Acorn Inn to the next pub from that chain namely The Gatehouse. Of the two this is the one I prefer, it has a lot more character about it.

The drinks round was pretty much the same as in The Acorn Inn, I stuck to Abbot Ale, and the girls were on Stowford Press cider. I can't for the life of me remember whether or not Craig joined me on the ale or went down the lager route.

Drink had been flowing by this stage so we found great amusement when we discovered song lyrics that the ladies in our party get wrong. Shelley has always thought that the line in Club Tropicana is 'but don't worry, you can sunbathe' and Layla by Derek and the Dominoes contains the line, according to Maria 'Layla, you've got me on my feet' !!

Although I stated otherwise I quite fancied watching England's final home friendly before the World Cup against Peru. It started literally as we walked in the Gatehouse, so, as the pub was television free, I suggested that we only stopped for one. We supped up our beer and headed for the nearby Horse and Jockey, a pub with a telly.

Maria, who proudly hails from Wales, is a rugby football rather than an association football fan, so I came out in sympathy with her when she pulled a face...

UPDATE 30th August

I moved on from previous pub The Kings Head to The Gatehouse to meet Shelley and her Mum during our Saturday sojourn in Lichfield. They had been very cultural, they had visited the food and drink festival followed by a trip round the cathedral whilst I'd been to two pubs. I'm so unsophisticated !!

I got there ahead of them and confidently ordered their drinks in their absence. Who says blokes don't know what women want?!! So it was a pint of Abbot Ale for me, a pint of Stowford Press cider for Shelley and half a lager dash for Jan.

We grabbed some seats which unfortunately were right underneath a large air conditioning unit so whilst it was quite a pleasant day outside it was bloomin' freezing where we were sat in The Gatehouse...

The day went from bad to worse for my team, Blues were already three down when I got to the pub but Wigan added a fourth just before the end to compound my misery.

Some confusion with the bus times (okay, my fault!!) meant that we reluctantly ( I didn't have to do much arm twisting) stopped for another before heading back to Tamworth on the bus.

The Acorn Inn

The Acorn Inn was the next pub on our Lichfield pub crawl. It's your typical Wetherspoons establishment. The pub itself is very long with the only natural light coming from the front door.

The good thing about a 'Spoons is the fact that there is always a good selection of ales on, I went for the Abbot Ale and, seeing as our proposed curry was still some way off, decided on a salty snack accompaniment. Unfortunately I have no recollection what I chose but I just hope that the price of our much needed evening meal was in keeping with the low cost pricing policy of the alcoholic beverages in a Wetherspoons establishment, otherwise Shelley's brother Craig would have had something to say. He adopts a very hard line on his crisp policy, he refuses to buy a tube of Pringles if they cost more than £1 !!

Talking of Craig we were all still laughing at his earlier faux pas when he referred to the Cardiff City striker as David, rather than Craig, Bellamy. I have visions of the bearded botanist marauding down the wing in the blue (sorry red) of Cardiff City.

How we laughed !!

Pig & Truffle

Pub crawls are always good when the pubs are close to each other and this is definitely the case in Lichfield. The Pig and Truffle was literally across the road from previous pub The Whippet Inn. My note taking during our pub crawl of Lichfield probably wasn't as fastidious as it normally is so unfortunately details from The Pig and Truffle are somewhat limited.

I was on the Purity UBU which was fine but not a patch on the pint of UBU that I'd had earlier that week in Pure Bar and Kitchen during our post holiday pub crawl in Brum.

Our welcome was a warm one and we got talking to the barman about an advert behind the bar, it proudly proclaimed, in large letters, that Turbo Shandy would be coming soon for £4.95. I asked him what makes up a Turbo Shandy and it absolutely threw him. I sensed a training need (no, not need, opportunity, he says using his best corporate speak!!) and told him that my understanding was that it was a bottle of Hooch topped up with a strong lager. His fellow barman disagreed and reckoned it contained WKD Blue though I think he was getting mixed up with Cheeky Vimto which contains WKD Blue and port.

We moved onto the next pub without ever solving the mystery.

EDIT. According to the world wide web (Wikipedia) Turbo Shandy is made with a lemonade based alcopop topped up with lager. I rest my case !! Mind you, it does add that it is sometimes 'fortified with a shot or more of vodka'. Don't try this at home kids !!

The Whippet Inn

The Whippet Inn (a pub that gets its name from a double entendre in a Carry On film) is a new addition to the Lichfield pub scene, and what an addition it is. The pub, which opened in early 2014, is a former clothes shop that has been converted into a micropub. It is only small, it claims to be able to seat twenty five though I reckon it would be one hell of a squeeze if the twenty five were the same size as rotund Blues fan Barry Austin !!

