The Craven Arms, Birmingham

2020 Good Beer Guide Tick thats long been on the list to visit but is slightly out of the City Centre..... although very handy if you are attending the 02 Academy. Heaving - all the other punters were also attending the 02 Academy :-) Typical Black Country Ales Pub - classic pubby feel, their signature ales and other rotating guests - all displayed on TV screens. TItanic Glacial and Oakham Citra in good condition. Worth seeking out.

I found myself in Birmingham earlier in the week so decided to pay a visit to the Craven Arms on my way in to the centre. Nine hand pulls for ale with one of these off at the time of my visit. Of these nine, three were by Black Country Ales and the rest guests. In addition there are two hand pulls round the side of the bar for real cider. An electronic beer board lists the cask, keg and craft can offerings complete with prices. Pies and sandwiches are available but no hot food. I went for a pork pie to go with my Fireside bitter, both of which were very pleasant. The pub was quiet on my 12:30pm-ish visit midweek, with just one guy who appeared to have come in to down a coffee and make awkward small talk with the barman, another chap who came in just to use the toilet (and got suitably pulled up for doing so by the barman) and another chap who came in asking strange questions about what was the "newest" beer before ordering a pint which then appeared to disappear also in record time. He also made a strange comment to the barman about the pub being small but "still OK" which I think went down like a lead balloon. I had definitely put deodorant on that day, so the quick departure of these customers cannot be blamed on me! This is a small, quiet traditional pub, everything reasonably priced, decent ale selection, clean and tidy, no nonsense, just a solid boozer. Worth a visit.

A good looking back street pub more than backed up by its content, Its a proper pub with some decent ale available, three Black Country beers and three or four guests, the Slaters Haka was good enough for a second pint. A very nice pub and a must visit when in town.

I had no trouble at all finding this pub as it appeared before me in the rain as I was staggering up the hill to get to the Figure Of Eight from the Dragon Inn. I knew all about this place and had a plan to make a specific visit some time which was immediately ditched. There seems little point in dwelling on the detail as it has already been very well described previously. For me there were two plus points and two minus points. The first plus point is the exterior and I can't resist pointing out how the GBG has shot itself in the foot by saying it's a former Holden's pub! Holder's were a Birmingham brewer taken over by Mitchell & Butler's in 1919 long before they became part of Bass Charrington. From the older reviews below it obviously became a part of the Banks's estate and later with the merger Marston's. As far as I recall from early CAMRA days there were no Banks's or Hanson's outlets anywhere in the centre of Brum. The second plus point is by far the major and undisputed one which is the superb beer range with the three Black Country Ales and eight from anywhere you like. The first minus point is the interior. This isn't an unspoilt gem like the Vine in Brierley Hill, the Beacon Hotel in Sedgley or others. It would have been trashed into a single room almost certainly by Bass Charrington decades ago. OK it has some nice windows but even one of them is plain! It reminded me of numerous back street East London Charrington pubs visited in the past. My biggest gripe though was with the prices. I came in here out of the rain and went straight to the hand pumps. I noticed a familiar beer I hadn't seen for some time Magic Rock Dark Arts. I was charged five quid for this! I subsequently looked at the blackboard on the left and noted that at least one of the three Black Country ales was just £3.20 but two beers were £5.00. I'm sorry but five quid for a 6% ABV beer is daylight robbery anywhere in the country. They would do better spending a small amount of time putting prices on the pumps and less time writing long tedious descriptions of the beers. For what it's worth the beer was in excellent condition but I had to ask for it to be topped up. To sum up I didn't think this was a classic pub but admit it has an extraordinary exterior and beer selection but the five quid pint knocks two points off my score.

Fantastic tiled exterior opens to a surprisingly small interior with a great selection of brews on the bar from light to dark and everything in between. House brews are Black Country, the Fireside and Pig being in excellent form. A bit of a hike out of town, but well worth the effort, decent bar food on offer too.