The Pretty Bricks (New Inn), Walsall

Two bar back street pub north of the town centre, a long term GBG entry, a run of editions of the guide are on a dresser in the saloon bar. The front bar is designated the Saloon and is decorated in Victorian style with exhuberant wallpaper and carpet, cast iron fireplace and the aforementioned dresser or perhaps it’s a rescued bar back. As well as the GBGs it houses a collection of Toby jugs, books and other nick nacks. Seven hand pumps, three with Black Country Ales and four other smaller breweries adorn the neat wooden counter. It’s an unusual affair having a dog leg with a glass screen and intregal seat part way along its generally L shape. Four keg taps, one from Salt plus usual suspects of Guinness, Carling and Thatchers. Pies are sold. I didn’t visit the rear bar but I’m guessing it’s not much different in look and feel, but two more pulls .

The New Inn, aka The Pretty Bricks, is a Black Country Ales pub with a mosaic tiled floor up the left-hand corridor where access can be gained to front and rear bars to the right. The front bar is carpeted with seating along the front windows that is faced by a curved bar counter. A windowed wooden partition splits the counter into two sections. Along the right-hand wall is a dartboard and on a shelf to the left of the bar are many editions of the Good Beer Guide, no doubt this pub is in all of them. Limited standard keg was available and I counted eleven hand pumps. The rear bar is also carpeted and has red banquettes across the rear wall. There is a fireplace in the right-hand wall and I counted another eight hand pumps. The available cask across both bars was BCA Bradley’s Finest Gold, Fireside and Pig on the Wall alongside Welbeck Abbey Brewery’s Loyal Duke, Small World’s Twin Falls, Beartown’s Crème Bearlee, Wantsum Brewery’s Hurricane, Salopian’s Shropshire Gold, Salt’s Jute IPA, Snails Bank Cider Company’s Blood Orange and Lilley’s Bee Sting perry. My visit was late on a recent Wednesday evening so there was no food available, but I did spot the kitchen at the rear. It was busy, so I ended up sitting at the table in the corridor that is also served by a section of the bar. I liked it in here and will return when next in the area.

Over 10 years since my last visit. Good to see it doing well. Very friendly service. I enjoyed a pint of AJ's IPA and a Mallinsons Simcoe. Well worth a visit.

Otherwise known as the New Inn, this place is famous for the glazed brickwork on the facade. The interesting two-bar layout, separated by the central servery, also features in Camra's regional inventory of historic pub interiors; all very traditional and well looked after by Black Country Ales. There are usually eight real ales (including three from the owning brewery) plus a couple of ciders available, but I went for the Korvaks Burden stout from Fowlis (£3.50).