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Disappointment of the week with Tris39
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The Black Country Arms, Walsall
Walsall
WS1 1QW
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Quinno _ left this review about The Black Country Arms
Black Country Ales mothership, housed in an attractive building with the pub over two levels (central staircase to get to the bar) and a million miles away from their usual outlets. “Was it a Spoons in a previous life?” we pondered - it sure felt like it. A multitude of cask options, I plumped for the BCA Plum and got a great pint (NBSS 4) as befits its GBG listing. The Friday night atmosphere was rumbustious and we bagged the final table in the house. As below, we also encountered a number of locals blocking the bar, though staff were getting involved to make them move over. I have to say I rather liked this one – quite a contrast to the Lyndon prior but complementary. 8.5
On 13th March 2024
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5072 recommendations about 5055 pubs]
Old Boots left this review about The Black Country Arms
Odd shaped building, go in turn right go up stairs to the counter, where you find 20 hand pumps, 16 beers 4 ciders. Multi roomed in old style as befits an old building or two knocked into one. The counter is on a higher lever to other bits of the pub. Fairly traditional around the counter, the lower level has banquette seating and the upper has mainly tables and tables all in the faux Victorian style. More seating is available upstairs along with toilets and a dart board. As it's their pub the beer’s obviously from Black Country Ales and the other beers are from various smaller breweries far and wide although northern and midlands predominate.
On 10th July 2023
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3230 recommendations about 2939 pubs]
Steve C left this review about The Black Country Arms
The Black Country Arms is a split-level traditional Black Country Ales pub with an entrance that leads to a carpeted seating area that runs from the front to the rear. Steps to the right lead up to the wooden floored bar area where a long counter runs along the right-hand wall. I counted eight keg fonts, that were pouring a mix of standard and premium keg, alongside twenty hand pumps that were drawing four BCA ales alongside Beowulf Brewing’s Mercian Shine, Fownes Brewing’s Seven Crowns, Sharp’s Atlantic Pale, Mallinson’s Nelson Sauvin, Salopian’s Oracle, Milestone’s Honey Porter and Fletchers, Oakham’s Hare and the Hedgehog, Backyard Brewhouse’s Jigger Stout and Fixed Wheel Brewery’s Queen of Roubaix. For cider fans Weston’s Old Rosie and Celtic Marches King’s Tipple were available alongside a couple from Lilley’s. A television in the bar area was showing muted Premier League football build up while some background music played. Steps from the bar lead up to more seating and a dartboard in a carpeted area atop of this high ceilinged pub. I found the service to be friendly and my pint of BCA Pig on the Wall was very good, so I would have no problem returning.
On 19th May 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5233 recommendations about 5201 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Black Country Arms
A typical Black Country Ales house, with more hand pumps than you can count, but the beers are listed on video screens. Personally, I like to look at the pump clips but in this pub there's not much choice in the matter, as the bar hangers make it impossible anyway. So, 20 beers listed and the standout for me was Sarah Hughes Snowflake 8%, a winter warmer or barley wine. Good job I only had time for a half. My notes made at the time (over a year ago) remind me that the servers were overworked and uninterested, which is perhaps a little harsh. At the rate they were working they didn't have the time for niceties.
Date of visit: 29th December 2018
On 18th February 2020
- rating: 5
[User has posted 3733 recommendations about 3470 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Gill Smith left this review about The Black Country Arms
Our first visit to this Black Country Ales pub which is in the 2019 Good Beer Guide. Seating on a variety of levels but a lot of stairs and no disabled loo for those that may need one. Massive selection of real ales available and a brilliant TV screen of the beers. Great on a quiet lunchtime but if folk sit right along the bar as stated in a previous post I can imagine seeing the clips to help choose your beer could be difficult. We enjoyed our Weetwood Cheshire Plain and Milestone Pekka. A beer festival due to be held here in a couple of weeks.
