The Cork and Cage remains my favourite place to drink in Stirchley.
The British Oak is ok, but it depends what time you're there and how much Charlie is being consumed.
Legal_BluenoseThe Cork and Cage remains my favourite place to drink in Stirchley.
The British Oak is ok, but it depends what time you're there and how much Charlie is being consumed.
We always say it's weird how there's been a sort of role reversal between the British Oak and the Three Horseshoes / Bournbrook Inn over the last few years. It used to be that you'd think twice about going in the latter, whereas the former was a rare example of one of those big roadhouse pubs being run independently and well. A shame, as it's a lovely place if you pick your time as you say (and my grandad was on the bowls team so felt like carrying on a family tradition to go in with dad).
Stirchley generally is a bit of an antidote to some of the doom and gloom on here as lots of the places are doing well and more is opening, though I know many work on fine margins. Places that know their clientele, come up with movel concepts, keep the offer pretty limited etc.. Wouldn't work in most other parts of the city though I guess.
El Hijo de QuarkioTbh I’m a council kid, not sophisticated. And recognise they’re cheap, but if price was the reason to drink I’d just buy from an offie or supermarket and drink at home. It isn’t though.ForeverFrancisSheriffgerry1875RasputinPeople knock the wetherspoons pubs but at least they keep it cheap, had some lovely managers specials in wetherspoons and a few beers for less than £20, the days of spending more than £50 on a night out for me are overEl MayorWas inevitable sadly; Brexit killed its USP of all the foreign beers in bottles and Covid killed its passing trade.
Think we’ll see more go to the wall this summer too; it’s rough out there
With the economic climate as it is, people are either picking and choosing or outright stopping spending instead of going out and dropping £100+ on a meal/night out. Going to get worse for the city centre I would think.
Wetherspoons are one of the best pub companies are going, understand their market, offer what their customers want and understand the industry.
They are reviled, stupidly, by so many "snobs".
Without spoons, the level of social isolation in this country would be through the roof.
Yep the revulsion for anything 'spoons i find strange .They are well kept , clean, often in unusual/interesting buildings .If you stick to beer they serve a decent pint .You can always get an selection of ales/stout for £2.90-£3.40 .Or you could walk up the street and buy the same pint for £6.50.
Totally agree, I like then for the reasons you've mentioned. My local one is good, and I always think that people who slag them off are trying to come across as posh and sophisticated, but really just come across as someone who can't recognise a good deal.
My mates don’t use Spoons very often so I only go in for a cheap brekkie if away with a mate or to meet up with mates to collect tickets very occasionally. The Square Peg is the dirtiest boozer I’ve been in for a while. Met mates in there before Albion away a few years ago and you literally stuck to the carpet. Had a bottle and went. Too many dirty bastards who stink of piss for my liking but I get why people use them and they definitely are a place for people to keep warm and have a chat cheaply. So each to their own.
On the other side of the coin I think OC and Koint Stock are overpriced and often over populated with pretentious pricks who don’t stink of piss.
So there’s my view
GBlueNot sure I am. We just went off on a tangent because one fella reasonably put it that Brum's ale scene isn't as vibrant as some of its peer cities because they reckon the city centre is too big when it patently isn't for a city of 1.1/1.2 million. Brum has always had strong suburban retail options compared to its peer cities - Sutton, Solihull primarily. Brum like Chicago maybe best experienced when you get out of the Loop into the neighbourhoods and that isn't necessarily a bad thing about Brum just that it's different structurally to Manc/Brizzle/Scouseland with their vibrant pub scenes
I did the Stirchley 'pub' crawl on Saturday, which I did enjoy but it seems odd to me drinking in Warehouses and
converted Shops. The only real Pub I went to was the British Oak which was very 'lively', in fact like sitting on
edge of a volcano, not recommended.
Just like said volcano, I imagine once it settled down there would be a trail of dust which would indicate what had happened prior
ForeverFrancisLegal_BluenoseThe Windsor was shit when it opened, but it doesn't care that it's shit and neither do its customers. So it's remained shit in my eyes, but I'm not it's target customer.
Shit is subjective.
The Windsor where the soul goes to die .A terrible dreary pub , tragic beer,it's like being time warped back to the 90's.
I remember the mad Belgian bloke who used to run it a long time ago.
Rab C NesbittEl Hijo de QuarkioTbh I’m a council kid, not sophisticated. And recognise they’re cheap, but if price was the reason to drink I’d just buy from an offie or supermarket and drink at home. It isn’t though.ForeverFrancisSheriffgerry1875RasputinPeople knock the wetherspoons pubs but at least they keep it cheap, had some lovely managers specials in wetherspoons and a few beers for less than £20, the days of spending more than £50 on a night out for me are overEl MayorWas inevitable sadly; Brexit killed its USP of all the foreign beers in bottles and Covid killed its passing trade.
