23/12/22 - Worcester Ale Hub, Chain Pub

Good Beer Guide Tick - #772

Worcester City gets an intriguing new entry in the Good Beer Guide.  My county capital and I'm not 100% sure where St Peters is but I am going there to investigate the Ale Hub.

Pre-trip research shows me that is part of a chain with as much corporate branding as your favourite Black County Ales. They seem to have an MO. Build a micro in an out of town shopping precinct. Look for a location next to a take-away.  

Simple, yet perfect. What sort of a person wouldn't want a pint whilst waiting for their Crispy Shredded Beef?

Lifted from Google Maps - There was a queue at the chipper during my evening visit

Their web-site uses a colour scheme to suggest an allegiance to the Dingles.  In addition to location themes, there are entertainment themes. Live Music.... Pub Quizes... Bingo.  All the bases covered for your community micro.

Black-Eye Friday is not the best day to be getting an unbiased opinion of a pub, but my tea-time visit had just the right level of busy-ness.... groups of blokes, families, lots of dogs but possibly too many children. I mean, it is Christmas. 

Wye Valley HPA in decent condition.

Xmas in a Micro

That's what HPA is meant to look like.

Opened in 2021, it's maybe dispelled a myth/rumour that a place has to be open for at least 12 months to get in Good Beer Guide. And if this one has made it, can we expect the rest in the chain to be in the 2024 guide?  

Trips will need planning to Dickens Heath, Kingswinford, Droitwich, Shirley and Sutton Coldfield.

The future of pubs is micro.