The Lighthouse, Tamworth

The name of this pub is not Midlands rhyming slang but a very obtuse reference to it's former use as an electricity showroom. It refers to an experiment where a kite was flown by some bloke during a thunderstorm to prove something or other about electricity but who failed to discover anything about electricity showrooms. This is more interesting than the pub itself which is a rather dull square low ceilinged room with an island bar in the middle. It is apparently a genuine Lloyds as it has the external branding, the landscape printed menus, is listed as such in the directory and has light rigging on the ceiling. However, it's only open until 23:00 on all days of the week so is hardly a proper night club. On my Friday midday visit there were quite a few people in mostly for food. The bar has two sets of five hand pumps but everything was doubled up so it boiled down to the JDW Trio Of Doom, Butcombe Moxee IPA and Stonehenge Danish Dynamite. I went for the Danish Dynamite which despite a slight haze was fine. There are worse Lloyds than this one but as so often happens with them the beer choice was poor.

Not the best Wethers but its just about ok. 5 real ales on, 2 of which you can probably guess.

The Silk Kite is a Spoons pub that has an art deco upper half. Once inside there is a square shaped room with an island bar,the left side and rear areas are slightly raised,there are some american diner tables to the rear right,there are normal tables and chairs elsewhere. The ceiling is very low and all tables and chairs are black giving the pub a very depressing feel to it. There was a very poor choice of real ales on the bar which are in two sets of pumps on each side of the island bar,the right side had one beer on Ruddles Best,so i had a drink from the left side,i had a drink of a beer called Real Antopiodane Ale which was a decent enough drink,the other beers i noted were Doom Bar and GK Abbot. This is one of the most depressing Spoons i have been in.