Shirley Not?!

October has historically been the month when Nick and I attend the Solihull Beer Festival, making our way across to the Royal British Legion Club on Union Road to partake of the various cask wares. Covid has meant the event can't be held there this year so the intended beers have been redistributed around local pubs instead, giving us all the excuse we need for an afternoon in Shirley...

- A Princely Peaky Blinder? -

Friday 1st October 2021 brings tidings from Birmingham Moor Street where an unexpected heavy shower makes for a soggy 11am rendezvous. Our spirits can't be dampened too much though, not with the prospect of an opening Guinness half in the Peaky Blinder on Dale End; flat caps are very much to the fore here, both on the bar staff and several mannequin heads dotted about. Murals inside and out pay homage to the popular BBC television series with its gangster characters such as Tommy Shelby and Aunt Polly - Nick tries his best to fit right in!

- A hoppy half at Halton Turner -

Shirley is calling but not before a Digbeth distraction has us in research mode. Not only do I want to get pictures of even more street art (including tigers, Birds Custard containers and plenty of exotic faces), I'm keen to work out where the Halton Turner craft brewery is based. The railway arches of Trent Street provide the answer and our nosiness is rewarded by a cheeky sample of Waitangi Dawn, a cracking IPA-styled brew infused with New Zealand hops. Parts of Digbeth and High Street Deritend seem to be one long traffic jam at the moment due to roadworks for the preliminary construction phase of the Midland Metro Eastside extension. 

- D9 Driving? Anybody can do it! -

We couldn't leave Digbeth without dropping in on the newly-reopened White Swan, happily resurrected in all its terracotta Bradford Street glory. The pub has long been a marvel of Minton's tiling and we particularly like the bar surround lettering inviting us to consume fine ales "in cavalier fashion" - a half each of Fixed Wheel's Blackheath Stout is rather restrained in that sense albeit the beer is excellent. We then intercept the number 6 bus for a steady trundle down the ever-vibrant Stratford Road, noting the multitude of Asian greengrocers in Sparkbrook, Sparkhill and Springfield as Nick tests out his D9-esque steering skills.

- Shirley Shopping Scenery -

The leafier environs of Hall Green act as a prelude to Solihull territory whereby the municipal demarcation point comes shortly after the Robin Hood roundabout. Shirley essentially seems to comprise another extended string of Stratford Road shops interspersed with a sprinkling of watering holes and I'm pleased my old favourite the Red Lion still looks every inch the 1960s timewarp. We spare that our custom today in favour of the Craft Inn, one of a growing chain of independent tasting rooms (the sister establishment to outlets in Sutton Coldfield, Worcester and Bearwood to name a few). Hailing from Southampton, Tap It's 'Sweet Caroline' is a milk stout we'd not encountered previously but it soon gets granted HRH's royal seal of approval.

- The Parkgate Precinct -

Shirley has had its ale fortunes transformed in recent years thanks to the emergence of new venues, and is no longer the derided destination Nick and I were teased for contemplating when exiting the Solihull Beer Festival in 2013. The Parkgate retail development opened in 2014 with Asda as its anchor store; JD Wetherspoons' The Pump House is located here and there is also provision for a branch library and a remodelled British Legion entrance. One of the units is home to the Shaking Hand, a modern micropub that features in the 2021 Good Beer Guide. We stop by for a rather good Chummy Bluster Best Bitter (Gun Brewery).

- Ale Hub, Longmore Road -

And now for somewhere to make a certain Mr D9 very jealous indeed! Escaping from the constant grind of the A34, we pick out Longmore Road in order to investigate the Ale Hub, converted from an empty Martin's Newsagents shop next to the Asterwell Pharmacy. Of the four cask offerings I plump for Burton Bridge's Festival Ale whereas Nick makes a connection with Reverend James. Places like this just go to show what can be done in a run-of-the-mill suburban setting, and I'm keen to visit the other Ale Hubs in Dickens Heath and Worcester (St Peters) should the opportunity present itself. 

- Basking in an Indian Summer -

Early evening sees us descend upon Solihull town centre after another helping hand from the number 6 bus. Station Road is a hive of hostelries now that upstarts such as Sommar and the Indian Brewery have moved in alongside the White Swan and the Flute and Flagon; both of the new-ish ventures require our attention so we savour an 'Aged' stout in the Sommar Tap before succumbing to the allure of butter chicken curry at the Indian Brewery - Nick even demonstrates his prowess at reading Punjabi, those years working in public libraries were not wasted! A final wildcard has us chancing the Grenville Club, our CAMRA allegiance gaining us access for a divine drop of Darwin's Origin whilst watching Bristol v Bath rugby. Having set the world to rights we catch our trains home, supremely satisfied at our Shirley sojourn - cheers!