The Black Country Arms, Walsall

Went out of my way to check this out - it is number 1 West Midlands Pub, according to another popular beer reviewing site that marks pubs by counties. Long Bar, with 10 real ales one side and a line of Walsall's finest on the other. A beer menu on the wall and once making a choice from a bewildering selection, you expect either nods of approval or groans from the seated punters. This place may work if they had a sushi style conveyor belt and you just selected a drink as it pass by. Maybe not. I had a superb pint of Wellingtonian, never having heard of it and selecting it for its colour in the little pot in the bar. Ordered food - which was incredibly reasonable. The decor is nice - great big prints and large glass windows - and the pub is very spacious. Quiet at first, but then they put some music on. All in all a fine pub - done really well. Good prices and interesting beers. Enjoyed it. Some photos at my walking blog - http://tinyurl.com/l9uztpa

Having been to other Black country Ales pubs this was not what I was expecting. Up the hill from the market, and 5 minutes from the Station, it looks quite small from the outside. Much larger inside, it does, as previous reviews suggest have the slight feel of a Wetherspoons, its open and on three very different levels. But, this feels much better than a Wetherspoons, yes its on a grand scale, but still manages to feel comfortable and welcoming and does keep a traditional element. On the beer front, despite the reviews below there seemed an excellent choice of local and national and styles. My Saltaire Galaxy was absolutely superb. Excellent pub

Good points: A lovely and imposing period building which is very enticing. 16 handpumps offering 13 ales and 2 ciders on our visit including four from Black Country, 2 from Exe Valley and 2 from Burton Bridge over a range of strength and styles. Clear and up to date blackboard listing all beers on, strengths and colours. Prompt and efficient service. Bad points: I'm personally not keen on how the opening up of the interior by removing 2 floors has created a large but somewhat atmosphereless space. The comparisons made by others to 'spoons are understandable. Despite trying around half the beers we couldn't find one demanded a second. Black Country are clearly making a real effort with this place and I hope it works for them. I'd certainly go back if in the area and it's clearly a must visit if in Walsall but I'd urge a touch more care in beer selection.

I’d read a lot of good things about this pub, including a very complimentary article in the Walsall CAMRA magazine from a gentleman who was moving out of the area meaning he could no longer frequent this, his favourite pub, so my expectations were very high – a guaranteed recipe for disappointment. However, I’m pleased to say that for once, my expectations were easily met. This is a fantastic pub set in a grand building close to the main shopping area. The pub is split across three levels, with the ground floor well furnished with a good range of seating. Stairs lead up to the first floor which is dominated by a very long bar with some large, imposing portraits hanging high above. Seating here is limited to a couple of small tables, but there is another stairway leading to the second floor, which has more seating as well as a dartboard. The decor is relatively subdued, leaving it looking very smart, clean and uncluttered. It seemed to have found a balance that would please both traditionalists as well as those who prefer drinking in bars rather than pubs. The furniture in particular was functional but also quite plush. The star of the show is the beer though, with sixteen operational hand pumps dispensing an excellent variety of beer and cider of all strengths and styles too numerous to list here. There were three Black Country Ales on: Fireside, BFG and Pig on the Wall. I had a pint of BFG on the strength of JAQPTIO’s review below and I thought it was very good indeed. The staff were also more than happy to top my pint up once it had settled. Food was being served and most of the mains seemed to be around a fiver, which seemed like very good value. I think this pub has got an awful lot going for it. It’s in a good location, in a lovely building, it has an outstanding range of beer, is large enough that you should be able to find a seat if necessary and it’s the sort of place you could take friends regardless of their pub preferences. For me, this was the star of my trip to Walsall and I’d like to have a proper session in here and maybe get through a few more of those countless beers.

A brilliant Black Country Ales pub since 2008, parts of the building date from the 1620’s but it was first used as a public house around the beginning of the 1700’s and was named The Green Dragon until 2006. The interior is a small open plan room with high ceilings to accommodate three levels, as you enter the main door you will see the ground floor lounge area, on the right of the room and up a couple of steps is the bar area which has a long bar counter against the right hand wall, above this are three massive old portrait paintings and opposite the bar is a small fire place with a large chimney breast which is central to the building. Behind the chimney breast are stairs that lead to a mezzanine floor which is on the left of the building and has a fire place on the left hand wall and a dart board. The décor is fairly traditional but with lots of new dark wood. Regular ales are Black Country Ales Fireside, Bradley’s Finest Golden and Pig on the Wall Mild with up to 13 changing guest ales from all over the country. There is a large chalk board on the wall to the right of the bar counter which lists the beers on offer, the staff prefer customers to order by number as its quicker to find the beer in the long line of hand pulls. “2 number 8’s, a 12 and a 16 please luv” it’s like ordering a Chinese take away, but it does work quite well! This is a great traditional pub with an astonishing selection of beers which over the last couple of years has become a must visit real ale pub in Walsall town centre. The local CamRA branch uses this place for their monthly youth (18-30) group meetings which has to be a good endorsement. I always pop in for a drink when I am in town, I believe the place is becoming more popular as it has been quite busy on my last couple of visits, word is slowly getting around and the new small menu probably helps.

Official site of the Black Country Arms, contains list of the latest real ales as well as menus and event details - www.blackcountryarms.co.uk