Pubs of 2014

Right, here we go...... The purpose of this blog is to log all the pubs that I have visited and consumed an alcoholic beverage in during 2014. The rules are quite simple, the establishment needs to be a public house, it sounds straightforward but it may get complicated for example things that wouldn't count are a visit to the bar at the cricket, a pre gig drink in a concert venue, a drink at the Birmingham German market etc. As judge and jury my decision is final, and if I'm in any doubt I won't count it.



My prediction as at the start of the year is that the final number will be somewhere around the 200 mark though I won't go to pubs just to get the numbers up, it will be a true reflection of my pub visting year.



My posts will include information about the pub, the ambience of the surroundings, the choice and quality of the beer, any interesting or amusing anecdotes about my visit and, where possible, photographic evidence.



I will try and keep the information as accurate as possible noting that alcohol consumption means that at times this may prove difficult !!



The format of the posts is simple, the first visit to the pub will be the blog entry and that post will be updated for any subsequent visit.



Hope you enjoy it...



Cheers

UPDATE January 2015

Right, that's it, it's finally finished, some 259 pubs later !! It's been hard work but it's nice being able to look back and relive the drinking experiences of 2014.

I am pleased with the final result and whilst I've been reviewing it, I have actually laughed a few times at my own jokes !!

A word of warning, it does start off a bit slow (some of my posts from Bath are a bit dull) but stick with it. In hindsight the format of posting repeat visits to a pub on the original post at times doesn't work very well when reading the blog in its' entirety but on the whole I'm pleased with it and I hope that you enjoy it.

I have stated this in the blog but I will say it again, thanks to anyone that I have had a beer with in 2014 and special thanks to Shelley for her patience !!







Thursday, 30 October 2014

Prince of Wales

It was time for a haircut and the fact that we were staying at Shelley's Mum's meant that I had to venture into untried territories and use a new stylist, thankfully the man at Amigos on Kings Heath High Street did a decent job. Trips to the barbers get increasingly depressing, more and more silver coloured hairs fall on the barber's shop floor, and the ultimate humiliation came on this occasion when I was asked if I wanted my eyebrows trimmed !! You know it's only a matter of time before a similar question is posed about my ear hairs !!

I had bought a Daysaver bus ticket so hopped onto the number 50 outside Amigos and hopped off at The Prince of Wales in Moseley for a quick pint on my way to St Andrews to see Blues play Bournemouth.

A Good Beer Guide regular, The Prince of Wales is a fabulous place, it is definitely one of my favourite Birmingham pub venues.



How could you not like a place with a bar that looks this appealing?...



It is a proper pub and you may just be able to make out the number of real ale pumps, yes there's nine to choose from with me choosing a pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord...



It was almost November and there was certainly a chill in the air, that's not a problem in the Prince of Wales, a real fire was burning in the front bar to keep the cold at bay..



I will admit though, the women in the Prince of Wales aren't up to much, the one I spotted in the bar was a real moose..



There is something for everyone in this pub, from intimate snugs..



To a large heated outdoor area..



This place has got the lot and it is certainly no 'hideous carbuncle' to quote a phrase coined by the pub's name sake.

A group of blokes from the Black Country kept me entertained, they were doing a Moseley pub crawl and this was pub number one. They were surveying the pub's fine selection of whiskies. One of the gang with a thick accent said to the barman' Have you got any bourbons'? Now either it got lost in translation or the barman had a great sense of humour as his reply 'Sorry mate, we don't sell biscuits' brought the house down !!

A bloke walked in a v*lla hat, tracksuit top and jogging bottoms and asked me if I'd look after his shopping while he went to the loo. Now I'm bad but not that bad so I politely agreed to his request without even being the slightest bit tempted to tamper with his groceries !! He returned and thanked me informing me that he'd been drinking since 9am. I know four losses in a row isn't good but is it enough to drive a man to early morning drinking? Seemingly so !!

Next stop was Digbeth so I only stopped for one but I really can not recommend Moseley's Prince of Wales highly enough.



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