Waggon & Horses, Halesowen

Over 10 years since my last visit to the Waggon & Horses, I returned on a quiet Thursday evening to find that other than significantly less customers, this pub is still very much unchanged and therefore still the best that Halesowen has to offer the drinker. A friendly and knowledgeable barman was on hand to offer advice on the excellent beer range. Black Country Ales BFG & Fireside are the regular ales. Their Chain Ale was also available. Guest beers were Golden Duck Tinner's Tipple, New Brew New Alchemist, RCH Goldbine, Salopian Fat Cat & Golden Thread, Nuttycombe Doonicans, Oakham Citra and M & B Brew XI. Ciders were Weston's Old Rosie & Broadoak Twisted Lime. I tried a couple of beers I hadn't previously had. Neither were particularly to my taste, but unlike the other BCA pub I had been to earlier (the Swan), they were well kept. There are 3 different drinking areas. From the entrance at the left-hand side of the pub, you can see a room at the rear, whilst the much larger rooms at the front contain the long bar and the famous slope in the floor. One table seems to be resting at an angle where you would think your pint would slide straight off. I've never tried sitting there to see. When we left the pub, we left just one other female customer there, which seemed a bit of a shame. But despite the obvious lack of customers, I suspect it's still the best pub in town and a must for any real ale drinking visitors.

I used the Waggon quite often when I was at college over 30 years ago but that was long before Black Country Ales took over. I make no secret of the fact that I am a big fan of their pubs and this place ticks all the boxes for me. A great selection of ales, excellent friendly service and fantastic cobs. Guest ales when I called included Moorhouse Hat Trick IPA, Salopian Lemon Dream & Firkin Freezin, Yorkshire Heart Silverheart IPA, Green Duck Blonde, Mallinsons Koranum, Loddons Dragonfly and Slaters Blitzen. If you add the 3 house beers and their own excellent Plum Pig porter plus 4 ciders you have a great line up. Well worth a visit.

2019 Good Beer Guide Entry and Stourbridge and Halesowen Pub of the Year 2018. Part of the Black Country Ales Chain. Like the Wellington in Brum, there's TV screens showing the 11 or so real ales on. This has a real pubby feel. Multiple houses knocked together, providing some side rooms complete with real fire. Bar is long, thin and has a wickedly sloping floor. BCA seem to source very unusual brews and I had a fine Black Storm Porter - all the way from Whitby to the West Midlands. Perfect Pub.