Think we’ll see more go to the wall this summer too; it’s rough out there
With the economic climate as it is, people are either picking and choosing or outright stopping spending instead of going out and dropping £100+ on a meal/night out. Going to get worse for the city centre I would think.
Wetherspoons are one of the best pub companies are going, understand their market, offer what their customers want and understand the industry.
They are reviled, stupidly, by so many "snobs".
Without spoons, the level of social isolation in this country would be through the roof.
Yep the revulsion for anything 'spoons i find strange .They are well kept , clean, often in unusual/interesting buildings .If you stick to beer they serve a decent pint .You can always get an selection of ales/stout for £2.90-£3.40 .Or you could walk up the street and buy the same pint for £6.50.
Totally agree, I like then for the reasons you've mentioned. My local one is good, and I always think that people who slag them off are trying to come across as posh and sophisticated, but really just come across as someone who can't recognise a good deal.
My mates don’t use Spoons very often so I only go in for a cheap brekkie if away with a mate or to meet up with mates to collect tickets very occasionally. The Square Peg is the dirtiest boozer I’ve been in for a while. Met mates in there before Albion away a few years ago and you literally stuck to the carpet. Had a bottle and went. Too many dirty bastards who stink of piss for my liking but I get why people use them and they definitely are a place for people to keep warm and have a chat cheaply. So each to their own.
On the other side of the coin I think OC and Koint Stock are overpriced and often over populated with pretentious pricks who don’t stink of piss.
So there’s my view
Wetherspoons is ok, I agree with you - low price isn't a thing for me. Or at least not the only thing.
There are pubs I will avoid because I think they are overpriced, but there is a middle ground.
I won't go into Wetherspoons just because it's cheap. I've got a couple of mates who would rather drink in Wetherspoons because of price...but I don't see "value" as simply as that.
There's no way I will go in Wetherspoons to drink swill like Ruddles just because it's £1.99 a pint or whatever. It could be free and I would still think it was swill. There again they do have some decent beers.
Value involves an element of quality as well.
There are Spoons pubs that are decent in themselves, but The Square Peg is a monstrosity. Filthy place, full of aggression and absolutely diabolical service.
Quite, it depends on what spoons you go into, but as an entire brand the snooty and snobbery is unfounded
There’s plenty that are half decent, and the price is a bonus
There’s cheaper boozers by Blues, the old forge, in particular think it’s a Cuban now, I’d rather die of thirst
Glad it’s not me. Are you a fan of the Old Joint Stock or OC, Spike?
Same here, I don't 'hate' spoons but I like better beer, better service and nicer pubs.
For the first time in years, the other night I went into our local spoons in Halesowen because we walked to the Sara Pascoe gig at the Town Hall and it was on our way. I saw Adnams Mosaic Pale Ale on sale for £2.78 and, as I've really enjoyed it before, I tried a pint.
It was feckin' awful.
My Blue HeavenForge Tavern is The Cuban and I only drink rum in there. Yeah it’s a place you wipe your feet on the way outQuite, it depends on what spoons you go into, but as an entire brand the snooty and snobbery is unfounded
There’s plenty that are half decent, and the price is a bonus
There’s cheaper boozers by Blues, the old forge, in particular think it’s a Cuban now, I’d rather die of thirst
Yah it’s horrific, the George and roost aren’t much better
The George is awful.Haven’t been in The Roost since pre season a couple of years back I think. Kane off twitter sorted a night out in there to help the boozer get through the summer. Prefer it to The George
Rab C NesbittGlad it’s not me. Are you a fan of the Old Joint Stock or OC, Spike?
I've never been able to stand The OC.
Joint Stock I don't mind as a pub but it gets chokka and the service isn't great. You have to find the right square foot of bar that they can be arsed to serve people at.
If I'm over that side - Head of Steam, The Colmore and Good Intent are all better I reckon. Even The Old Royal.
Head of Steam seems to get an above average number of knobbers in there at times though. The types who are trying to impress their equally whoppery mates by asking if they can "get a taste"...of every beer on the bar and analysing it before they get round to ordering a half. They get a bit offended when I ask if they would mind if I get served while they are "effing about" as I do know what I want to drink...or at least can decide without taking ten minutes with a queue behind me.
Both are too rammed and full of dicks for my liking, don’t want to sound like a clean shirt but the amount of chav types smoking weed doesn’t help, it stinks
😁
The downside to most pubs is other people. Customers or staff.