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Disappointment of the week with Real Ale Ray
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Detail Pages
Blue Bell Cider House, Solihull
Hockley Heath
Postal town: Solihull
B94 6BP
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Thuck Phat left this review about Blue Bell Cider House
Well described by the skipper and others below, I'd head for the boaters bar rather than the lounge for atmosphere and chat.
Beers on were: Blue Bell Gold Flash, Slaters Nelson Sauvignon, Doom Bar and Wye Valley HPA. We gave the pub brewed Gold Flash a go but it didn't particularly suit so stuck with the Nelson which went down well.
Well worth a visit if outdoor activities take you this way.
On 15th May 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 679 recommendations about 678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about Blue Bell Cider House
Sitting high above the Stratford on Avon Canal,the Georgian building has been extended over the years and attracts a wide audience including walkers,boaters,bikers, boozers and the family dining crowd.There is a large carpark with seemingly few houses nearby but there is a definite drinking vibe here of an evening.
From the carpark there is a conservatory with some tables ,a serving hatch and a collection of games for both childen and adults.There is a left hand boaters bar,with some traditional roses and castles decoration but with a darts board,sports flatscreen,fruit machine and upright piano this has a public bar feel but is the most authentic part of the pub.The handpumps here are not clipped or functional.Around the other side of the bar is a very bright lounge with more modern pine furniture ,an area which also allows children and lacks charm in another extension of the original building.
There is much less focus on cider here despite the name,while the real ale selection will have Doom Bar as a regular together with some output from the onsite Blue Bell Brewery.However the best option from the 3 ales on my visit was Slaters Nelson Sauvignon which proved a fine session ale and justifies it's inclusion in the 2019 GBG.
Pub grub is available until 8.30pm ish,but it looked functional .There is a Thursday quiz and there is a community feel here,so worth a visit if you are passing but not quite the destination pub I was hoping for.
On 8th April 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Nick Davies left this review about Blue Bell Cider House
As described below, a much-altered building which, through its website claims it is 17th Century I suspect most of it was built when the canal came at the end of the 18th century. You enter from the car park through a conservatory which, with its cafeteria food counter, has all the atmosphere of a works canteen. The main building is split into a small bar which does have a hint of cosiness, then a large lounge furnished in traditional social-club style. There's a large outside area along the canal which must be perfect in the summer.
It says 'Cider House' but don't come expecting electric soup with twigs floating in it - just a couple or three of the usual industrial suspects, but a wider selection of bottles than usual. On the beer front I gave their 5% home-brew a wide due to driving and settled for Backyard's The Hoard bitter which was in perfect condition and, if someone else was driving I would have stayed for seconds or even thirds. Other choices included the inevitable Doombar and HPA which seemed more popular with the punters than the local stuff.
You need to take this pub as you find it and go with its eccentricities. It's very popular, even on a chilly January afternoon there was an enthusiastic dominoes school in progress, groups of final salary types, white van man having a quick one on the way home and some boaters hiding from the sleet. Worth a look if you're in the area.
On 23rd January 2019
- rating: 7
[User has posted 567 recommendations about 559 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Blue Bell Cider House
Famous canal-side pub, with a beer garden overlooking the waterway. Retains two separate bars at the front, with an opened-out dining room to one side and a carvery / dining area in a newer link between other buildings at the back. Has its own micro-brewery too, with the 'Pure Brew'd' Gold Flash (£3.20) and Brewster's Special available from two of the five handpumps, and Wye Valley HPA on another. As a self-styled 'cider house' there were quite a few choices available, although nothing that unusual.
On 1st July 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8086 recommendations about 8086 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about Blue Bell Cider House
Called in to see if they had any of their own beers on and were lucky as Blue Bell Atlas was on along with a couple of other real ales. Pleasant pub with entry through a large built on area rather like a conservatory with seating and a hatch through to the bar. Large boards with a good menu selection of mains and puds either side of the hatch. A few seats outside by the car park. There is also a large grassy area with tables leading down to the canal where there are moorings.
On 16th April 2018
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about Blue Bell Cider House
The pub sign proclaims this to be the Bluebell Cider House which means that it immediately appealed to me, besides it’s attractive canal side garden which is certainly another enticing feature. The pub itself is a traditional brick built affair with a good sized car park off to the right, and it was surprisingly busy at 6:00 on a recent mid-week evening. Perhaps they do some sort of food deal to entice people in as many punters seemed to be eating, although this is by no means a gastro-pub.
Approaching from the car park, you enter through some sort of conservatory style extension, and this looked a little ramshackle to be honest. A large stainless steel food servery was just to the right of the door. The larger lounge bar was to the left, and this too had a slightly dated appearance with an old patterned carpet on the floor with some quarry tiles around the bar. It was further divided in to different areas with some partial walling. Dark wood panelling was on the lower part of the walls with cream painted wallpaper above. A plasma screen was mounted up on one wall, although this was not in use, and there was an old brick fireplace at the rear. Behind this was a slightly cosier area perhaps, with the décor being broadly similar other than a deep red paint on the wallpaper. A public bar to the right had some type of blue lino on the floor, as well as a TV screen showing a quiz, darts board, a couple of trophy shelves and another brick fireplace with a few plates and a ships wheel above it. A collection of jugs were hung around the bar counter.
Beers on tap were Doom Bar, Kinver Half Centurion, Wye Valley HPA and Bluebell Starfire and Barracuda. Ciders were well represented as might be expected with Stan’s Traditional, Cheddar Valley, Thatcher’s Gold, Black Rat, Strongbow, Sharp’s Orchard and Cornish Rattler.
On 31st October 2017
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1947 recommendations about 1860 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about Blue Bell Cider House
Very popular busy real ale brew pub by a canal with a lovely outside garden area. They had one of their own brewed beers available, Blue Bell Brew House Pure Brew'd Continental Pale Ale which was unfined so a little cloudy and not really to my taste. It was 5% but did not seem to have that strength to taste. Maybe just me. The setting is brilliant though, once you can find it.
On 31st August 2016
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about Blue Bell Cider House
A nice old building which, despite a recent refurbishment still feels a little down trodden.
There are some nice features, such as the fire, but its not really a comfortable place & has standard pub decor and furniture and carpet. The entrance seems to be through some kind of extension that must be used for food which felt odd especially as it was not in use and immediately makes you feel uncomfortable.
2 real ales, the quality was average.
Could be a nice place.
On 4th November 2013
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
david johnston left this review about Blue Bell Cider House
well worth a visit
On 18th April 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 73 recommendations about 71 pubs]