The White Swan (JD Wetherspoon), Solihull

A fairly typical Wetherspoons shop conversion with little character internally. I found this one all a bit cluttered inside with lots of standard tables squeezed between the pillars in the first section. I didn’t go any further because the front outside drinking section was enjoying the full mid day sun and I took my pint out here. All ten hand pumps in operation and although the trilogy of doom were all present taking up four there was some decent options on the others including Titanic Raspberry Pale and Oakham Inferno and the local Sillhill Brewery Hopstar which I went for and was particularly good. I didn’t think either this one or the one next door were particularily stunning, but in a town centre completely void of decent traditional pubs from what I could see I guess these are going to have to do for the ale drinker in town.

I have called in here a few times over the years and always found a decent choice of beers. Last week was no exception with Silhill Hop star, Salopian Minds Eye, Inveralmond Bard, Sadlers Peaky Blinder and Phoenix Double Gold. The two we tried were fine. Well worth calling in.

This one is a shop conversion that looks fairly small from the outside but extends back a very long way. If you've seen one JDW shop conversion before then you'll know what to expect. The beer selection was reasonable with the ten hand pumps having Young's Special, Lymestone Pounamu, Oakham Bishop's Farewell, Titanic Blackberry Gold, sadler's Worcester Sorceror then the usual GK Abbot & IPA, Doom Bore, Broadside and a cider. I went for the Titanic Blackberry Gold which was in excellent nick. It struck me as a slightly above average Spoons.

This is a spacious Wetherspoons pub in a modern row of shops, close to the town's railway station. The pub takes its name from a former coaching house that once stood further down Station Road, now long since demolished. The pub has a fairly modern interior with bright carpeting throughout, café style folding front doors and a warm colour scheme. There is the usual mix of seating options, although the front section is dominated by a vast amount of standard tables and chairs arranged between several structural pillars with drinking shelves. An unusual wood block pattern on the walls is an interesting design feature. The servery appears halfway down the right hand wall, opposite which there is a high ledge with lots of plants on it, again helping to brighten the place up somewhat. The seating here is mostly high tables and stools with some very smart curved padded bench booths along the left hand wall. Some interesting pieces of art, presumably from local artists, line the walls and I think several were for sale. The rear section of the room is bright during daylight hours thanks to the large doors to the rear which lead out to a garden area. Various TV screens throughout the room were showing looped promotional material, rather than the usual rolling news channels. There are ten handpulls in total, but my mid week visit saw three of these out of action, leaving four 'Spoons regulars and three guest beers available. I tried one of the US collaboration ales - Coronado's Mermaid's Red - which was very good and I would've liked to try more but sadly had to dash for my train after a quick half. The staff were very friendly which helped to offset the particularly glum looking clientele. I've visited this pub on several occasions over the years and always found it to be a good spot for a reliable pint and pretty good service. It's not going to get anyone too excited, but it's a pretty solid option which is handy for a quick pre-train pint and I believe it makes a positive contribution to Solihull's pub scene.