The Firs, Wolverhampton

Camra national award-winning club for 2024, this is certainly a thriving venue doing excellent business even on a Wednesday evening. A detached building, set in enclosed grounds with some venerable evergreen trees as the name would suggest. It features the main bar (extending into an opened-out room beyond) to the left of the entrance and the smaller lounge on the other side of the central servery, both quite simply decorated and traditionally but tidily furnished. Six handpumps are divided between the two counters, offering Wye Valley HPA, Cotswold Best from North Cotswold, North's Vanishing Point, Spring Break from Greene King's 'Future Brewers' programme, Castle Rock's Black Gold and a new Hopping Mad best bitter (£4.20) from their own micro-brewery. The latter was noted on the clip as vegan, so no surprise that it was a bit hazy, and I was warned that this was the first brew of a new beer and "very hoppy", and they weren't kidding!

Official site of The Firs - www.thefirscodsall.com

Official site of The Firs - www.thefirscodsall.com

The Firs is a Camra award winning club which welcomes non members. 5 ales on and its own microbrewery. Membership brings benefits such as a discount on drinks and use of certain facilities.