Following a road traffic accident in mid-January, the bridge over the River Blythe in Barston was seriously damaged and as a result of initial inspections the bridge was closed due to safety concerns.

It is estimated that the closure is likely to be for a minimum of three months before the bridge is safe to be re-opened.

However, business goes on as usual at The Bulls Head pub in the village. Landlord Martin Bradley said "It's a shame about the bridge, but you can still get to us via the signed detours. The beers are on form, the food is great, and we look forward to seeing you."

The best way to access the pub is through Barston village from the Solihull/Eastcote end for the time being, but it is still open and waiting for your custom!

Beer Tasting

CAMRA is looking for volunteers to join its beer tasting panels. These were set up in the late 1980s to compile tasting notes for the GBG and select finalists for Champion Beer of Britain competitions. Contact CAMRA HQ if you are interested.

If you want to try different styles of beer then Mike Walsh at Tunnel brewery, where award winning Solihull Silver Shield was brewed, runs a 10 week tasting course on Thursday evenings. Location is the Lord Nelson Inn in Ansley and the next course starts in the new year. Each session covers approximately 12 different beers.

Golden Acres Refurbishment

The lounge at the Golden Acres, Damsonwood is currently closed for refurbishment, though the public bar with its choice of three real ales is still open. Landlord Simon is doing as much work as possible himself and, as often is the case, it is taking longer than envisaged.

Purity makes World's 50 Best Beers list

The International Beer Challenge 2007 recognised one of Warwickshire brewer Purity's beers as one of the best 50 beers in the world. Pure UBU was chosen as one of 13 finalists in the keenly fought category of Ales between 4.3% and 5.5% ABV.

Directors Paul Halsey and Jim Minkin collected their award at a ceremony in London last month and were said to be "extremely chuffed".

Following on from this success they then scooped a Runner-Up in the Tesco Drinks Awards 2008. The brewery is now supplying Pure UBU to 31 West Midlands Tesco stores.

New Name for Reborn Pub

The recent refurbishment of ORO The Market Place (previously the Old Royal Oak and before that the Taverna) on the A3400 south of Hockley Heath, has resulted not only in a change of name to The Oak but a very welcome change in the beer choice. The two regular beers are Pure Gold (3.8%) and Pure UBU (4.5%) from Purity and the guest a beer from Tunnel brewery that will change each month. This fits in with the ethos of buying locally where possible to cut down transport miles. A small selection of bottled beer is also stocked in the market place area, including when I visited beers from Tunnel and organic beer from Black Isle. The bar/restaurant section has a number of specific areas for those who only want to drink.

Worcester Beer Festival Cancelled

The Worcester Beer Festival, due to be held at Worcester Racecource on 16-18 August, has become the latest casualty of the floods across England and Wales.

Read about the cancellation in Toby Jugg's 'Beerhunter' column

Solihull CAMRA Plans Jubilee Ale

Solihull & District CAMRA celebrates its twenty-fifth birthday this year - and plans to mark the occasion by launching a jubilee bottled ale at the town's beer festival on 5-6 October.

Provisionally entitled Golden Silver, the commemorative beer is being produced by North Warwickshire's Tunnel Brewery. Our own webmaster, Kevin Clarke, is working with Tunnel's Bob Yates and Mike Walsh on the label design.

Read about our past beer festivals

MPs Welcome Smoking Ban

Solihull MP Lorely Burt joined Meriden MP Caroline Spelman in welcoming the new smoking ban during a photocall outside the Town House on 29 June.

The ban took effect at 6am on 1 July and covers all enclosed business premises in England, including public houses and nightclubs.

Warwickshire Fayre Promotes Local Real Ale

The Ansley microbrewery Tunnel will be among those promoting their wares at the Warwickshire Farm Praise and Food Fayre on 22 September. Great Alne's Purity has also been invited to the event, which is being held at Kingston Farm, Harbury.

Read about Tunnel in the latest Beerhunter column

Fieldhouse Named Solihull Pub of the Year

Solihull & District CAMRA has named the Fieldhouse in Monkspath its Pub of the Year for 2007.

The award was formally presented to licensees Richard and Barbara Norton during a brief ceremony on 14 June. The Fieldhouse is part of the Ember Inns Chain.

Read more about the award

Warwickshire Pub Shortlisted for National Award

The Harvester in Long Itchington, in the heart of rural Warwickshire to the east of Leamington Spa, is one of the four finalists in Radio Five Live's search for Britain's best pub.

