04/11/23 - A Random Birmingham Pub Crawl

 Using Google AI to create a pubby adventure

A rainy day in Birmingham, too wet for a proper walk. All the Good Beer Guide Pubs in the City ticked. A relatively rare 3pm Baggies Kick Off.

How shall I waste the late morning/early afternoon?

Bard AI put to the test.

Please plot a 4 pub crawl starting at Birmingham Snow Hill Station?

The results better than expected. I get recommendations for two previously unvisited pubs, one that has just re-enterted the Good Beer Guide and yes, I cheated with the 4th. Sorry Sun on the Hill, you are getting swapped over. 

The tool reports back a summary map, route directions between stages and a little overview of each recommendation. Then it wishes me a great time. I could be worried about my hobbies as well as my career are being replaced by technology but someone has actually got to go and visit them to report back the truth.

The Royal, Church Street

A 10am opener - and by the time I burst through the door 75 minutes later, there's already a small group of other Baggies fans. Breakfasting like gods. On Guinness and Madri.

Corner Pub

This is an ornate Victorian Corner pub. Smart in a hotel bar kind of way. Leaded windows and some rather comfy faux Chesterfield wingback chairs.

No cask. And the Guinness was colder than most slush puppies.

Took me a while to battle through

The Old Contemptibles, Edmund Street

A handy sign to tell the nomenclature

In many ways, a sister pub to the Royal - another corner pub, sharing the same external architecture. I've got the Pevsner guide to the City and one day I will read it.

The OC's

This Nicholson pub has just re-entered the Good Beer Guide. I can see why, with some very interesting cask on offer. I missed out on a Red Ale by choosing a Northern Monk too quickly.  

I move to the furthest extremity, to take in the decor and evaluate other punters that come through the door. A lot of away fans from Hull. This pub ticking is taking off, as groups of men tour the country finding the finest pubs available. 

Eyes peeled for "you know who" and "you know who's Dad".

Fine Ceiling... Chandeliers... Handsome

I think I may become a more frequent visitor here.... even closer to the station home than my usual Old Joint Stock. But I may miss the ESB.

The Bull, Price Street

The new looms over the old

My replacement for the Sun on the Hill. I've been before but wanted to give this GBG regular a second chance. Mainly to see if anyone was actually using it at lunch time.

Alas, no. 

One elderly chap that in the 30 minutes I demolished my Old Hooky with quavers chaser, did not touch his pint once. At one point, I was convinced I had entered a museum and he was a Madame Tussaud style exhibit. With little else to do other than sing along to 70s pop and count jugs, I kept a close eye for movement.

Looking for life in the Bull

I was correct to keep an eye out and Simon visited post match. Sounds like the atmosphere builds after dark, but we had a quite similar experience.

Bull, Birmingham. Re-visit and an absolute tonic after a day which has been painful in every way. Thankfully, a proper pub atmosphere, Oakham Citra and bacon fries make everything ok. Bit of ABBA too for the win! pic.twitter.com/s8BLeQHPum

— Si BRAPA Everitt (@StymieSi) November 4, 2023

I need tips on how they got from the Hawthorns so quickly! 

Queens Head, Steelhouse Lane

To prove that AI is not infallible, its final recommendation was the Jekyll and Hyde. I'd never heard of it, despite Birmingham being my home City.

A bit of internet sleuthing and I discovered its now a Davenports pub and renamed the Queens Head.

Al Fresco in Brum

Immaculately neat inside, a fine line in pies and friendly staff. Davenports Gold served in dimpled jugs. Is it wrong that this was my first ever Davenports?  

Notable mainly for being one of the few remaining Cask Marque QR scans available to me in Birmingham.  I move ever closer to my next prize. Either a beanie hat now or another 297 scans for a navy blue fleece.