There is a sign above the bar that states 'small pub, big welcome' and this is absolutely the case, owners Deb and Paul were friendly and happy to advise us on beer choices. Shelley and Maria went for a half of Newton Court Autumn Harvest cider which was a cheeky 7.1% ABV, I commented that it would put hairs on their chests as I passed them their drinks, owner Paul quipped that given its strength it'd probably take them off !!

Craig and I chose Peak Ales Bakewell Best Bitter, 'good choice' said the man next to me, he was right, it was arguably one of the best pints that I've had all year.

My bladder seal was broken in this pub which was a bit early as I was only on pint number three, especially as a bladder is like a tube of Pringles, once you pop you can't stop !! I would point out that the toilets in The Whippet Inn size wise are in keeping with the rest of the pub, they are tiny. It's a single toilet for us boys made more bizarre by the fact that the loo contained a step ladder !! Maybe there are a lot of vertically challenged male drinkers in Lichfield who are in need to assistance when reaching the toilet !!

We bumped into one of our friends in this pub. Jelly is a real ale drinker who lives not too far from the Whippet Inn so maybe it wasn't a real surprise. The fact that we stopped for another was also unsurprising. I heartily recommend this pub.

I decided on a precautionary 'pitstop' before making the journey to the next pub, and there was someone in the gents. Sorry girls, I did the unthinkable, not only did I use the ladies toilet, I left the seat up !!

UPDATE 8th November

I really do like this pub, and, with its' seating capacity of just twenty five, it is living proof that good things really do come in small packages. We were in Lichfield with our friends Gray and Jule and we'd moved to The Whippet Inn from previous pub The Crown. Gray and I had not heard of any of the ales that were on offer so tried a sample of one that didn't really do it for us so we both opted instead for a pint of mild. Yes I know its' an old man's drink but neither of us are getting any younger !! At 3.7% ABV Bird's Mild High Club (a beer brewed not far from where Gray and Jule live) was quite strong for a mild but it was very drinkable and would be a great session beer.

The girls were on the real cider then again there's no option for anything other than real beer in this pub, no keg beer, no alcopops, no spirits with the only food that is served being pork pies and scotch eggs so it may be a place for Kosher diners to avoid !! I didn't see any Fruit Shoots behind the bar and that can only mean one thing...no kids !! Halleujah !!

Don't expect too many frills in this pub, the décor is basic to say the least though the description in one review that it reminded someone of an under decorated pensioner's flat is a bit harsh to say the least. Check out the modern unisex hand washing facilities..

Our friends Val and Paul showed up around 5.30 but, as we had been out for around three hours at that stage and the drinking pace was fairly rapid, I'm not sure what they walked into !!

I had to stand a good way back to get a group snap, a physical impossibility in The Whippet Inn, but I just about managed before we moved on..

.

Duke of York

Our trip to Lichfield was planned with military precision, we were catching the 14.39 bus there, and the 21.00 back to Tamworth. We concluded that just less than six hours drinking in Lichfield should be more than enough for our guests Craig and Maria to get a feel of the place.

The Duke of York is the nearest pub to the bus station and therefore a logical place for us to start..

It is a really good pub, real ales, steeped in history with a nice beer garden.

We were all impressed with the beer selection, the girls were on Stowford Press, Craig was on Joule's Pale Ale and I was on the Joule's Slumbering Monk.

As I said the pub is a historic one, it is the oldest pub in Lichfield and dates back over 400 years. The front bar is pretty much unchanged with a big inglenook, oak benches, a large real fire and a wide oak timber floor. The lower bar where we sat was once the cottage next door and the rear bar used to be the coaching stables.

But enough of the history lesson, what happened?!! Well, Craig was talking about one of his work colleagues and how he is well connected at Cardiff City. He said 'I've seen photos of his son in the player's bar with David Bellamy.' Oh dear Craig, I think you've got your Bellamy's mixed up, the fiery Welsh forward is called Craig Bellamy, David Bellamy is the bearded botanist !!

How we laughed, and we moved to the next pub doing our best David Bellamy impressions !!

The Brasshouse

Back in the day The Brasshouse used to be one of THE places on Broad Street. You would generally need to queue to get in, and bouncers could afford to be quite choosy about who they let in such was the popularity of the place.

I seem to recall being knocked back a few times from the place by the bouncers usually for one of the following reasons ; 'too many lads in already', 'couples only', or, the very irritating 'sorry mate, can't help ya'. I didn't want help, I just wanted a pint !!

We managed to get in during our post holiday Brum pub crawl and I was delighted that we did, there were a staggering six real ales on offer. Sometimes a big choice isn't a good thing, the bloke next to me was the sort of individual that gives us real ale drinkers a bad name. Dressed in an anorak, he requested (in a Mr Bean style voice) samples of each of the ales on offer. He was a right pain.

I ordered (in a manly voice) a pint of Thwaites Lancaster Bomber, and we took up residence by the bar..

