The Harp Hotel, Wolverhampton

This is a Hop Back pub that is listed on their web site. It's one of two in the North West Midlands the other being at Wolstanton near Stoke and it's also a noted music venue. Despite this there is no external Hop Back signage and just one Hop Back beer on sale. I arrived here on a Tuesday lunchtime and on going through the front door there is a door to the left and a door to the right. The left door leads to the saloon bar and the right to the public, both being completely separate. I went in the public bar and didn't look into the saloon. It's quite spartan with a laminate wooden floor, pool table, dart board and juke box. There is a long bench along one wall and a few solid looking tables with stools. A TV screen was tuned to ITV2 showing a repeat of the two previous night's episodes of Coronation Street which made a refreshing change from sport or subtitled news. Sadly the board outside advertised that the main priority for the TV screens is Footbore matches. There was a sign on the door leading to the other bar and the rest of the pub that said "A pint in the Harp is worth two in the Bush", a humorous swipe at the local Banks's outlet. Until a couple came in for a game of pool I was the only one here, the female won this encounter despite the macho posturing of the male. There were three hand pumps in the public but I didn't get to see how many were in the Saloon. The three public ones had one unused, Dancing Duck Nice Weather which had gone off and Rocky Road cider. Beers Available were Ludlow Gold, Hop Back Summer Lightning, Wye Valley HPA & Supreme and Three Tuns XXX. I tried the XXX and Summer Lightning (both £3.00) and they were in superb condition. I really enjoyed this pub on a quiet Spring afternoon but it might be a different story on an open mic, live music or footbore night.

Appearing to be closed, the nondescript frontage of this high street pub is misleading. A simple push on the door reveals there are actually two bars inside, but the black out curtains mask the fact. The front sits directly on the high street footpath, while there is a small terrace at the back. The right hand bar as you enter is a bit tired, looks in need of an overhaul, while the right hand bar is merely comfortable. There is a small lounge area at the back of the latter furnished with plastic chairs and tables that look like they’ve been stolen from a set of A Clockwork Orange. The pub is dog-friendly, the clientele are stranger-friendly, and the staff are very welcoming, all of which makes for a pleasant atmosphere in ch to enjoy their ales. There were 5 ales and a Kentish cider on. Westwood Oast House Gold, Bristol Milk Stout, Three Tuns XXX and Summer Lightning were all very well kept and most enjoyable, though I can’t actually tell from my notes in what order they were consumed. I thoroughly enjoyed this visit and would definitely spend time here or include on a crawl.

A terraced white rendered pub and music venue, with black paintwork - it does not offer accommodation and was in the GBG 2005 according to the window sticker! The interior has two rooms. The bar, to the right on entry, has creamy artexy walls (see how precise i can be) and has a pool table, dart board and a TV. The lounge, to the left on entry, is an L-shaped room around the bar and ending with a music area for the jazz nights that are a clear feature of the pub - there is even a piano there and lots of photo montages on the walls of people playing jazz. Ironically, there was no background music on when i visited - indeed, a solitary lady read quietly in the lounge and a few locals watched a bit of TV in the bar. The service was fine. Beer; tap stuff with 5 real ales on handpull; Wye Valley HPA, Weetwood Eastgate Ale, Ossett's Lion's Roar, Brough Bitter and a delightful Holden's Golden Glow. The pub has a great choice of beer and a nice lived in feel, which makes it a good drinking pub. I could spend hours here with my drinking mates, even without the jazz. Quality.