The Dog, Burton On Trent Town, Burton on Trent

As described below, this is a Black Country Ales pub done up in their version of Victorian decor, which is sort of posh drawing room. The expected good selection of ales and ciders did not disappoint.

Traditional looking town pub, fully carpeted out along with some plush upholstery made this pub a little too smart and contrived for my taste. Plenty of beers were on offer, the sign outside boasted 14 real ales but three of these were real Ciders, but of course 11 beers is more than enough and I chose Black Country BFG. There's nothing wrong with this pub at all but I prefer a more earthy boozer.

Black Country Ales have done a great job with this pub,it's very much in line with their other chain boozers.The interior has been updated but retains a traditional feel,there are different sections all the way around a centrally placed servery.To the right,a snug and a very good darts throw,at the front a series of bench seats with more seating on the left side.The A board outside was particularly welcoming for one PuG crawler ! Loads of handpumps along the length of the bar with BCA Pig on the Wall, Fireside and BFG no doubt regulars leaving guests on my trip of Slaters Premium and 1 Hop,Coach House Posthorn Premium,Flagship Jar,Little Eaton Old Mill Stout,Marston's Pedigree and Salopian Hiding in Plain Sight (NBSS 3.5).There were also two real handpumped ciders from Rosie Pig and Snails Bank. That's a very decent and interesting ale line up ,so it's a must visit and I will be back for a much long session next time.Only fly in the ointment was a couple of young kids with their parents in an obvious drinking boozer,but it didn't affect my enjoyment.

Official site of The Dog - www.blackcountryales.co.uk

Official site of The Dog - www.blackcountryales.co.uk

A bit of trepidation coming back here but no sighting of pink haired girl and an experience a lot closer to other reviewers’. 11 (I think) pulls with the usual three Black Country ales plus a load of guests. The Worthington White Shield (very pleased to spot that!) was a good beer in good shape (NBSS 3.5). The pub, bizarrely, doesn’t accept copper coins. Entertainment of a sort from the guy perched at the bar who was originally from Malta who, in every conversation, loudly reminded us in case we forgot. A decent stop, this time. Pub visited February 2020 November 2016 A relatively recent (2015) addition to the Black Country ales stable. A pretty half-timbered façade with a good position opposite the waterway. The interior is quite nicely done and cosy with a pub carpet, wallpaper, feature fireplaces, leather banquettes, square framed wood ceiling and a particularly lovely embossed lower bar front and upper back. 11 ales with Black Country on three and excellent guests including Titanic Mild. Loopy but enthusiastic pink barmaid who turned into the devil of the piece when I took back my Black Country Pig on the Wall as it was vinegar. Cue the tired old argument about there being nothing wrong with it. After I refused to budge, I was grudgingly given a Titanic Mild (which was perfectly acceptable) in exchange. A shame really, as otherwise this is a lovely little pub but the taste left in my mouth from both the beer and the barmaid’s attitude lingered for quite a while afterwards. Rated 6

This was not my first visit here; my first attempted visit was in 2013 when I decided not to enter when seeing a solitary Greene King IPA hand pump through the window. A couple of years later it was bought by Black Country Ales and taken to the other extreme, of numerous hand pumps offering a plethora of beers. I've been in once or twice under the new regime, and my latest visit was towards the end of a day's crawl around Burton, so my notes were a little sketchy. I count 11 hand pumps in my photo, with three BCA beers, plus two from Blue Monkey, two "locals" (Bass and Worthington White Shield) and four others (including Salopian and Navigation). I enjoyed my half of White Shield, I think only the third time I've come across this beer on draught. It has become normal in some circles to criticise pubs for having too many beers, partly because it puts pressure on competitors to have more beers on than their business can sustain, with resulting loss of quality and diminishing confidence in real ale. I have only ever been served one bad beer in a BCA pub (one that had recently reopened in Stourbridge, the Seven Stars), so I don't have a personal gripe about this. The fact that they have been using this model for several years now and doing very well suggests that they are mostly getting it right.