As good as the pub undoubtedly was I was irritated by a couple of things pub goers now have to contend with. Firstly we had trouble finding a seat due to the fact that a large area of the pub had been reserved, this is a relatively new phenomenon. It is particularly annoying, and appears more commonplace, after work on a Friday or during a major sporting event when 'football fans' come out to watch the match. In my day if you wanted a particular area or table in a pub you got there early. That is why Shelley and her mates used to queue outside Sam Wellers on a Sunday so they could guarantee their favourite pitch.

The area had been reserved for a work's do, and real ale nerd was part of that crowd, unsurprisingly he was sat on his own !!

My second annoyance (am I turning into a grumpy old man?!) occurred when I was at the bar getting another pint in. There was a young German girl ahead of me who firstly asked as to the minimum spend on a debit card then requested cash back !! I thought I was in a pub not a bank !!

We had our second pint, Purity Mad Goose in my case, and went for a romantic meal at Pizza Express.

UPDATE 10th September

As a rule leaving work at 7.10pm and working through my lunch isn't generally a cause for celebration, however my bad day in the office ended up working out quite well for me. Shelley was meeting her friend Marie for something to eat and was driving past where I work on her way home so kindly offered to pick me up outside The Brasshouse. Result !!

I called in for a Billy no mates pint and promptly ordered a pint of Ringwood Best Bitter from the pub's fine offering of real ales. £3.20 seemed a bit steep but I think I am a bit out of touch regarding the Broad St pricing policy.

In all honesty it was a fairly routine visit, the pub was nicely busy considering it was early Wednesday evening, with the rolling news on the pub's numerous TV's showing interviews with Alex Salmond ahead of the impending vote on Scottish independence. Now there's a face you'd never tire of punching !!

I didn't get to the pub until 7.30pm yet I got the call at 7.40pm that Shelley was twenty minutes away, I'd only drunk half a pint !! No wonder I look so glum on this dark, unflattering selfie...

I had a choice to make, do I nurse my remaining half or race down a pint and a half?.....

Another pint please landlord !!

Mr Pickwick Bar

Okay, I admit it, I have zero recollection of our visit to this pub, so much so that had it not been for Shelley telling me I would still be convinced that the last pub we visited on our all dayer was another bar called Lizzie's !!

Shelley tells me that she got the round in at Mr Pickwick Bar, a bottle of Mahou for me, which amazingly I managed to pour..

...and a can of Strongbow for herself.

I am told (and I have no reason to doubt Shelley's recollection of events) that I asked Shelley to take my picture and then literally two minutes later I asked if I'd had my photo taken in the pub !!

Shelley decided that it was bedtime for this brave soldier as it had been a long day for him, evidenced by the fact that I was still dressed in my swim shorts !!

Amazingly I still put in a request (mercifully an unsuccessful one) that we had a Bailey's night cap in the hotel bar before bedtime !!

That bottle was my last of our fabulous time in Spain

Adios mes amigos

The Mad Ass

Talk about going from the sublime to the ridiculous, we crossed the political divide when moving from our previous pub, the Union Jack decorated Glasgow Rangers pub Bar None, to The Mad Ass Irish Sports Bar decorated in the Republic tricolour.

We hadn't eaten properly since breakfast so food was a must. I ordered a pint of the black stuff to accompany my chicken and chips.

I will admit that this was my second visit for an evening meal at this pub (my previous being the year before) and I barely remember the meal on either occasion. I'm sure the Guinness must be exceptionally strong !!

Being an Irish Sports Bar it was no surprise when the started showing the Ireland v Turkey game but in all honesty I remember less about the game than I do my meal !!

In the reminder notes I made about the pub for this blog I ended with two words, Long Day. It was !!

Bar None

Bar None was an interesting venue, it would not have been out of place on Belfast's Protestant Shankhill Road, it was decked out in Glasgow Rangers memorabilia, pictures of the Queen and Union Jacks...

By this stage the afternoon's drinking was having an effect on me, highlighted by the fact that I ordered myself a bottle (rather than a pint) of San Miguel to accompany Shelley's Strongbow, though, to be fair, it was probably a blessing in disguise especially as we were flying home the next day.

We sat outside and watched Rangers old boy Terry Butcher's Hibernian get relegated. Time to move on me thinks.

Lilly Langtry's

We remembered from our previous trip to Benalmadena that Lilly Langtry's got the sun late, so, based on this information, we made our way from previous venue Bar & Mini Golf.

Draught Stowford Press was just €2 a pint, this fact plus the five pints of San Miguel that afternoon must have caused the silly grin on my face..

The sun can sometimes bring out the worst looks in people and this was certainly true of the over weight British woman sat in Lilly Langtry's in a tight mint green tee shirt. She had sweat patches under her armpits, under her sagging bosom and worst of all under her beer gut !! Very attractive !!

We got talking to a couple from Bolton who had been on holiday in Benalmadena for five weeks. With the weather in the mid twenties and ice cold beer at €2 a pint it was easy to understand why !!