Ale Afoot in Warwick and Birmingham

Two trips in four days makes for a feast of February exploration, although there's quite a contrast to be had between Warwick's aged timbers versus Birmingham's brutalist core. A beer festival in the most memorable of surroundings and a Second City crawl are on the agenda so let's see what occurred...

- HRH's Spiritual Corner -

To Warwick, whereby Friday 20th February saw Jane and I joining His Royal Highness Nick in a county town that never lacks a compelling sense of history. The preamble to this outing had actually seen Miss Woolf and I starting off in soggy Tipton, devouring Pie Factory pastry-lidded dishes with great gusto - for once I rebuffed the chance of suet scrumptiousness in favour of a 'Posh & Becks' Steak and Stilton treat infused with undeniable blue cheese flavour, although Jane still made sure to get a bonus flake with her pudding. A brief encounter with the Flying Scotsman at Birmingham Moor Street precedes us meeting Nick and predictably calling in on our royal's favourite Warwick hostelry, the Old Post Office on West Street. Original owner Tom has recently passed away but his legacy is a special little place with excellent beer and cider, plus a Sacred Heart shrine corner with the Magnificat listed on the resident Psalms board.

- King James's Seat -

Not much can upstage the Old Post Office in truth but there is a beer festival to attend and my what a setting we have. The Lord Leycester Hospital is one of Britain's most intact medieval buildings, comprising a half-timbered complex of lodgings, storerooms, a Master's House and a banqueting hall which have stood the test of time. The site was used by the United Guilds of Warwick as their headquarters before Robert Dudley (the Earl of Leicester) set up a charitable community to meet the needs of injured soldiers in 1571. This function has been upheld right through to the present day, hence the presence of the Master and several Brethren who wear ceremonial attire. As such, the beer festival is a fundraising event held annually in the Great Hall; Nick has attended many times in recent years and has a particular affection for a famous chair where King James I and his specially padded trousers apparently sat in 1617.

- A Perry Pair -

The drinks are almost secondary to the location here but we imbibe most eagerly, perching atop tables that have been pushed to the edges of the hall. Nick and Jane are both of a cidery persuasion, taste-testing the likes of Thistly Cross, Gwynt y Ddraig's Happy Daze and Buck Medium before collectively concluding on the 6.8% goodness of Lilley's Bee Sting perry, ever a joint favourite among my esteemed accomplices. I am therefore left to maintain the ale side of the equation, a duty I perform most admirably courtesy of North Cotswold Morerum Mild (with a snatch of the sailor's tipple about it), Church End Archangel (a 6% heavweight pale) and Green Duck's Space Lord (loaded with grapefruit and tangerine notes). My pick of the lot has to be Byatt's Rye Stout but you know I'm a sucker for the darker brews anyway, then we just have time for a Ronnie's Bar nightcap trying to recognise Rons and Ronalds from the worlds of entertainment and politics - Reagan, Corbett, Barker etc. Excellent fun all round!

- Crossword Concentration -

Trip Two takes place on Monday 23rd February and has the Chip Foundation converging upon Brum for Episode 93 of our ongoing chronicles. Nick has given us a pub collecting remit once we've met within the shadows of bull Ozzy's snarling snout, and a Southside shuffle pitches us promptly onto Hurst Street close to both Chinatown and the Gay Village. One top HRH target - the Sly Old Fox - has been partially sacrificed to become a restaurant and the remaining bar half isn't open anyway, meaning the adjacent Dragon JD Wetherspoons steps nimbly into the breach. Red paper lanterns celebrating Chinese New Year hang across the woodwork as we obtain suitable refreshment, but only after we've figured out which of the many entrance doors actually lets us inside. Titanic's Raspberry Pale fruity ale means that for once His Majesty and I have drinks that rival the Beardsmore lemonade and blackcurrant for pinkness, then Ken has us all racking our brains when completing the JDW magazine's crossword - it’s a tricky puzzle in fairness, requiring expert knowledge of Indonesian Prime Ministers, Californian oil localities and obscure Walter Scott novels so we might have resorted to Google for added assistance.

- Apt for any Chip Foundation outing -

Pressing on, Bromsgrove Street is our means of reaching our next port of call, a wildcard pick from yours truly in the guise of Birmingham's other 'Welly'. While the Black Country Ales place on Bennetts Hill is secure in our avowed affections, its near-namesake the Wellington Hotel is nevertheless worthy of our custom. We've passed this Bristol Street landmark so many times en route to the cricket that we were bound to do it eventually, especially because the building dates from 1890 and is considered a good example of James and Lister Lea’s much-admired public house architecture. Indeed, the upper floors have bow-fronted Regency aspects and the whole premises is Grade II listed even if the historic charm fades a little inside due to the combined intrusions of sports bar and Indian restaurant trappings. Ken at least is approving of their Dennis Amiss signed cricket bat and a framed Blues shirt before conversation turns to coach holidays, the Winter Olympics and general political observations. The Enter Chaos paintwork on nearby Henstead Street suddenly seems highly appropriate!

- The Victoria -

Two establishments within the loose vicinity of John Bright Street now require our scrutiny. The Victoria has a quirky Gin Palace air about it, standing three storeys tall and mostly deep green with gilded embellishments. A comedy evening begins at half past seven which explains why most of the punters suddenly disappear upstairs (it wasn't something Stephen said, honest!) then I shock everyone by having a low alcohol beer, namely Bristol Beer Factory's Clear Head. Sailor-inspired illustrations adorn the inner snug walls - think loveheart tattoos and mermaids - which is in contrast to the continental cafe vibe on show at nearby Cherry Reds. Homemade cakes and gourmet coffees mark this out as being far removed from your average boozer but the beer is good, Pale Brummie and Green Duck Space Lord meeting with our approval.

- Studious Scribbling in the Purecraft Bar -

Our Chip conclusion is the Purecraft Bar & Kitchen in the heart of town, within sight of the Floozy in the Jacuzzi. Purity’s Waterloo Street flagship seems almost deserted at first glance until we realise everybody is downstairs playing Warhammer (or whichever dice-based battle strategy game it happens to be) so initial appearances can be deceptive. I remember this bar launching as a high end concept from the environmentally-conscious Alcester based brewery, and Nick is always keen to support Warwickshire enterprises. Their core range is on full show from Gold to UBU to Mad Goose and the lesser-seen Jimbo, a pint of the latter getting the nod in this case. Notes are jotted, sporting deeds discussed and there's even a closing word from our Royal about a certain disgraced ex-prince, and with that we head home. Cheers!