Birmingham then Bromsgrove

Friday 29th June was a two-pronged day of exploration action that incorporated the Chip Foundation Summer Special tour and the Bromsgrove Beer Festival…

Hockley: Stephen and I meet Nick at 11:20am in readiness for our Metro ride to the Jewellery Quarter. With an appropriate nod to the ‘Temple of Relief’ we then make our way to New John Street to begin with one from the Holden’s repertoire. The White House seems incongruous in its surroundings these days, a marooned final link to the past for an area otherwise overhauled from the 1960s onwards. Some Holden’s Bitter goes down well as we peruse the vintage photographs and admire brass commemorations of a local cockfighting association.

- White House Wanderers -

Cemetery Chips: food considerations are always paramount where the Chip Foundation is concerned so a pit-stop at the Jewellery Quarter is required to stock up on the appropriate takeaways. A Nick-led tour of Warstone Lane Cemetery fails to yield us a bench even though the crypts held a certain morbid fasincation. Luckily a Vyse Street seat is soon located so we were spared the prospect of Nick grabbing a gravestone to secure his much-sought sit-down.

 

- Warstone Lane Cemetery -

Birmingham: suitably stuffed with chip-related goodness, we proceed to Ladywood where I could introduce the chaps to one of my favourite pub discoveries from last year. The Vine proved equally as enjoyable this time around, the place being initially very busy with lunchtime workers tucking into the homecooked food. We braved Broad Street only to find that the City Tavern didn’t seem to have any real ale on so a detour via Holliday Street Aqueduct (spookily Victorian complete with old-fashioned lamps) and Gas Street Basin was urgently required. The Tap & Spile was surprisingly narrow as we positioned ourselves at the heart of the canal network, then the Craven Arms lived up to its ornate exterior tiles with an intricate carved bar surround and other traditional internal features. The theatrical posters within the Old Fox on Hurst Street created an enjoyable thespian ambience even though I was worried that Stephen’s dislike of all things tennis was about to erupt following over-exposure to Wimbledon.

- From The Old Fox -

Pub du Vin: Evening commitments mean we’re on a tight schedule but we do manage to shoehorn in one final stop as a trio. Part of the wider Hotel du Vin complex on Church Street (just off Colmore Row), the Pub du Vin is a somewhat exclusive place as epitomised by the well-stocked hotel wine cellar. Subterranean darkness lends an air of secrecy and subterfuge as Nick feigns exhaustion when easing himself into a comfy chair – Stephen was also about to collapse but that was more to do with the price of his round, the most expensive of the day by quite some distance! 

- Taking a well-earned rest -

Beer Festival: With Stephen making tracks for a meal back in Wolverhampton, Nick and myself switch attention to the 10th Bromsgrove Beer Festival, held once again at the Rugby Club ground off Finstall Road. My temporary CAMRA card is deployed in order to get members rates and extra tokens and then we delve into the beers. Plum Porter is a perfect starter and amongst our other tasters are Quantock Stout, Damson Porter, Dashingly Dark and some Muck & Straw. At one point I made a Complete Pig of myself with some Oxfordshire Black Porter, although it was the Bob 61 that made the biggest impression – this was an absolute sledgehammer of a brew, a deep potent stout with a volcanic head fizzing up to look like chocolate milkshake. Nick got acquainted with an Old Slapper at the end but the least said about that the better!

 

- A helpful hint -

Finstall: tokens spent and with the train not due for a while, we bid farewell to the festival in favour of a wander into Finstall, a small Worcestershire village just along the road from Aston Fields. There’s a quaint village hall and a timber-effect shop, not to mention the Cross Inn overlooking the junction with Alcester Road. We couldn’t resist calling in for a closing half of Enville White, just lovely. With that we wend our way back to the station in time for the 20:55 train and another excellent excursion is filed under our belts.

 

- The Cross Inn, Finstall -