The Bear Tavern, Smethwick

Imposing corner pub that externally is showing signs of faded grandeur. Not many pubs with a clock tower and mounted bear heads, even if they are turning green. A Good Beer Guide 9am opener. Greene King and their usual range with an additional guest Wye Valley Butty Bach. 10% Camra discount offered to reduce the price from £4.10. Inside its smart in a very chainy greene king fashion. Open plan around three sides of a central bar. I could hear - over the many TVs showing at least two sports - the click of a pool table from the opposite side. Eclectic clientelle, as you would expect at 10-30am on a Satruday Morning.

This is a huge open plan room with an almost island bar in the centre then a dart board and two pool tables at the rear. There are TV screens everywhere and early on a Saturday afternoon it was yet another shrine to the God of TV Sport with the sound on and filling the pub. There are six hand pumps which had 4 GK beers, Fixed Wheel Concussion Mild and a Slater's beer that I didn't write down. This wasn't as good a choice as others have found but the Concussion Mild (£3.30) was in very good nick. I wished I had noticed the CAMRA discount as that would have knocked the price down to under £3.00. Obviously this discount had no influence at all on the local CAMRA branch including this pub in the 2019 GBG. I did have an all day breakfast here and that was fine. Overall this one was disappointing due to the TV screens but it would have been just as bad if there had been a DJ or karaoke. That's the trouble with pubs that try to do something to suit everybody.

Very impressive looking pub which has improved over the last few years and deserves it's Good Beer Guide entry. 6 beers on including Fixed Wheel Mild Concussion, Westgate Brewery Fireside, Abbots, IPA and 2 festive beers - Rocking Rudolph and Greedy Goose. Worth a visit.