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Detail Pages
The Jolly Crispin, Dudley
Upper Gornal
Postal town: Dudley
DY3 1UL
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 9 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Jolly Crispin
Not much change here in the intervening years – this is still a cracking traditional pub with a wide range of well-kept beers. Slight annoyance was the preponderance of bar blockers in the public bar. A proper fire was on the go to help keep the dank misty afternoon outside at bay. 10 cask on the go this time, my Ludlow Blonde was a solid NBSS 3.5. Cobs (both hot and cold) available. Didn’t see any of the homebrew, has that gone now? Note this pub is cash-only, which suited me fine. A fine emporium, make sure you do it.
October 2008
Slightly below street level, this is an enjoyable two-roomed pub serviced by a central bar; the comfortable lounge bar at the rear with panoramic views of the Black Country is well-worth seeking out but there’s plenty of atmosphere in the public bar as well. There’s a nice relaxed atmosphere inside, with timber ceiling beams festooned with hundreds of previously served pump clips from beers past (and passed), various brasses and a dart board. A good selection of eight ales available on my visit, including a dark one - Wickwar Station Porter, in excellent condition. Service was friendly on my visit and cobs were available. A worthy addition to a Black Country crawl. Rated 9
On 30th December 2021
- rating: 9
[User has posted 5126 recommendations about 5109 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Jolly Crispin
Our group had a great time here, some in the front bar and some in the rear lounge. We were told to get our bear and meet up at the back for a brewery tour, so armed with our excellent Titanic Chocolate & Vanilla Stout and Acorn Ernest IPA e met up at the shed at the rear to meet up with the Fownes brewers for a chat and tasting session of their Fownes beers. I must say their King Korvac Saga II Burden, Leviathan and Hand of Doom all went down a treat and a few purchased some bottles to sample later.
On 21st November 2017
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Jolly Crispin
On the main road down from Sedgley to Dudley is The Jolly Crispin, a small double gabled cottage style old looking building that is something of a contrast with more recently built buildings nearby. We later learn that this is the oldest pub in Upper Gornal.
Pleasingly, and something that should definitely be encouraged, opening hours are prominently displayed in the window, telling us that the pub doesn’t open until 4pm from Monday through till Thursday. More encouragingly, we see small print telling us that the pub is the home of Fownes Brewery and promising us “a festival of beer every day”
A small bar, slightly below street level, at the front is traditionally furnished, featuring black beams and pillars and is effectively split into two distinct areas by a dart board on a wall on the right hand side. A fine fireplace on the far right hand wall catches the eye, along with a fine collection of brass artefacts.
A bare stone walled corridor leads through to a much larger, cosy, carpeted, smarter lounge at the rear with black ceiling beams. Again, this room is traditionally furnished and decorated. A large stone archway with another impressive fireplace and stone chimney breast divides this lounge into two separate areas.
A collection of pumpclips decorate some of the beams in this room. A laminated card – “The Crispin News” – on each table provides relevant pub news for customers, from which we learn, for example, that there would be a cider festival on 10 October and, rather less interestingly, that 7 December would be “Choir Day”. We learn that Fownes Brewery won the Champion Beer Award at Wolverhampton Beer Festival for the 2nd year in a row, but, rather oddly, it doesn’t say which Fownes beer it was.
Above a fireplace is a framed potted history of the pub and a list of licensees since 1820. We learn that it was a former Simpkiss house ( Older drinkers may remember that Simpkiss brewed just down the road from The Bull and Bladder in Brierley Hill ), who were eventually bought out by Greenall Whitley. The pub was formerly called The Crispin – the word “jolly” being added sometime in the 1830’s. The pub sign at the front shows a cobbler mending shoes and we learn that the premises formerly housed a shoemaker. Saint Crispin was apparently the patron saint of shoemakers
Out at the back is the brewery plus a surprisingly large car park.
On the real ales front, if I was being picky, I could complain that I only counted 8 real ales on and not the advertised and promised 9. Beers on, when I called in, one late September afternoon, were Kinver Half Centurion, Ossett Silver King, Crouch Vale Brewers Gold, Castle Rock Harvest Pale Ale, Ossett Excelsior, Salopian Hop Twister, Kinver Black Ram plus, from the on site brewery, Fownes Crispin Ommer. I found the latter to be an enjoyable, typically light coloured pale ale which, so we keep being told, is how people like their beers around here, although, much against the trend, it did have a noticeable bitterness to it. I was disappointed, and rather surprised, that only the one in house beer was on, but, in fairness, the fact that they brew on site is not heavily promoted, so perhaps expectations are being deliberately managed. Gravities are detailed on a board behind the bar, but there’s no tasting notes. It’s been a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular in recent years.
I found this to be a likeable and welcoming place which appears to attract a good cross section of customers. This is going on my ever lengthening list of pubs to revisit sometime, hopefully in the not too distant future.
