Beacon Hotel, Dudley

I visited the Beacon Hotel, which is the Sarah Hughes Brewery tap, late on a Friday afternoon a month ago during a PubsGalore crawl. It was very busy and the odd serving hatch bar at the front of the pub was chocker with a very thirsty crowd. One of these hatches opens up into the entrance corridor so it was a little difficult to move through the pub. The ales available were Sarah Hughes’ Dark Ruby, Amber and Sedgley Surprise alongside Dark Star’s Hophead and Burton Bridge Brewery’s Stairway to Heaven. I went for the Ruby which was spot on. Even though it was very busy and there was nowhere to sit I still enjoyed my visit here and would like a return visit.

Famous, and very busy, tap for the Sarah Hughes Brewery. No decoration on the facade, and relatively plain furniture in some of the rooms (although not in the wood-panelled rear lounge). However, what really catches the eye is the implausibly small tap room with its two serving hatches and corridor counter. Only had time for a pint of Amber (£2.50) but would happily have stayed much longer. First rate overall.

Have to say that if I was visiting here again, it would be an early doors visit as it's quite difficult getting served and poking my head through the serving hatches to see what beers were available. The Sarah Hughes Mild is an interesting brew and well worth tasting. Lots of like minded real ale fans, so all in all a decent Black Country pub that's well worth a visit.

Any ale drinkers in the Black Country (and many beyond) know of the Beacon Hotel as it is a great local icon. It is a lovely traditional Victorian pub with a three storey tower brewery behind which produces the very fine Sarah Hughes range of beers. The pub was built around 1865 and it has four various sized rooms leading off a central hallway with terracotta tiled floor and stairs to the first floor. On the left at the front of the pub there is a small snug which has a coal fire on the left with large mirror above and a piano next to the door. opposite on the right of the hallway, there is a second small snug which has a cast iron stove type fireplace on the right, at the back left of the hallway is a larger and slightly more plush lounge, which has red leather bench seats, two cast iron coal fire places and lots of wood panelling. Finally at the back of the hallway is a stone floored room with wooden bench seats, this appears to have once been an outside area that has been covered over and enclosed. There is a very tiny bar which is in the centre of the pub and serves the hallway and the two rooms on the left of the building through small hatches with lots of leaded windows. On the left of the lounge is a conservatory which is full of large plants. The décor throughout is very traditional to the point that you could be forgiven for thinking that you have stepped back in time! Regular ales are the famous Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild, Pale Amber and Sedgley Surprise with normally two guest beers which on this visit were Hobson’s Town Crier and Twisted Spire. The beer is very well kept, as you would expect from a brewery tap house (GBG 2011). Be warned that the Mild is brewed to a Victorian recipe, therefore it is a rather warming 6%. This is a superb pub and it’s no secret as its won West Midlands pub of the year many times including the last three years in a row and was a runner up in the national competition this year so it does get very busy most evenings. The place is so popular that I have seen people queuing out the front door, waiting to get served at the tiny bar in the hallway. Note that as mentioned in previous reviews the pub shuts between 3 and 6 every day. A local landmark institution which I would definitely recommend visiting, I truly can’t find fault with the place, so I will be returning shortly.