Dudley Winter Ales Fayre 2023

You know you're on the countdown to Christmas when the Dudley Winter Ales Fayre rolls around again, and each year I always earmark the last weekend in November for attending arguably my favourite beer festival. Nick and I certainly aren't about to miss out on the 2023 running, held once more at Dudley Town Hall - let's see what's what...

- Tettenhall Green -

It's Friday 24th November 2023 and my day begins in Tettenhall from whence I can catch the number 1 bus direct into Dudley via Wolverhampton City Centre and Sedgley. It's one of those crisp bright autumnal mornings and it's never any hardship to have a mooch around Tettenhall Green, especially with the trees in all of their golden splendour. The paddling pool has been drained of its water now we're headed for the winter months but the Upper Green Clock still chimes for all its worth - it was originally installed to mark King George V's coronation. 

- Coronation Gardens -

That aforementioned 1 performs its connecting duties with minimal fuss and I reach Dudley at about quarter past eleven. Being in a photographic mood, I contemplate a circuit of the town's bustling Market Place (complete with ceremonial drinking fountain gifted by the Earl of Dudley back in 1867) followed by Coronation Gardens. The local cenotaph takes centre stage here, bedecked in memorial poppy wreaths with a poignant soldier silhouette also on show. The gardens are situated opposite the Council House and boast a sculpture of Apollo as well as acting as the focus of remembrance activities. 

- Hippodrome Hoardings -

To Castle Hill next where tram tracks have been laid in readiness for the proposed Midland Metro extension; all being well, passenger services should be operational between Dudley and Wednesbury sometime in 2024, with a further leg out to Brierley Hill to follow. Sadly any such trams will no longer be able to pass outside the Dudley Hippodrome building because the former entertainments venue has been controversially demolished despite a campaign to ensure its preservation. The theatre had been built in the late 1930s, hosting variety shows and later becoming a Gala bingo, so we now wait to see what happens to the site. 

- A Collective Taste of Zanzibar -

It's almost festival time so Nick and I convene over a Court House half of Flipside's Dusty Penny porter (starting with the dark stuff as we mean to go on!) before proceeding to the hallowed venue that is Dudley Town Hall. There's a Crooked House theme to the event this year after the famously tilted Himley hostelry was unceremoniously flattened following a mystery fire in August. Collecting our glasses, programmes and tokens, we pitch straight in with Angel Ales and their 'Zanzibar Dark Ginger', a heady combination of spicy ginger and molasses which soon gets us settled for the afternoon.

- Killer Stout... with Bread Pudding! -

The beauty of DWAF is that you get to try some of the stronger seasonal brews that only appear briefly in the lead-up to the festive period, with Bathams XXX and Sarah Hughes Snowflake always selling out very quickly. Kinver's Wonky goes down a storm, as does the Green Duck Bostin' Mild XXL, although I'm particularly partial to Beowulf's Killer Stout at a mere 7.3% abv. Luckily I have a bargain slab of bread pudding on standby to soak up such superstrong samplers but when drinking a third at a time you're still being sensible really! For his part, Nick tackles Windmill Hill's Weissbier, Moor's Old Freddie Walker (no relation as far as we're aware) and the Enville Gothic; it's great to see some familiar CAMRA faces including Mac and Janet, or Dave Rosling from Coventry, and we even noted a fleeting appearance by Andy Street the West Midlands Metropolitan Mayor. 

- Beer Bank -

The volunteers of Dudley & South Staffordshire CAMRA branch have done a sterling job as ever, and we reluctantly bid farewell in search of additional Black Country hospitality. The Old Swan (affectionately known as Ma Pardoe's) needs no introduction from me - the Bumblehole Bitter there is like seeing an old friend again - then we round off in Quarry Bank by frequenting a couple of relatively recent pub arrivals. The Beer Bank is a very new micropub having first started trading in September; it's one to watch if the quality of Fixed Wheel's Cookie Stout is anything to go by, though a free mince pie might have helped persuade us of its charms. The Old Liberal meanwhile is the free house guise of what used to be Quarry Bank Liberal Club, and you can still see some of their old minute books on display. A generous glug of Holden's Golden Glow earns our praise while standing at the bar - the place is packed out, great to see - and we've had a mighty fine day of ale appreciation. Cheers!