The pub, which sits on the edge of the village square and has been owned by the same family since 1984, has been featured in 21 of Camra's Good Beer Guides and prides itself on the quality of the pints pulled.

To vote for the Harvester text the word "harvest" to 85058 or use the link below.

Cast your vote!

Red Lion, Knowle Gains Cask Marque

The Red Lion in Knowle, part of M&B's Ember Inns chain, is now Cask Marque accredited.

Cask Marque is a measure of the quality of cask (real) ale served by a pub. It awarded by an independent trust, which makes unannounced visits to assess the temperature, appearance, aroma and taste of the ale on offer. One single failure means the accreditation is lost.

Other Solihull pubs with Cask Marque accreditation are: the Barn, Hockley Heath; the Bull's Head, Barston; the Fieldhouse, Monkspath; Hog's Head, Solihull; the Plough, Monkspath; Sharmans Cross; the White Swan (Wetherspoons), Solihull.

MP Endorses Community Pubs Week

Solihull Member of Parliament Lorely Burt has given her support to CAMRA's national campaigning week. Local papers were on hand as she visited the Golden Acres in Damsonwood, with members of Solihull branch, before moving on to the Fieldhouse in Monkspath. Ms Burt is a supporter of the CAMRA-endorsed Sustainable Communities Bill, and said she was delighted to "bang the drum for Real Ale".

Roger Dipple, chairman of Solihull CAMRA, said "The pub has always provided a focal point for communities, but hard-pressed owners are often tempted by the substantial offers from developers. CAMRA encourages people to support their local pub, as it is often a case of 'use it or lose it'.

Lorely was very taken with Rock Steady Light (3.7%), a golden ale from Scattor Rock brewery which she drank at the Golden Acres. At the Fieldhouse, where she is pictured pulling a pint with Roger and Solihull member Bob Jackson, she enjoyed a well-earned Springhead Charlie's Angel (4.5%).

See the Community Pubs Week page

Cool Trick

Customers at Bernies Real Ale Off-Licence thought the Dave Queenborough must have been psychic this week when they braved the elements to top up their carry kegs ready for a cozy night in front of the fire. Amongst the ales featured - Phoenix Snowbound. Dave was asked by many impressed punters if he had any tips for the 3.30 pm at Newmarket!

Local Pub Joins the Smoke-Free Movement

The Olton Tavern has joined the growing ranks of those pre-empting this summer's smoking ban. Having just redecorated, manager Barry Rose pragmatically decided not to allow the new furnishings to become impregnated with smoke during the last weeks before the smoking in pubs is banned this summer. In fact, they are going one step further by introducting mood-enhancing smells such as cinnamon, mint and spice.

Although reported in the local press as the first in the borough to do so, it is actually the third, following local Real Ale pubs the Red Lion at Earlswood and the Black Boy near Dorridge, both of which went smoke-free last year. The Fleur de Lys at nearby Lowsonford went smoke free in March 2004.

Birmingham's Last Brewery Win Award

Staffordshire-based Beowulf Brewery has won the title of Campaign for Real Ale's Champion Beer for the West Midlands 2006 with its Finn’s Hall Porter, 4.7% ABV. It beat over 300 beers brewed by 67 other Midland breweries to gain the prestigious Gold Medal - an impressive feat for a company which still brews only 40 casks per week.

Beowulf was established in 1997 in Yardley, and was the last brewery in Birmingham when it moved to Staffordshire in 2003. Over the years it has built a strong reputation for brewing dark ales.

Wye Valley brewery's Hereford Pale Ale won the Silver Medal, and Mutley's Revenge from Hereford-based Spinning Dog brewery took the Bronze.

Crossed Lines at the Woodman

Christmas Eve was lucky dip night in the Woodman's Rest in Shirley.

It was that magical time of year when drinkers make their annual foray to the shops and shoppers make their annual visit to the pub. The staff are at it all year round and really ought to have got the hang of it. But the Woodman is a big pub and being so busy, mix-ups will happen.

On the bar were Caledonian Santa's Little Helper, Marston's Pedigree and Black Sheep Bitter. What we actually drank remains a matter of conjecture.

We went straight for Santa's Little Helper, not only for its name but because in Solihull's Wetherspoons the previous day, it had been the ideal antidote to Christmas shopping.

The Wetherspoons Caledonian had been an aromatic pale ale, but this so called Caledonian was a caramel coloured malty ale, albeit balanced with a refreshing hop finish. Could this be the Black Sheep? Only one way to find out: next round we ordered the Black Sheep. This turned out to be a pale ale with an unmistakable sulphurous nose. Aha! Marston's Pedigree. So to get the Caledonian beer we wanted we would have to ask for Marstons.

