The Wellington, Birmingham

I was pleased to recently make it to this well regarded and comprehensively reviewed ale house. The pub is a lot smaller than I had expected, with a fairly narrow single room interior broken up by a number of pillars, which actually end up getting in the way somewhat when the place is busy and can obstruct access to the bar. The room is nicely carpeted with half panelled, half wallpapered walls and a decent amount of regular table and chair seating. The servery runs along the right hand wall and looks like quite a spacious area to work in as well as boasting a pleasant bar back with integral clock. The walls have been decorated with some old pub photos and pictures of pump clips, whilst a shelf near the entrance is stacked with beer related books and lots of CAMRA literature. The pub seems to be held in very high regard by local CAMRA branches, as a quick flick through their various magazines revealed that pretty much every pub crawl they go on either starts or ends in here. This isn't all that surprising when you see the fine row of 16 handpulls along the bar, all dispensing a different ale priced between £2.90 and £3.20. I had a pint of Titanic Chocolate and Vanilla Stout which was as lovely as the name suggests it might be. There is also an unconventional keg range including, Freedom Four and Stout, Veltins, Bitburger, Maisel's Weisse and Hogan's Cider. The staff seemed to be really on the ball and dealt with the crowded bar area in a friendly and efficient manner. This is a great pub for ale fans, regardless of the fact that it can get very cramped, but I'm not sure that it has the broad appeal of somewhere like the Black Country Arms in Walsall. That's not a problem in my book though and I will most certainly be returning the next time I'm in town.

This is a fantastic end-terraced Georgian style building that is and has been forever in the GBG. The building is in cream render with lovely rounded sash windows, decorative moulded stone and window pediments. There is no real patio area, people just stand out the back. The interior is in effect an open-plan long room. The decor is a greeny patterned wallpaper, a slight 1940s look - which is great, with red upper walls and ceiling. There is a green patterned carpet floor and red curtains. There are old photos of Brum on the walls, with a dart board at the back. There is no music or TV, apart from the TV with the beer choices on it. The service is mixed, but this maybe as it is so busy, the regulars are at the bar already! The fact that it is busy with a very mixed clientele is a pain - the other day i was stuck outside the bogs - not the nicest! They don't do food, but people take stuff in with them. Beer; the good points - not the usual tap stuff - Freedom lager and stout for example, with the Black Country Ales; Pig on the Wall, BFG and Fireside along with around 10 guests depending. A great choice. Bad points - as a Brummie i prefer a head on my beer often here, while it tastes fine the beer looks flat. It is also expensive on the whole. A great pub that does have its drawbacks - flatter beer, often rammed and expensive, but I always seem to pop in if around this part of Brum.

A must for the real ale drinker when in Birmingham.Up to 16 real ales and every time I have visited they have been in top form.Can get very busy lunchtime and early evening but the very good bar staff cope very well.10 mins from New St. Station.