18/06/22 - Boozing on the 52 Bus

Geocaching - 1 x Adventure Lab Cache

Good Beer Guide Ticks - #685 - #687

A spare Saturday to knock off an expedition that I have had planned in theory for several months. It's my aim to complete Worcestershire in the 2022 Good Beer Guide.  Three unticked pubs lie along the Kidderminster to Redditch 52 Bus Route.  Diamond Buses offer a County Rover Ticket.  £8 for unlimited travel.  

How do you spend your weekends?  I know one of my Untappd friends does exactly the same as me.  I saw his checkin's from the same locations on the same afternoon.  If only I knew what he looked like.

Rising Sun, Redditch, Goffs Jouster

JDW New Build

Exercise completed around the walker unfriendly town and I hit JDW at the slightly tricky time of 11:28am.

I am after breakfast. I know that breakfast stops at 11:30am. I also know they do an all day brunch.  Breakfast with chips.  What I didn't know is that they stick to deadly accurate time keeping.  At 11:29am, you cannot order chips with your breakfast.  Unless you come back in 1 minutes time.  Tim saving me from myself.

Everything up to standard at this spoons.  Excellent cask at £2.10.  Pensioner friendly.  Friendly staff.  Cleaner than usual. 

In these times of rampant inflation, they may be the future.  Never thought I'd say that.

A Non Sticky Table in a Spoons

 Alestones, Tardebigge, Duval Tripel Hop

The 52 is bang on time and the great thing is the stops are directly opposite my two next pubs.

No stop more lonely than an unsheltered stop in the rain

Alestones is an odd little place in an odd little place.  Its part of a complex of shops in a little courtyard.  The people in front of me were merely having a mooch whilst their wives had gone shopping.

Through the Archway

A tiny little bar makes me think I am going to have to sit on someone's lap.  However, there is another room to the side and I am led to believe more seating if you walk through the bar.

I'm happy in the room that has been furnished following a ram raid on a church.

Complete with Hymn Order

Four handpulls on and my host tried to tempt me with a Wheat Beer from Leyland's Crankshaft brewery.  It seemed to be going down well with the locals.  

I played safe with a Duval.

Black Country Ales Colour Scheme

Cross Inn, Finstall, North Cotswold Brewery Jumping Jack Flash 

Again, no bus drama and its a couple of miles to the final pub of the day.  Black Country Ales have this mode of operation down to a fine art.  They take over a traditional pub, give it a sympathetic make over and install a TV Screen showing their beery options.

It works.  This place was packed on a Saturday afternoon.  And lovely to see more than one crib game in action.

It's a Gas, Gas, Gas

The TV Screen says "Cider:  Refer to Board" and there is a comprehensive list available.  Spurred on from cider success in Kent Micropubs and an enthusiastic podcast from the Beer O'Clock Show I decide to experiment.   After all, there is 30 minutes until the next bus.

I opt for a Barbourne Major Jane and my server disappears outside to fetch it from god knows where.

It was a challenge. Completed, just as the 52 arrived 2 minutes early.

More urgent flagging down of transport has not been seen since the Railway Children made a flag out of their petticotes.