However, we had told a helpful glass collector about the mix up. Had they reshuffled the lines for us or not? It takes a leap of faith to order something you don't want in case your Christmas wish comes true. Ordered Caledonian. Dark caramel stuff again. Unlucky! but at least we didn't get sulphurous Marstons again, which has always been an acquired taste. It would have been churlish to complain on such a busy evening. The beers were in lovely condition, what ever they were.

As an Ember Inn the Woodmans is on it's best form for a generation. It would be nice to get what you asked for though, whether you are a regular drinker recovering from the shops or a shopper in training for New Year's Eve.

We will have to sort this out, said our helpful glass collector, "We have got CAMRA coming in a couple of weeks." Little did he know.

Solihull Member Immortalised on Pump Clip

Ken Jackson has appeared on the pump clip of Church End brewery's latest beer, Harry Porter, 4.2%

Other people honoured in this way include like Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine and Mr Fox the undertaker at St Cuthbert's church, famed for his distinctive hat. Ken has gone to no such trouble. "I am delighted the crowning glory of my career is to look a little bit like a fictional character from a children's story," he said. "It makes a change from looking like Adrian Mole," he added. Ken, aged 34 ¼, has always thought he looked like a film star but has foregone the fame and fortune of the silver screen in favour of visiting a few pubs.

The beer is a variant of Church End's famous Pews Porter. It is a full bodied potion of the chocolate and coffee style, like Guiness with ingredients in.

Harry Porter was distributed amongst deserving pubs in the south of England in time for Hallowe'en.

Karl the brewer said, "We thought that sticking his mug on the clip would remind him to get his round in, but it's just frightening off the other drinkers.

Red Lion Goes Smoke Free

The Red Lion in Earlswood has become Solihull's second pub to ban smoking on its premises, following in the footsteps of the Fleur de Lys, which went smoke-free last year.

The move anticipates next summer's government imposed ban across all pubs in England. Landlady Jane Taylor is a non-smoker herself. Predictably, customer reaction appears to be mixed.

Local Hops in Abundance!

Local CAMRA members Bob Jackson and son Kenneth have grown a massive 8kgs of the Pilgrim hops this year.

1kg have been sent to Pete’s pub in Hull and the rest to Church End Brewery for inclusion in the special festival brew. A small quantity have been held back for the “hop table” at our festival, where visitors will be able to smell and compare the aroma of different varieties.

British hop growers had better watch out!

Pub Destroyed in Arson Attack

Traffic on the Coventry Road was brought to a standstill for 3 hours yesterday as fire crews fought to control a major fire on the Waggon and Horses pub.

The pub is one of a number of properties on an island between the carriageways of the Coventry Road that have been lying empty in recent months. The fire, the second in two weeks, was almost certainly the work of vandals who have been attacking these buildings.

Although the building, which lies just outside Solihull CAMRA's boundary, was an attractive one, there were already plans to redevelop the area into a retail outlet. These plans are now likely to be accelerated.

Solihull Beer Hunter in Sun Shocker!

Our Press & Publicity Officer Martin Collinge, aka The Solihull Beer Hunter (read his weekly article in The Solihull Times) made page 2 of The Sun on Friday, April 14th. The previous evening he was phoned by a Sun journalist for his comments on the story that HM Government is considering putting health warnings on beer mats, bottles, etc, basically warning of the dangers of drinking to excess.

Martin was accurately reported, saying most people are aware of the limits and are sensible, so the plan seemed a bit much.

As a tunne is an Olde English worde for barrel, maybe a case of Martin being a page 2 'tunna', rather than a page 3 'stunna'?

Dave and Wendy leave the Cock Horse, Rowington

It was with a definite tinge of sadness that we took a minibus of us along to the Cock Horse in Rowington in early October to wish farewell to David Preston and Wendy Owen. They felt they had no choice but to leave because of intolerable pressures placed on them by the beancounters at the Pubco that own the pub. It seems to be a ludicrous situation where the manager is successful the beancounters put the rent up to the extent that people feel they have no choice but to leave. How short sighted. And there is no denying that David and Wendy have certainly made the Cock Horse a resounding success. David has a fine nose for real ale and kept his beers in excellent condition and Wendy's choice of food and her cooking never failed to satisfy. There was regular live music on a Friday evening and folk club every month. The August bank holiday beer festivals, and the recent late May one, were a great blend of music, food and real ale. What was equally important was how David and Wendy had integrated this pub into the local village life, a real case of the pub is the hub, with the recent beer festivals raising money for Rowington church.

