Yates, Solihull

The last time I was in Solihull over 10 years ago, I visited on a Saturday night when the noisy, late night venues on this street had lengthy queues outside, with bouncers on the doors. I remember passing this venue, which was then a Lloyds No. 1 Bar. I seem to recall that wearing trainers meant that I wasn't getting in past the bouncers. So, I didn't bother queueing! Nowadays, it's still an impressive building and the wide street outside is now reserved to buses and taxis. As a branch of Yates, it doesn't have much attraction for the beer drinker. Doom Bar is the solitary real ale. However, I was surprised to see that the handpulls had 3 cider pumpclips on them. Only 1 of the 3 was actually available when I tried to order. But they did have another 2 tucked away under the bar, which weren't promoted. As such, the selection was Lilley's Cherries & Berries and Apples & Pears & Pulp Rhubarb & Mango Cider. Having not had the latter before, it was a fairly easy choice. The interior has high ceilings and is split over different levels. Clientele on a weekday afternoon were fairly sparse on the ground. I sat next to a couple of young mothers with their babies. Not really the sort of place I would regularly frequent. But the new cider was an unexpected bonus. So, I'd happily drop in again whenever I'm next in Solihull.

Fairly standard Yates bar with Doom Bar, Abbott's Ale and IPA on offer. Not a massive fan of these places but happy to have popped in. It was better as a Spoon's.

Official site of Yates - www.weareyates.co.uk

Official site of Yates - www.weareyates.co.uk