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Detail Pages
The Malt Shovel, Dudley
Dudley
DY1 1NB
Pub Type
Local Pub (Marstons)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Steve C left this review about The Malt Shovel
The Malt Shovel is an L-shaped pub with a mix of exposed brick and blue painted walls under a ceiling supported by industrial girders. The parquet patterned wooden bar to the left faces tables that run under the front windows. A television above was providing background music via 90s Hits TV, Sky Sports is advertised on an outside banner. Seating runs up the right-hand side of the pub from front to rear. The five hand pumps were drawing Wye Valley’s Butty Bach, Oakham’s Citra, Holden’s Golden Glow, Thornbridge’s Jaipur and Sarah Hughes Brewery’s Snowflake, which is the 8% CAMRA Winter Beer 2024 winner. Tempting, but being the start of a crawl I went for the Wye Valley which was well served. A box of Old Rosie cider sat on the end of the counter and a range of standard and premium keg was also available. The service was polite and there was a decent crowd in for a Wednesday afternoon. Worth a look.
On 25th April 2024
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5251 recommendations about 5219 pubs]
Blue Scrumpy left this review about The Malt Shovel
It's been many years since I was last in the Malt Shovel, but the real ale choice has improved drastically of late and the pub now features in the Good Beer Guide along with the Wetherspoon's. With the Black Country Ales pub (the Courthouse) just up the road from the Malt Shovel, these are probably the only 3 pubs worthy of a visit in Dudley town centre.
On my Saturday evening visit, the pub was standing room only. There is a small bar area to the left as you enter, where a TV was showing live Premier League football. Off to the right is a slightly larger area with another TV screen showing live 6 Nations rugby.
There was a good mixture of old and young in and staff were fairly efficient at serving them all. Holden's Golden Glow & Wye Valley Butty Bach are the regular beers. Guests were Blue Monkey BG Sips & Infinity Plus One & Thornbridge Jaipur. My Infinity Plus One was apparently coming towards the end of the cask, but was still very tasty. Apparently there is a CAMRA discount, but I wasn't aware and it may not have applied to my half in any case. There is no sign of a real cider anymore.
On 5th February 2024
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2452 recommendations about 2451 pubs]
Delboy 20 left this review about The Malt Shovel
Back street local which has always been a good solid pub. The beer choice is much improved these days with a choice of 5 including a couple from Fixed Wheel. I went for Fixed Wheel Golden Bicycle which was decent. Glad to see it still going strong!
On 27th December 2023
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1656 recommendations about 1556 pubs]
Will Larter left this review about The Malt Shovel
A back street alehouse between the centre of town and the castle. There are five beers - at the time of my visit for the Dudley winter ales festival there were two beers from Sheffield (Blue Bee and Abbeydale), plus Oakham and the rather more local Wye Valley and Holdens. I had a half each of Oakham Winter Wisp, a 4.1% pale (NBSS 3.5) and Holden's Golden Glow 4.4% (NBSS 3). A couple of what I took to be regulars came in soon after me and had a bottle of Holsten pils and an Aspalls cider - I guessed they were regulars as they certainly weren't likely to be going to the beer festival! A TV screen in the corner just above my head was playing some truly ghastly music videos from the 1980s. If it wasn't for the beer quality this would be a bloody awful pub.
Date of visit: 23rd November 2023
On 24th December 2023
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Malt Shovel
Modernised alehouse-style pub with an opened-out, L-shaped interior and lighter inside than one might expect. With all five handpumps in use, I found Holden's Golden Glow (£3.20) and other local beers from Fownes and Fixed Wheel plus ones from Titanic and Neepsend coming from further afield. Overall, rather better than expected.
On 21st March 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about The Malt Shovel
UPDATE: still quite similar as an interior, although freshened-up, it now has 5 real ales and is a free house. A couple of Oakham's were on, as well as Holden's Golden Glow and a more than decent WV Butty Bach. Much better, just gets a little noisy for a misery like me.
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MAY 2010: A detached Banks's pub, in plain brick with white paintwork and a rear beer garden
The interior is an open plan room around the wood bar, in white and wood panel decorated with a few sporting pictures and prints - horse racing featuring a lot here. There was Sky TV and pop based background music at a decent level. The service was functional and the clientele more younger based at our visit.
Beer; tap stuff, with Banks's bitter and a good MILD on handpull.
Not visited for a couple of years, but on my latest visit I felt a little old! The beer was fine though.
On 8th August 2021
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]