The Chip Foundation Calendar Crawl

The festive season is all about traditions - Christmas trees, crackers, roast turkey, sprouts - and one of my personal favourite customs is the annual presentation of Chip Foundation calendars at the Great Western, my way of saying thank you to Stephen and Nick for putting up with my photo requests over the preceding twelve months. As has been the case in the last few years, we make a little trip out of the occasion so here's a quick summary of what we got up to...

Mr B and I meet at midday for the number 1 bus across to Sedgley where Nick is already warmly ensconced within the bosom of the Beacon Hotel having maintained his preferred trick of being there bang on opening time. A couple of things have changed since we last came in April, namely that the conservatory has been refitted into more of a drinking zone, and a small room off the main corridor has likewise been brought into public use having previously always been a staff quarters - I guess the pub has become so popular now they need all the space they can muster. The famed Dark Ruby Mild is as good as ever, washed down with an essential and highly drinkable 8% Sarah Hughes half of Snowflake which definitely warms the back of one’s throat! His Majesty meanwhile gallantly does battle with a huge cheese and onion cob so big it takes him ages to eat until it succumbs to inevitable consumption eventually. Stephen is still traumatised by the latest Ashes and Wolves defeats so we avoid sporting topics in favour of more cheerful discussions about political ineptitude and the prospects of war.

Onwards and we’ve business in mind in Upper Gornal where a new micropub (the Stripey Oss) has recently opened on Kent Street precinct, just across the road from the Spills Meadow. A willing 1 gets us there easily enough and we locate the arcade unit which used to be a painting and decorating supplies store. The name alone is a novelty - referencing the Black Country dialect's description for a zebra - so some of the incumbent artwork references said animal, as do posters seeking to set up darts and poker teams. They’ve not been going all that long (I think it first launched in mid-October) so there’s a whiff of fresh paint and DIY to contend with. Cask ales mainly get delivered in readiness for the weekend so although they have an Ickle Brewery clip on show we have to make do with the craft keg stuff this time around, Salt’s Alpacalypse being an amusing take on a sessionable pale ale.

A few doors up the road is our old friend the Britannia, purveyor of Bathams beers which means Nick and I might get chance to sample the special XXX beer that eluded us at the Lamp Tavern recently. The longed-for dark bull pumpclip is indeed on display so we linger for a relaxed half, recalling fond memories of our first joint Christmas trip back in 2010 when we took up station in the Games Room. Fifteen whole years on, we’re back once more only this time around we prefer to sit in Sally’s Parlour, a classic unspoiled realm of mottled green leather, framed family portraits and antique cash registers. A sprinkling of festive decorations - an elf on a shelf, a toy workshop, tinsel around the carriage clock - gives a yuletide flavour to make the setting seem even more special.

Catching the bus back to Wolverhampton, I’m keen to pay an inaugural visit to PACK on Queen Square but it isn't open (their trading hours will apparently settle down once more staff are recruited). The Lych Gate Tavern thus gets summoned from the substitutes bench to fill the void. It’s never a hardship coming here regardless, Nick being eager to give it a whirl especially when we realise the dark ales have Saltaire’s Montezuma Triple Choc Stout among their number. A downstairs seat among the tartan upholstery over on the left works well, it not being overly busy although there are a few folks about. Mr Beardsmore leads us on a Review of the Year, reflecting back on notable events and happenings, including his season-long commitment to watching Warwickshire here there and everywhere.

And finally to the Great Western main event, once I’ve snuck into work to retrieve the all-important calendars from my locker. Ken has been in touch and is joining us after playing whist in Harborne - he certainly gets around does our Mr May - so we find him at the kitchen hatch table just inside the conservatory extension. Following on from Snowflake and the Bathams XXX, I complete the Holy Trinity of local heavy hitters by procuring a pint of treacly deep Holden’s Old Ale (£4.95 a pint and worth every penny) - we’re so lucky to have such notable yuletide brews produced on our doorstep. Various Christmas cards are exchanged and now comes the big moment itself. Stephen first had one of my calendars in 2010 with Nick getting one the year after, so the handover has been a seminal gathering for well over a decade. The 2026 editions feature Mr B flanked by Hove deckchairs, red-nosed Rudolphs and recreating his Friar Tuck role at White Ladies Priory whereas His Highness has Jane frickles, Kenilworth sword poses and bits of bellringing to adorn his wall next year. Cheers!