On 26th January 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Jolly Crispin
This is another great old pub and the associated Fownes brewery is just the icing on the cake. You enter into a cramped bar area but there is an area to the right with a dart board and more seating and a lounge bar round the back which was quiet. There is a garden and car park to the rear of the lounge bar.
Beers noted were Fownes Crispin's Ommer, Fownes Troll Hunter, Oakham Bishop's Farewell, Thornbridge Jaipur IPA, Moor Porter, Saltaire Cascade Pale, Salopian Darwin's Origin and one that came on while I was there was Fownes Gunhild. I may have missed one or two here. I went for the Fownes Crispin Ommer (£2.60), Fownes Troll Hunter (£3.10) and the Saltaire Cascade Pale (£3.00). An "Ommer" is a hammer as the geezer from Yorkshire behind the bar kindly explained to me (Noddy Holder has a lot to answer for).
All beers were in great nick.
When I return to visit the Holden's Mill nearby this is one I will definitely return to,
On 8th September 2014
- rating: 9
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about Jolly Crispin
Another not to be missed pub with a great selection of ales to be found in the 2012 Good Beer Guide. A front bar plus another room down the corridor at the back, both comfortably furnished. Enjoyed Green Duck Drunkun Duck and Potbelly A limp pig gold here. Easily reached by bus.
The above was in August 2012, and we went on Tuesday, the first time back since it became a brewpub with Fownes brewery. We chose a fantastic Cappucino Stout from Titanic brewery, and 3 from Fownes brewery, Origin, Crispins Ommer, and the 7% Leviathan. All great beers, and this pub deserves it's place in the 2014 Good Beer Guide.
On 2nd January 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Jolly Crispin
Only a couple of minutes walk up from the Britannia on the opposite side of the road. Another well supported, busy pub on our Friday night visit. Service was good and there was a choice of seven handpumps. I enjoyed an Oakham Citra to refresh the taste buds. Would like to visit when it's a bit quieter next time.
On 10th September 2013
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ale Monster left this review about Jolly Crispin
This is a great traditional free house which is owned by the Newport Pub Company. The cottage style building dates from the late 1700’s but it was first used as a pub around 1820, the name of the pub comes from Saint Crispin who I have now learnt is the patron saint of shoe makers! The building has two rooms, one front, one back with a central bar counter that serves both rooms. You enter the pub by a couple of steps down from street level in to a traditional public bar with the counter in the middle of the back wall opposite the entrance, a large inglenook fire place dominating the right wall with many brass items decorating it, a dart board on the back wall to the right of the counter and lots of timber beams and pillars. In the back right hand corner next to the dart board is a door which leads to a corridor that runs down the side of the pub and ends at the entrance to the second room which is a lounge area, this has a central stone fire place and chimney breast, a couple of rustic stone pillars and wood beams across the ceiling which is also decorated with dozens of pump clips.
Regular ales are the house beer Crispy Nail (which is brewed by Titanic) and Oakham Bishops Farewell with seven changing guest beers from all over the country, on this occasion some of these were Titanic Stout, Castle Rock Harvest Pale and Hop Back Summer Lightning (GBG 2011). I had Crispy Nail, Bishops Farewell and Summer lightning which were perfectly well kept. Also worth a mention is Theakston Mild on keg.
A brilliant real ale pub with traditional character and a very friendly landlord. The large selection of ales on this occasion were all a bit too hoppy (apart from the stout, obviously) for my taste but I think this was just bad timing on my part. Cobs are available during the week and there is a small menu of standard pub meals served at the weekend. This is a must visit if your in the area, I can’t wait to return.
On 4th April 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 199 recommendations about 199 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about Jolly Crispin
A friendly place with a good choice of ales from microbreweries on the 6 handpumps. The staff and the customers will assist your choice of drink with some good advice. There is a partially divided room at the front with what looks like a larger lounge at the back. The darts board is a little unfortunately placed as you have to cross the field of fire on the way to the gents, which by the way has some rather odd fittings. Otherwise a pretty good pub if slightly eccentric.
On 22nd June 2010
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3276 recommendations about 2982 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about Jolly Crispin
A fantastic detached white rendered pub, with some black paintwork. It has a central entrace and two dormer windows.
The interior had at least two rooms and is in white with nice ceiling and support beams. Ornamentation consisted of brass and other objects, with pictures of beers and whiskey on the walls. The service was fine, the clientele on our vist small but mixed and the background music mixed and at a decent level
Beer; some tap stuff but an excellent array of real ales; Fernandes Cathedral Ale, Oakham Bishops Farewell and White Dwarf; Titanic Crisp Nail; Brewsters Hophead, Ellend Old Skool; Green Jack's Gone Fishing and Sheppy Special Ale - annoyingly i didn't note what i had, i just remember it was good.
Another delight and must return pub - check the website for their cellar list
On 23rd January 2010
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Horton left this review about Jolly Crispin
Lovely house, beautifully kept & served constantly changing real ales. Small car park at the rear. Reasonably priced throughout the range of beers.
On 14th July 2008
- rating: 10
[User has posted 148 recommendations about 148 pubs]