The Black Country Arms, Walsall

Black Country Ales mothership, housed in an attractive building with the pub over two levels (central staircase to get to the bar) and a million miles away from their usual outlets. “Was it a Spoons in a previous life?” we pondered - it sure felt like it. A multitude of cask options, I plumped for the BCA Plum and got a great pint (NBSS 4) as befits its GBG listing. The Friday night atmosphere was rumbustious and we bagged the final table in the house. As below, we also encountered a number of locals blocking the bar, though staff were getting involved to make them move over. I have to say I rather liked this one – quite a contrast to the Lyndon prior but complementary. 8.5

Odd shaped building, go in turn right go up stairs to the counter, where you find 20 hand pumps, 16 beers 4 ciders. Multi roomed in old style as befits an old building or two knocked into one. The counter is on a higher lever to other bits of the pub. Fairly traditional around the counter, the lower level has banquette seating and the upper has mainly tables and tables all in the faux Victorian style. More seating is available upstairs along with toilets and a dart board. As it's their pub the beer’s obviously from Black Country Ales and the other beers are from various smaller breweries far and wide although northern and midlands predominate.

The Black Country Arms is a split-level traditional Black Country Ales pub with an entrance that leads to a carpeted seating area that runs from the front to the rear. Steps to the right lead up to the wooden floored bar area where a long counter runs along the right-hand wall. I counted eight keg fonts, that were pouring a mix of standard and premium keg, alongside twenty hand pumps that were drawing four BCA ales alongside Beowulf Brewing’s Mercian Shine, Fownes Brewing’s Seven Crowns, Sharp’s Atlantic Pale, Mallinson’s Nelson Sauvin, Salopian’s Oracle, Milestone’s Honey Porter and Fletchers, Oakham’s Hare and the Hedgehog, Backyard Brewhouse’s Jigger Stout and Fixed Wheel Brewery’s Queen of Roubaix. For cider fans Weston’s Old Rosie and Celtic Marches King’s Tipple were available alongside a couple from Lilley’s. A television in the bar area was showing muted Premier League football build up while some background music played. Steps from the bar lead up to more seating and a dartboard in a carpeted area atop of this high ceilinged pub. I found the service to be friendly and my pint of BCA Pig on the Wall was very good, so I would have no problem returning.