Dudley Winter Ales Fayre 2025

Surely it can't be the end of November already? I triple check the calendar and there's no getting away from the fact that 2025 is fast vanishing, but this time of year always carries certain compensations in the form of the Dudley Winter Ales Fayre. This staple of the West Midlands beer festival scene has become an absolutely essential event - I've attended every one they've staged since 2010 - and the latest edition promises to be a bonanza of beer, grey peas and crackling company...

- Town Hall Temptations -

Trip Log: 28th November 2025 and our preferred Friday afternoon slot at Dudley Town Hall has been lined up for weeks if not months. Jane and I make the journey over from Tettenhall Wood aboard the number 1 bus whereas Nick travels from in Warwick via the 87, giving him a tour of Smethwick and Oldbury he could probably have done without. One way or another, we all converge upon St James Road at around half past eleven, greeted by the now-familiar CAMRA banner with its approximations of prickly holly leaves. £12 entry gets me my kit of tokens, glass and programme so let's see what's up for sampling this year...

- Serious about Snowflake -

No sooner have we set foot inside than Jane strides straight to the cider stand eager to get the lowdown on which from the sixteen offerings best fits her personal tastes - Snails Bank Fruit Bat is a sensible start with combinations of berry fruit. Nick is already circling, armed with his Loch Lomond Silkie Stout so I join him on the dark side courtesy of Northdown's Tidal Moon Stout, a Margate-based brew described as "brimming with dark chocolate, boozy cherry and a hint of vanilla tannins" - I don't disagree with that assessment. The chance to try some special heavyweight ales which are only brewed in anticipation of the festive period is part of Dudley's attraction, hence Nick makes sure to garner a glug of Sarah Hughes Snowflake barley wine before dwindling stocks run out completely. His eyebrows confirm that he likes it rather a lot!

- A Trip to Valhalla? -

Other favourites in line for royal reacquaintance include Enville's Gothic Ginger and Holden's Old Ale, a treacly treat he always likes to seek out. I'm experimenting with a varied selection of stuff I've never tried before; Ickle's Purple therefore carries notes of Vimto - I kid you not - then Cult of Oak's 1138 Matildine Mild delivers a "smooth, malty depth that evokes the defiance of Empress Matilda’s forces during the 1138 Siege of Dudley" (quite how they know these things is questionable but my besieged tastebuds aren't objecting to the spicy clove-laden mixture). Our cider correspondent Jane has taken it upon herself to alternate between lower and higher strength tipples, with locally-produced Mousesweet Valhalla vying with Oak & Axe for her affections - she's a woman not to be messed with if dangerous weaponry is present!

- Hearty Sustenance -

Collectively we've taken up residence in the Tommy Mundon Lounge where we can witness first hand how popular the Little Devils food menu is proving. Every year I look forward to the snacks almost as much as the beer, such is the enjoyment to be gained by gorging on Black Country delicacies. The menu involves simple good grub, from huge cobs to tubs of faggots, mash and mushy peas, or cottage pie with a cheesy topping, not forgetting burly bricks of bread pudding you could use as doorstops if you chose not to eat them. For me however it has to be the grey peas and bacon accompanied by a buttered slice, a dish of delight if ever there was one! Miss Woolf meanwhile gets her wish for a roast pork bap, using all her powers of persuasion to secure the biggest bits of crackling available!