David and Wendy had sorted out a fantastic final weekend with food and live music laid on in the marquee outside. On the Saturday night we were treated to William and friends, a group of professional musicians. The buffet Wendy had arranged was wonderful and David had put extra barrels on in the marquee. The Deuchars IPA in the marquee was the best I have ever tasted so I stuck to that all evening. I was told the other beers (Hooky Bitter, Adnams Broadside, and London Pride) in the marquee were also in excellent condition. It was also clear how well regarded David and Wendy are by the local community as the marquee was full and the regulars had organised a lovely leaving gift, with the sentiments on the card saying it all. Fortunately we will not be losing contact as they have only moved to Henley and David has volunteered and been elected as our new Branch Social Secretary.

So what now for the Cock Horse? The new licensee is Tony Day, who is also responsible for the Cross at Kenilworth and the Red Lion in Claverdon. I understand that Roger Day is the new manager at the Cock Horse but he wasn't around to talk to when I visited the other night, so I cannot comment on what plans there are. However, the bar staff were friendly and confirmed that the live music on Fridays is set to continue, as is the folk club on the third Wednesday of each month. The menu was very limited but I was told it is intended to be improved and the range increased. Though I don't know the Cross but I do know the Red Lion, so I am not surprised that the menu will be improved. And, most importantly there were five real ales on, Deuchars IPA, Hooky Bitter, Adnams Broadside, London Pride and Black Sheep, and they are also keeping the Old Rosie on. We tried the Deuchars, Hooky and Broadside and all were in fine condition, so my advice is to give the place and new management a chance, visit and have a drink or two.

2005 Solihull Pub Price Survey

Every year CAMRA branches throughout the country undertake a survey of beer prices in a representative proportion of their pubs. Tenanted, Managed and Free Houses are represented together with those pubs owned by breweries, pub companies or chains such as Wetherspoon's. It must be stressed that the prices shown below do not necessarily indicate either the cheapest or most expensive pints in Solihull. Treat the figures as more of an indication as to the price range of beers in the Solihull area. Bear in mind also that this survey was undertaken earlier this year so prices may have risen.

The cheapest real ale in the area was to be found at the White Swan, Solihull where Marston's Burton Bitter was £1.45 (3.8%), Greene King Abbot was £1.65 (5%) and Marston's Pedigree £1.65 (4.5%). The dearest real ale was at the Orange Tree, Chadwick End where Greene King IPA cost £2.50 (3.6%). At the Saddler's Arms Solihull, St. Austell Tribute was £2.50 (4.2%). Back at the Orange Tree, Chadwick End Greene King Abbot was £2.50 (5%). At the Bird In Hand, Henley in Arden Everard's Original was £2.50 (5.2%)

The cheapest lager was at the Saddler's Arms, Solihull where Carling was £2.10. At the Wilson's Arm's, Knowle the Carling was £2.10. The dearest lager was at the Bird In Hand, Henley where Carling was £2.45.

Moving on to nitrokeg the cheapest was at the White Swan, Solihull where John Smith's Extra Smooth was £1.69. The dearest was at the Durham Ox, Shrewley where Old Speckled Hen Smoothflow was £2.60.

For cider lovers the cheapest cider was found at the White Swan, Solihull with Blackthorn Dry (keg) was priced at £1.95. The dearest was at the Cock Horse, Rowington where Strongbow was £2.70.

The cheapest keg stout was at the White Swan, Solihull with Guinness at £2.00. Meanwhile the dearest was at the Orange Tree, Chadwick End where Guinness was a £2.80.

What conclusions can be drawn in comparison to last years figures? Well it's been a good year for drinkers in Solihull town centre. Regulars of the White Swan will have seen prices actually come down in real terms. The more rural Warwickshire pubs on our patch seem to be struggling to prevent rampant inflation. The £3 pint of Guinness will soon be with us!

Bromsgrove Rates Solihull

Here are the scores from the pub crawl that Bromsgrove CAMRA did around Solihull on the day of our festival:

5th = The Blue Bell Cider House, Warings Green & The Vaults, Knowle both with 5x4's & 8x3's = 44 points.

4th was The Case is Altered at Five Ways with 6x4's & 7x3's = 45 points.

3rd was The Cock Horse,at Rowington, with 8x4's & 5x3's = 47 points

2nd was The Bulls Head at Barston with 10x4's & 3x3's =49 points.

1st place by just one point was The Golden Acres at Damsonwood with 11x4s & 2x3's = 50 points.