The Malthouse, Willenhall

A vast barn of a place, clearly converted from a former cinema, which itself built on the back of a maltings apparently. A comfortable feel, but the main hall is a bit vast and echo-ey, so the lower areas round the front are cosier. There is a beer garden at the back. The beer range was good, with at least four interesting ales alongside the usual IPA, Abbot and Ruddles and in good condition.

Initially looks like it should be a large 'spoons, but as you enter a small lobby through the main doors the bar off to one side looks surprisingly small. However, the main seating area beyond is in a converted former cinema (which was in turn converted from an earlier eponymous farm building). This leaves plenty of space in the various seating / dining areas even on a reasonably busy Wednesday evening. Not a bad selection of real ales from the two banks of five handpumps either, and the Blindman Mine Beer was excellent value at just £ 2.15.

This was my second cinema conversion of the day but nowhere near as well executed as the Avion in Aldridge. It's rather dark and gloomy inside and on my Saturday afternoon visit was fairly chaotic with lots of tables needing clearing. The bar has two sets of five hand pumps which had one unused, the two GK beers doubled up, Doom Bore, Titanic Captain Smith, Davenport's Pale, Cotleigh Snowy and Sadler's Boris Citrov. I went for the Captain Smith (£2.15) which came with some food and was as good a pint of it as I've tried anywhere. It's GBG 2016 listed and is an above average Spoons but not a great one.