- Chancing the Charlton House -

Back with the booze, Jane is persuaded to try a Pear & Chilli perry (she declares herself partial to this once it is confirmed that the heat isn't overpowering) whereas I spend up on a Cinder Toffee Stout that fuses the taste of charcoal ash with Crunchie bars. The festival fun may be now done and dusted but we maintain tradition by embarking upon a little pubcrawl. Our old standby the Courthouse is currently closed after Black Country Ales chose to divest themselves of the premises, so we're grateful that Bathams' Lamp Tavern is still as good as ever at the top of Blowers Green Road. Here, rear lounge musings on the state of the Higher Education sector are accompanied by wonky picture frames and ornamental zebras, then we relocate to my wildcard choice of the Charlton House on Priory Street. An elegant townhouse facade belies a relatively plain interior with down-to-earth regulars seeming mostly friendly. Guiness suffices in the side room as a young pushchair-wielding couple play darts.

- A.I. Moments in the Malt Shovel -

Whether a respectable royal such as Nick ever wants to be seen in the Charlton House again is a matter for debate, but it's safe to say he'd have no aversion to revisiting the Malt Shovel. This Dudley town centre gem has retained its berth in the Good Beer Guide and demonstrates why with an immaculate serving of Titanic Plum Porter Grand Reserve; conversation turns to the daunting topic of artificial intelligence whereby His Majesty and Jane ponder the possibiity of sentient computer entities ever turning on their human masters. Should the machines one day succeed in achieving world domination, I hope they leave us in peace to enjoy Dudley Winter Ales for many more years to come. Cheers!

WME Flickr Focus - November 2025

Over in Australia, the grunt and thrust of The Ashes cricket is underway as old rivals slug it out over a small but symbolic urn. Nothing quite so dramatic can be detected on the West Midlands Exploration photostream however, even though various galleries have been peacably updated...

Howzat!! First out to bat for this monthly update is - somewhat unusually - WME Shropshire, which more often than not counts itself right among the tail-enders but has been inexplicably promoted to open the innings. Why should this be the case I hear you speculate? Bridgnorth is almost entirely responsible for this turn of events, supplying a dozen new arrivals including the Northgate Museum, the New Inn and the instantly recognisable Ridleys Seeds lettering. The town's Severn Valley Railway Station ambles up to the crease too, yielding footbridge safety directives and a vintage advertisement for Morris Lubricants.

Also willing to weigh in with some serious strokeplay is WME Dudley, boosted by bits and pieces from Brierley Hill and Blowers Green. The Jones Brothers clock has been a favoured timepiece on Brierley Hill High Street for many a year so it's nice to give that the recognition it deserves, albeit you'll have to decide whether Adelaide Street and Link 51 are as worthy of attention. Black Delph Bridge and the Moor Centre swell the run-rate a little, then you get the customary dash of street signage thanks to Fox Foot Drive or Blowers Green Road.

The middle order engine room is populated by the redoutable pair of WME Birmingham and WME Wolverhampton. Brum takes on some Commonwealth Games deliveries courtesy of Perry the bull mascot, aided by Brasshouse pub lettering and the gilded bronze of Boulton, Watt and Murdoch's statue. Oakham Brewery beermats in Boldmere plus the sad Hodge Hill remnants of the demolished Comet pub also punctuate the scorecard, whereas the power hitting from Wolverhampton is mostly reserved for Bradmore's selection of street signs.

Fancying a role as a demon spinner, WME Worcestershire tantalisingly twirls its way to a trio of Bromsgrove additions (namely St Godwalds Road and some railway station orientation materials). It is joined in the slow bowling stakes by the irrepressible WME Walsall with Bloxwich offbreaks related to the Old Hall Trading Estate and a High Street cafe. The pace unit meanwhile numbers WME Telford (with Blists Hill coal lumps), WME Sandwell (Cyder and Cobb making a second Blackheath appearance) and WME Coventry (the lowest-scoring player of the lot, earning just its third picture of the year in the form of empty beer casks at the Broomfield Tavern). That completes our batting card - until next month, enjoy the pictures!