The Midland, Smethwick

Still the best pub in Bearwood for beer. My Citra Sublime was spot on. Very friendly service. Well worth a visit.

Official site of The Midland - www.blackcountryales.co.uk

Official site of The Midland - www.blackcountryales.co.uk

Quite liked this Black Country Ales pub, the manager was friendly and chatty along with one of the regulars sitting at the bar alongside me. The interior consisted of a decent sized lounge area, with a large and impressive bar area down the right hand side. The cellar consisted of a cold room at the rear of the lounge with a large window displaying all their cask ales. 15 handpumps on the bar, with 12 in use serving 10 ales and 3 ciders. I went for the Zest Brewery Mosaic Blonde, which was excellent.

As noted below, this is a conversion of a small high street bank. Inside it's a single carpeted square room with a high ceiling. The furnishings consist mainly of low tables and chairs in corners created by red leather seats. It's worth noting that this is a 10am opener so there were already a few in on my late Saturday morning visit. A major plus here is the lack of TV screens but there was a radio playing at a reasonable level. The bar has an impressive line of fifteen hand pumps which had the three usual BCA beers, a couple of ciders and a wide range of guests. I went for Derby ABC IPA (£4.00) which sounds expensive but is 6.4% abv. This seemed rather warm but may have been made worse by the fact that the glass appeared to be warm. Apart from that it was fine. I would have given it an extra point if it hadn't been for the warm beer.

Impressive bank conversion with an equally impressive choice of ales. I went for one from the Fixed Wheel brewery and it was excellent. Beers listed on the chalk board … you know the drill! Well worth a visit.

Unusual conversion of a smaller eponymous bank, with a bar that is almost as high as it is long or wide (with a large glazed area, including two full-height windows at the front). The seating area is extended by a small lower-ceilinged extension with an interior picture window into the 'cool room'. Comfortably furnished in a traditional style throughout, and a massive former safe door to be seen in the corridor. Very impressive range of real ales in a wide range of styles from a total of 15 handpumps, from which I went for the Sinker stout from Framework Brewery (£3.00). Well worth seeking out.