The High Oak, Pensnett, Brierley Hill

Bit of a locals pub with no real ale. Had a quick Coors and moved on.

The external signage suggests more Indian restaurant (which the lounge probably is) than pub, although some of the glazing displays its previous name (i.e. The Roost). However, the public bar still serves its original function, with live football on a couple of screens when I stopped by. No real ale, unfortunately, so made do with a quick keg Worthington's (£2.85) before moving on.

Nice friendly pub compared to what it use to be. The beers not bad at all. And the cheapest around too. Youll see me at the pool table/ dart board.

This is now a detached corner pub. There has been a 'High Oak' pub since at least the Victorian period, but this is a 1930s rebuild. Strangely, the name was changed to 'The Roost' for a while and the glass in the windows still reflects this idiotic decision - thankfully, it has returned to its rightful name. The pub is in undressed brick, with stone around the windows and doorways, as well as a crest of an oak tree under the corner gable. The interior has a couple of rooms, the back one being a games room with a pool table, but I couldn't see much else. The triangular corner front bar was devoid of life and that included the staff. The walls are coffee and there was some black wood panel. A TV had some daytime tosh on and there was no music. The most interesting thing was the small fireplace with a pot plant in front of it and a couple of mirrors. There service was fair enough; the single handpull was as devoid of a pump clip as the pub was of customers and the M&B MILD tap was as devoid of MILD...... you guessed. Anyhow, we settled on half a Worthies, which was rancid, so was at least swapped for Thatcher's Gold. This iconic local pub will go if it continues like this.