Seven Stars, Stourbridge

I lost count of the number of hand pumps, though I reckon there were 12 beers on - this soon became 11 when the beer that I bought proved to be undrinkable. The lad behind the bar was quick to exchange it for something else and the pump clip on the offending beer was turned around. Better still would have been not to sell it to me in the first place. This is the danger of having too many beers for the amount of real ale-drinking custom coming through the doors. While I was just as keen as previous reviewers when I heard that this heritage pub was reopening, I did have a little thought at the back of my mind about whether the Black Country Ales model would suit a pub in this location. I hope this was just a blip.

What a relief to see this notable heritage pub open again, and in the generally reliable hands of Black Country Ales too. The two main bars, separated by a central servery with a landmark bar-back, retain a wealth of other heritage features (including many splendid Mitchells & Butlers etched windows and some fine decorative tiling, as do the compact central lobby and the separate (if more modern) restaurant on the other side of the entrance. With 15 real ales and ciders available from the numerous handpumps, the choice is remarkable, although I ended up going for the Chain Ale (£3.40), one of five of the owning brewery's own beers on offer).