Enville Street Run from Wollaston to Stourbridge
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www.midlandspubs.co.uk
Dec 22, 2009, 12:47:09 AM12/22/09
to Midlands Pubs
Me and Emma met up with old drinking pals Tony and Bridget Skirving
for an amble down the old Enville Street pub run on Friday night. I
hadn't been for a drink in Wollaston for ages. As it was early doors
and The Forester's and Plough were closed, we kicked off in the Gate
Hangs Well where we enjoyed some excellent Banks's Mild, preferring
this as a starter to the Enville Ale which was also on sale. Not a bad
pub and one that seems to be a hardcore darts venue amid the homage to
the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. However, the volume of the Billy Joel
music made it hard to enjoy conversation, never mind the fact that it
was Billy Joel. No need for me to ramble on too much about the Unicorn
Inn - as ever, the beer and pub was truly excellent. Rammed to the
rafters but we found some seats in the tiny snug bit of the pub where
Tony announced his forthcoming retirement. Now he can drink 24-7! Some
locals told us that the beer was £3 a pint in The Princess so we moved
on to Wollaston's new pub - Graham's Place, formerly the Cottage
Spring. Apparently, this has been bought by the Webster's Florists
around the corner in the High Street and we heard that they intend to
open a garden centre on the site. It is true that the site is large as
the pub once had a bowling green but I have no idea if they intend to
close the pub or run the two businesses side-by-side. It would seem
odd to rebrand the Cottage Spring and then close it so perhaps there
is a long-term plan for the pub. I didn't like the 'contemporary'
interior but you couldn't fault the beer choice - Skinner's Heligan
Honey, Abbeydale Absolution, Exmoor Gold, Salopian Hop Twister,
Rooster's Ginger Ale and another from Hopback Brewery. Now that's a
pretty good selection by anyone's standards. Quality wasn't too bad
either and we stayed in order to try the range. Next up was Katie
Fitzgerald's where we were confronted by a flashing pump clip from
Highgate Brewery. Stocking Filler I think it was called. However, I
went for the Morrissey and Fox Mulled Ale which was pretty good. I
like this pub - there's a nice vibe and the bar staff are friendly.
Essential stodge and fodder was provided by the chippy next to the
Somerset House where they sell proper Black Country chips and, for
tonight at least, a free chocolate out of the tin. Good stuff. The
Royal Exchange was the busiest I have ever seen it - not even room for
a stick insect in the bar. We found room in the back lounge where me
and Tony struggled to match the girls in the quiz we had been playing
en-route. As seasoned lags in the drinking world, we have mangled our
brains with too many ales. We struggle to remember our own names never
mind the answer that was Mike Gatting. With a load of trashy-looking
youths hanging around The Cottage, we moved on into the town to try
out the newly-refurbed Duke William. This has been taken over by the
chap who has the lease on the Plough and Harrow at nearby Norton. I
think he has taken on the freehold of this pub and, consequently, is
offering three regular ales and five guest beers. I can't remember
what was being sold on the night as I was past making observations by
this point. I do know that Tony had a Wye Valley beer and I was on a
strong Stout from the Windsor Castle Brewery of Lye. Nice vibe in the
pub and it looks like it could be a winner. I hope so because
Stourbridge really does need a good town centre pub. Woke up in the
morning with a terrible headache - was it the mix of beer or the
chemicals used by some of the brewers these days? I wish everyone was
like Purity Ales who use only water, hops and barley. All in all
though, an excellent pub crawl on which we had many a laugh.
Cheers
Kieron
for an amble down the old Enville Street pub run on Friday night. I
hadn't been for a drink in Wollaston for ages. As it was early doors
and The Forester's and Plough were closed, we kicked off in the Gate
Hangs Well where we enjoyed some excellent Banks's Mild, preferring
this as a starter to the Enville Ale which was also on sale. Not a bad
pub and one that seems to be a hardcore darts venue amid the homage to
the Staffordshire Bull Terrier. However, the volume of the Billy Joel
music made it hard to enjoy conversation, never mind the fact that it
was Billy Joel. No need for me to ramble on too much about the Unicorn
Inn - as ever, the beer and pub was truly excellent. Rammed to the
rafters but we found some seats in the tiny snug bit of the pub where
Tony announced his forthcoming retirement. Now he can drink 24-7! Some
locals told us that the beer was £3 a pint in The Princess so we moved
on to Wollaston's new pub - Graham's Place, formerly the Cottage
Spring. Apparently, this has been bought by the Webster's Florists
around the corner in the High Street and we heard that they intend to
open a garden centre on the site. It is true that the site is large as
the pub once had a bowling green but I have no idea if they intend to
close the pub or run the two businesses side-by-side. It would seem
odd to rebrand the Cottage Spring and then close it so perhaps there
is a long-term plan for the pub. I didn't like the 'contemporary'
interior but you couldn't fault the beer choice - Skinner's Heligan
Honey, Abbeydale Absolution, Exmoor Gold, Salopian Hop Twister,
Rooster's Ginger Ale and another from Hopback Brewery. Now that's a
pretty good selection by anyone's standards. Quality wasn't too bad
either and we stayed in order to try the range. Next up was Katie
Fitzgerald's where we were confronted by a flashing pump clip from
Highgate Brewery. Stocking Filler I think it was called. However, I
went for the Morrissey and Fox Mulled Ale which was pretty good. I
like this pub - there's a nice vibe and the bar staff are friendly.
Essential stodge and fodder was provided by the chippy next to the
Somerset House where they sell proper Black Country chips and, for
tonight at least, a free chocolate out of the tin. Good stuff. The
Royal Exchange was the busiest I have ever seen it - not even room for
a stick insect in the bar. We found room in the back lounge where me
and Tony struggled to match the girls in the quiz we had been playing
en-route. As seasoned lags in the drinking world, we have mangled our
brains with too many ales. We struggle to remember our own names never
mind the answer that was Mike Gatting. With a load of trashy-looking
youths hanging around The Cottage, we moved on into the town to try
out the newly-refurbed Duke William. This has been taken over by the
chap who has the lease on the Plough and Harrow at nearby Norton. I
think he has taken on the freehold of this pub and, consequently, is
offering three regular ales and five guest beers. I can't remember
what was being sold on the night as I was past making observations by
this point. I do know that Tony had a Wye Valley beer and I was on a
strong Stout from the Windsor Castle Brewery of Lye. Nice vibe in the
pub and it looks like it could be a winner. I hope so because
Stourbridge really does need a good town centre pub. Woke up in the
morning with a terrible headache - was it the mix of beer or the
chemicals used by some of the brewers these days? I wish everyone was
like Purity Ales who use only water, hops and barley. All in all
though, an excellent pub crawl on which we had many a laugh.
Cheers
Kieron
www.midlandspubs.co.uk
Dec 23, 2009, 7:04:16 PM12/23/09
to Midlands Pubs
Further to this report I have now uploaded a photograph of the Duke
William taken during this excursion [see files section]. Not a great
pic I know but I was worse for wear by this point of the evening and
didn't select the correct camera settings. However, it does provide
you with a flavour of the new-look Duke William.
Cheers
Kieron
William taken during this excursion [see files section]. Not a great
pic I know but I was worse for wear by this point of the evening and
didn't select the correct camera settings. However, it does provide
you with a flavour of the new-look Duke William.
Cheers
Kieron
On 22 Dec, 00:47, "www.midlandspubs.co.uk" <kie...@midlandspubs.co.uk>
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