19/02/20 - Final two ticks in Stourbridge and a pre-emptive?

A day for completing things.   The final Bathams pub walk drops me off on the outskirts of Stourbridge town.  Current Good Beer Guide has four entries, but no doubt in the September 2021 release, it will be all change.

I have a final two to explore.  And a resurrection awaits at Stourbridge Junction.

Queens Head, Enville Street, Burton Bridge Brewery Golden Delicious

And I find myself having to walk past another Bathams pub to find this Black Country Ale that ticks all of the boxes that you expect from this chain.

Its a renovated back street boozer.
Hand Pulls outnumber punters by a factor of about 3.

Would it have been rude to even ask which was the freshest?

Not crossing a busy road for a better photo

There's the other three punters

The landlady was knowledgeable, chatty and prepared to answer the question of where the blue monkey brewery is by checking the back pages of the Oracle.

Would I attempt to cross the four lanes of the notorious ring road again for a revisit?

Did I tell you there was a Bathams pub next door?

Barbridge, Victoria Passge, Slaters Haka

Onward to a micro pub deep in the bowels of Stourbridge Old Town, a place that residents of Beirut use to describe the roughest parts of their town.   At least I get through without being hassled for spare change.  Last time here, I was actually followed between pubs.

Funky End of the Micro Scene

You can see from the graffiti adorned corrugated iron and catwoman on the ladies looks that we are in the funky end of the Micro Scene.

I liked the glass cabinet showing the end to end machinery of delivering an excellent pint of Haka.

Less keen on the repurposed keg urinals.

The Seven Stars, Brook Road, Stourbridge, Burton Bridge Stairway to Heaven

This is an amazing building and ideally located at the end of the driveway to Stourbridge Junction.

Yet it was closed for a couple of years, before recently being resuscitated by - and you've guessed it - Black Country Ales.

There may be a law about a place being open for 12 months before its back in the Bible - so it may be 2022 before it appears, but I have no doubt it will.

Seven Stars at Night

For fans of pub tiling

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to bore you with a particularly British example of customer service.

Context:  I'm starving and using contactless.

Enter the bar area - an even bigger array of hand pulls that the Queens Head.   I decide to stick with the Burton Bridge - although they have spelt it "Stairway to Heavon" on the scoreboard. 

Blogfans will comment about people in glass houses.

"Are you still doing food?", I inquire?

"Yes, but you have to go next door" is the response.

OK - into the other bar.   Where I ask for a menu.   They only have 4, so I have to go a nick someone elses.   I order my food and ask for my chosen pint - to be met with "we don't do that in this bar, you need to go in the other bar". 

A debate about paying by card is met with a shrug and she disappears to serve other people their meals.

I try again with another bar man.   He offers to fetch me the pint.   Lovely - he understand the concept of customer service.

Then he hands me back to the girl who had previously disappeared.   Who wants to charge me for the meal and pint separately.

Bar hangers get involved in the debate.

Where's the Fast Show's Billy Bleach when you need a referee?