Sadler's Peaky Blinder, Stourbridge

Opened in 2015, this first floor bar is part of a large brewhouse complex for the Sadler's Brewery who moved here from their previous premises next to the Windsor Castle pub. The bar is handily located in a small industrial estate right outside Lye station, making it nice and easy to time your departure to make your train home. A staircase leads you up to an unusually shaped room, best described as two squares that overlap in one corner. The right hand square was set up for live music when I arrived on a Saturday evening, with the band taking to the stage along the end wall under a large brewery logo just as I entered the room. The place was obviously not laid out as it normally would be, with most of the bench seating moved over to the perimeter of the room or else removed altogether, and there was a very large crowd in that made it particularly tricky to get a feel for what it might normally look like. The walls are lined with hops and there is a a high corrugated iron ceiling throughout, criss-crossed by metal beams. The left side square is dominated by the servery which runs along the front wall with a simple bar counter and white tile bar back. A few high tables and stools are arranged opposite and the walls here have been covered with stencilled brewery artwork and a fair bit of Guinness memorabilia, whilst a number of crates have been nailed to the walls in places as well. A selection of pork pies and some very tempting looking pork crunch was notable at the end of the bar and the pub has a burger and hot dog based menu which is available until 20:00. A very friendly barmaid greeted me on arrival and apologised for the diminished range available, although to my mind there was still plenty of choice, with cask options comprising Sadler's Mud City Stout, Helihopper, Peaky Blinder, Mellow Yellow, Worcester Sorcerer and Hop Bomb. Six real ciders were also listed along with a strong keg selection and 100 craft bottles. I only had time for a quick half, so tried the Stout, which was a wonderful drop. This was a very lively visit thanks to the huge crowd the band had pulled in - whether this is representative of a normal Saturday night, I couldn't be sure. As somewhere to enjoy some well kept Sadler's beers, this place certainly scores highly, although the modern, industrial feel the place has may be off-putting to the traditionalist. I enjoyed this slightly manic visit and would look to build in time to visit again the next time I'm passing through Lye.

Tap bar built above the brewery. Fairly basic layout and furniture. Full range of their beers, which as you would expect, were in good condition.