The Old Dispensary, Oldbury

Reasonable sized micropub with a convenient free public car park just along the road from the premises. Unlike the other two Black Country micropubs we visited on a Saturday afternoon, this one lacked atmosphere, with very few customers present. Wye Valley Butty Bach is the regular beer here. 2 guests were Abbeydale Doctor Morton's Duck Baffler & Mobberley Brewhouse Bunji. Real ciders were also well represented, with Farmer Jim's Pineapple & Passion Fruit Cider, Lilley's Strawberry Cider & Pineapple Cider, Weston's Old Rosie & Thistly Cross Whisky Cask. Craft beers were Green Duck Proper Porter, Beavertown Neck Oil & Burning Soul Gundam & Wolf. My Pineapple & Passion Fruit Cider must have been coming from the end of the box/polypin, as it arrived from the cool room in a very cloudy state and wasn't 100% in terms of taste. Nevertheless it was still drinkable. A decent local option where a visit is probably much more enjoyable if there are a few in.

As the name suggests, this micro-pub was formerly a pharmacy (replete with access ramps for the less mobile). Features a small square bar with light wood used for most furniture and as panelling on the two side walls. Also has a rather less appealing covered rear patio and a patch of grass that even its best friend would struggle to describe as a beer garden. The counter is wide enough to easily accommodate five handpumps - with the 'house' ODA (£3.20), Butty Bach, Madness from Green Duck and Time Flies from Exit 33 - and three shiny keg founts for a lager and a couple of draught ciders. An additional real ale and seven more ciders were listed on the board, so I guess they are served from gravity or boxes in the rear cool room. NB - Now has longer opening hours, which is a definite plus for anybody looking for a decent pint in these parts.