On 24th October 2018
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1339 recommendations about 1222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Delboy 20 left this review about The Black Country Arms
Very good Black Country ales pub with a great choice of beers. It is a long way from the old Green Dragon!
My only gripe is the row of locals the full length of the bar who made no attempt to give way to any other customers. That said I would call again due to the beer!
On 11th October 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 1656 recommendations about 1556 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Black Country Arms
17 handpumps all in action on our visit, this also included 1 cider. This large Black Country ales pub was quite a labyrinth with the different levels and large choice of seating areas.
The pub was busy on our Thurs eve visit, what with the live music playing on the first floor and their curry night. We choose our beer from an illuminated beer board on the right hand side of the bar. I went for the Mantle Brewery Boho, which was top class and served by a smart and efficient young barman. All in all, this was a decent pub and I would be quite happy to spend some more time here, on a next visit.
On 18th August 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Aqualung . left this review about The Black Country Arms
This is a fairly typical Black Country pub with a huge array of beers and ciders. It's a split level room with carpets rather than bare floorboards and the bar on the upper level on the right. There is another level above which includes a dart board.
My one gripe about this place is that there are bar stools along the length of the bar and on my Saturday afternoon visit most of them were taken up. This made it far more difficult to get served than it should have been and to make matters worse the three on the stools near where I sat were droning on about football.
I couldn't be bothered to struggle to get to the end of the bar to read the blackboard so just looked at what was nearby. I noticed a couple from the Black Hole brewery but then spotted Celt Experience Bleddyn 1075 (£3.20). This was in superb condition.
I see from a review below that this is rated on the Dark Side as the number one West Midlands pub. It wouldn't get into my top 10 but it's still a pretty good place much like all the other Black Country Brewery pubs I've visited. It's a shame about the bar stools.
On 24th December 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2143 recommendations about 2143 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Black Country Arms
ORIGINAL REVIEW June 2011
A vast selection of real ale awaits customers to this pub with an attractive ,traditional exterior.There has been a large internal rebuild,with part of one floor removed to allow a large atrium above the bar which is significantly raised above street level.The mezzanine has different sections but the overall effect does invoke feeling of being in a 'spoons.There were a reasonable number of punters in during our Tuesday evening trip ,but distributed around the large interior giving the feel that the pub was quiet.Variable musak filled the void.
There is a very helpful listing of all ales and ciders on handpump to the right of the bar showing beer colour,ABV and very reasonable pricing.The range includes several from the Black Country Brewery being it's tap,and a variety of mainly local microbrewery offerings.I may be being rather harsh to suggest that the Black Country Brewery doesn't want to overshadow their own offerings with outstanding guests but I did struggle to alight on a truely memorable pint,despite a lot of effort !However I may just have been unlucky and with 16 to go at,I will return to see if I have better luck next time.
UPDATE
...and indeed a recent revisit found a wide and eclectic choice of ale (and real cider) which produced some memorable pints,a deserved upgrade from me from a pub you really have to visit on any ale tour of the town centre..
On 6th July 2015
- rating: 8
[User has posted 2727 recommendations about 2727 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Black Country Arms
Went out of my way to check this out - it is number 1 West Midlands Pub, according to another popular beer reviewing site that marks pubs by counties.
Long Bar, with 10 real ales one side and a line of Walsall's finest on the other. A beer menu on the wall and once making a choice from a bewildering selection, you expect either nods of approval or groans from the seated punters.
This place may work if they had a sushi style conveyor belt and you just selected a drink as it pass by. Maybe not.
I had a superb pint of Wellingtonian, never having heard of it and selecting it for its colour in the little pot in the bar.
Ordered food - which was incredibly reasonable.
The decor is nice - great big prints and large glass windows - and the pub is very spacious. Quiet at first, but then they put some music on.
All in all a fine pub - done really well. Good prices and interesting beers.
Enjoyed it.
Some photos at my walking blog - http://tinyurl.com/l9uztpa
On 6th April 2015
- rating: 9
[User has posted 1337 recommendations about 1323 pubs]