The Full Moon (JD Wetherspoon), Dudley

A by-the-book Wethers. Long and thin with, depending on which way you enter, an extension to one side. 12 handpumps with all ales doubled up, which meant the usual crap plus 3 beers from Exmoor today (Fox, Stag and Beast). It doesn't seem to have the attraction of being any cheaper than the other pubs in the town centre. And apart from Ruddles you won't be paying less than £2.35, which is still not bad.

From outside this looks like it will be a smaller Spoons but inside the narrow room stretches back a long way. It's a bit drab and dark as a result but was doing a roaring trade on my Saturday lunchtime visit. The beer selection was not that great. Although there are twelve pumps four were unused and four took up the two usual GK beers. This left two Lymestone beers, Upham Punter and Jennings Cocker Hoop as an uninvited guest. I went for the Upham Punter which was in good nick but at £2.15 not dramatically cheaper than the Batham's pubs. In fact, the Spoons in the affluent London suburbs of Chingford and Northwood Hills are cheaper than here. The rather average beer selection and dark shop conversion let this place down for me.

As Wetherspoons go, this wasn't so bad, they had a good selection of seasonal ales and the food was okay. We'd spent ages mapping out real ale hostelries for Dudley and totally overlooked all the Lloyds/Wetherspoons! I think there are four in Dudley. But what can you say about Wetherspoons? Some have a range of well kept ales, some don't bother at all, The thing I remember most about our short visit to eat here, was the length of the pub! Is that why the Christmas party in fancy dress needed their own key to the disabled loos because they couldnt manage the stagger to the rear of the pub?