- Cheylesmore Social Club -
Well I say that but the Chairman has only gone and nominated another 'Club Climber' so we must hold fire on the main chart business just a moment longer. In all fairness, the Cheylesmore Social Club definitely deserves a mention after welcoming us with Ansells Mild, horse racing and a bagatelle table back in October 2017.
#10 >>> the top ten gets properly going with an Old Hill offering tucked away down an alleyway off Halesowen Road (the actual address is Mossvale Close, to the rear of Old Hill Primary School). The Riddins Tavern is almost the very definition of backstreet Banks's then, striking a chord with a dartboard held in position by yellow wedges and the Mild was good too!
- The Riddins Tavern -
#9 >>> anyone who studied the first half of our chart will have detected a predisposition towards estate establishments, so it won't be a shock to see a Brummie box boozer at number 9. The Balmoral at Kitwell had the Chairman in raptures when we dropped in for Doom Bar during our West Birmingham tour of November 2013. Mr D9 actually won our darts match here but hasn't been victorious too many times since.
#8 >>> the estate angle holds true for number 8 as well, albeit this pub is sadly no longer with us. The Bull Terrier on Surfeit Hill Road near Cradley Heath won us over with a distinct doggy theme whereby the extensive gallery of canine portraits unsurprisingly majored on Staffies as the favoured breed. We visited in June 2012 and a few years later it had been turned into a Family Shopper convenience store.
- The Samuel Hall -
#7 >>> if the last two choices were fairly predictable, you might be surprised to see a Wetherspoons landing in seventh position. To be honest, we don't often sample JDW outlets on Hub Marketing adventures so the Samuel Hall in Sherwood was an exception, enticing us due to its previous life as a bus garage. A highlight from our Hoodwinked day of Nottingham robin-spotting in August 2018, we celebrated the transport connection over a pint of Bus Stop Bitter.
#6 >>> finding itself just outside of the top five is possibly Birmingham's oldest pub. The Old Crown in Digbeth claims to date back to circa 1368 although we didn't test its ancient credentials until February 2012 by which stage it was already a venerable 600+ years old (allegedly). A lunchtime call during the inaugural East Birmingham bash, we felt the full force of a 'Dirty Tackle' Six Nations-inspired beer.
- The Old Chapel -
#5 >>> things are getting interesting now as we enter the fantastic five with another 'old' item, this time from lovely Smethwick. The Old Chapel can be found right next door to the church that inspired its name, part of a pocket of Smethwick that feels unexpectedly village-like. A cottagey M&B number, we partook of Guinness here on the very first Hub trip (February 2011).
#4 >>> Smethwick secures itself consecutive high placings as the London Works Tavern checks in at number four. One of Mr D9's original sleeve successes, this place stunned the Secretary during that selfsame first ever Hub excursion - something about the plum-toned traditional frontage made it an instant WME favourite. Sadly all of that is mere history now, the pub having been flattened to make way for the Midland Metropolitan superhospital.
- The Blue Bell -
#3 >>> to the podium positions we go and a well-earned third is awarded to the Blue Bell near Hockley Heath. Its inclusion must mean that the Secretary has finally been forgiven for insisting upon the extended hike it took us to get here, whereby we arrived as two parched pilgrims in urgent need of restorative cider. A pint of something resembling liquid rust set us up well for the subsequent foray into Cheswick Green.
#2 >>> so close to the top spot but having to settle for second, our runner-up is the Old Bush Revived at Blackheath. A Black Country cracker, this Powke Lane freehouse was a shrine to Laurel & Hardy when we happened by in May 2011 - from what we recall, the Jennings Cocker Hoop was on fine form and the house pies were going down a storm with Stan and Ollie looking on approvingly.
- The Albion Vaults -
#1 >>> and now the moment you've surely all been longing for as our champion Hub Marketing haunt is crowned. After much deliberation, Mr D9 has awarded the title to... the Albion Vaults at Saltley! Perhaps it's a touch of the Christmas spirit that sees this M&B contender triumph - the festive streamers were certainly apparent in December 2012 - while the Chairman took great delight in recalling the heydays of the former gasworks and cokeworks which used to be nearby. That makes it very much a worthy winner in D9 eyes, so until next time - cheers!
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