02/08/20 - Edgbaston - The Physician

Distance - 6 Miles
Walk Inspiration
Geocaches - 4
Good Beer Guide Tick - #481

Not too many Good Beer Guide pubs in Birmingham left to knock off, but one is The Physician.  Not every day you have the chance to lose your Brunning and Price virginity.

I've had my eye on a walk from Alltrails.com, which promotes the pub as the starting/end point.

Perfect.

It's a typical 2nd City Ramble.

• Some fine houses in Edgbaston, where I learn the 8 course tasting menu at Simpsons is £95 a head.   Save that one for a birthday.
• The Worcester and Birmingham Canal - from Edgbaston to Gas Street Basin
• Mainly dodging the runners and bell-dinging cyclists
• The Birmingham Canal from Gas Street Basin to Summerfield Park
• Mainly dodging hobos
• A first circuit of the Edgbaston Reservoir - a feeder system for the canals - of which Birmingham has more than Venice.  Damn, I nearly made it to the end of the blog without an obvious cliche.

Here are the photos from a pleasant 6 miler;

Worcester Birmingham Canal - at Edgbaston

Through the Edgbaston Tunnel

Gas Street Basin

Edgbaston Reservoir

Onto the pub.

Not sure this is going to be my cup of tea

Its an immaculate building - formerly belonging to the British Medical Institute but now with added Chesterfields.   It's the sort of place for first dates and meals out when someone else is paying.

In this post (first) Covid lockdown world, I shouldn't be moaning about any pub but lets just say that I started queuing from 11:57am, received conflicting advice on how to get a drink from four different bar staff that ranged from "sit down and someone will serve you" to "you need to scan a QR code and download an app".  "Wash your hands" was the only consistent advice.

The fifth member of staff eventually took pity on me - explaining the two ales on (a Brunning and Price Bitter and a selected Hop Kitty from Animal Brewing) and bringing my post walk reward along with the card machine to avoid app bloat on Android.

It was 12:18pm by the time I took my first sip.  It was very, very good.

Its the lacings that get you in the Good Beer Guide