Your Round

Birmingham Gains a New Venue

The Old Contemptibles on the corner of Livery Street and Edmund Street is conveniently right next door to Snow Hill Station and the Solihull line. It’s an old pub having been on this site for many years. Its name derives from the British Expeditionary Force who served in World War I in France between 5^th August and 22^nd November 1914. Recently it closed for major refurbishment and so on its opening I popped in to give it the once over.

The pub has been opened out and has both a lounge and bar. Food is very much the order of the day here and boasts ingredients from select producers in the Midlands. More a reproduction than a restoration, it is nevertheless comfortable with all the elements most people like to see in a pub.

Turning to the beer, there were an impressive nine handpumps on my visit. On tap was Timothy Taylor Landlord; Charles Wells Bombardier; Greene King Old Speckled Hen and IPA; Black Sheep Bitter; Fullers London Pride; Marstons Pedigree; Draught Bass and Shepherd Neame Spitfire. On a subsequent visit this range was on again, so I suspect this will be the standard range available.

Whilst it is good to see this pub has improved incomparably from its former self with quality pub food, it seems a shame that with such a large range of beers on offer every single one is a well-known and widely-available brand. Surely there is space for a little flair with maybe one or two beers from the many craft brewers springing up in the Midlands.

To Smoke, or Not to Smoke, That is the Question

I am sure most people are aware that, in England, smoking in pubs and other places will be banned in summer 2007 and that this has already happened in Scotland earlier in 2006. What difference does this make to us - the beer drinker & pub goer?

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has campaigned on this issue for some time - essentially wanting to ensure choice and a level playing field between different sorts of pub, bar or club.

Our cherished traditional pub usually had several rooms - the lounge, the bar, the snug and the smoke room - and this would have been ideal, providing space for those who choose to smoke and clean air for those who prefer that with their pint. Personally I fit into the latter group.

CAMRA has also campaigned for the protection of these old multi-roomed pubs and some of the best examples are now protected, or at least listed on a national inventory.

Sadly due to a combination of refurbishments, clever ideas from head office, the need for more space or perhaps fire escape reasons, many of these have now been spoilt, leaving us with just one large space. Even with good ventilation the smoke still drifts. Whatever choice there was for different smoking/non-smoking rooms has now vanished with the government's decision to ban smoking in pubs.

The majority should be happy that they will soon be able to go to the pub without returning home smelling of smoke, but what of the pubs that have to enforce this? What will it do to their business? Evidence shows that there is a downturn in non-food pubs, but an upturn in places which serve food. Food and beer go well together, but we don't always want to eat and so it is important that the real pubs survive and prosper.

Smokers make up less than 30% of the population, whereas in pubs it is often 40% or more and in some cases as high as 60%. Why is this? Is it that smokers make a concerted effort to go to the pub? Possibly (smokers, do tell us). Is it that non-smokers are discouraged from going to the pub by the smoke? In some cases, yes. I avoid them if the smoke is noticeable and recently a group of friends (in the pub) commented that they do too.

So, what should we do? Support your local. When the smoking ban arrives, take advantage - go to the pub. The landlord should be pleased to see you and relieved that you more than make up for the few smokers who may choose to stay away. Take your friends - especially the ones who have given up on pubs because of the smoke.

Actions speak louder than words - so here is the invitation to my immediate friends: when the ban arrives, call me, we'll meet at the pub and I'll buy you a pint. If you have forgotten where it is, I can lend you my Good Beer Guide (available from CAMRA and all good book shops).

Real ale: smell the hops, taste the difference.

Wine Tasting - Why Not Beer Tasting?

I became old enough to drink legally in the Swinging 60's, and experimented my way through whatever was on offer at the time. From Watney's Party Cans to the Double Diamonds that were supposed to work wonders. From Flowers Keg (the bitter with the bite) to Whitbread Final Selection, not to mention the concoctions known as 'shorts' such as Rum and Blackcurrants, Vodka & Limes. I even tried lime in my bitter in those days, though I avoided Lagers as I found them too cold and fizzy!

The thought of all that makes me feel somewhat queasy. I'm glad to say that my palate has become a little more discerning over the years. Whilst the aim of early drinking, particularly at those wild 60's parties, was almost certainly to get drunk, I soon learned to drink for enjoyment rather than to get wrecked with the inevitable consequences.

From a fairly early age I therefore developed a preference for real ales and red wine, and that's pretty much all I have drunk ever since. I have learned to savour the subtle differences derived from different grape varieties, climates, oak aging and the like, so I can probably tell my Pinotage from my Pinot Noir blindfolded by now.

I was more surprised to find that the same kind of subtle differences exist in the vast number of real ales that are brewed around the country. I suppose that I was lucky to have a career that took me all around the country, so I was able to sample a vast range on my travels. I became so captivated by the superior quality and variety of beers from local micro-breweries that I made a point of seeking out local beers whenever I stayed away, and eventually joined CAMRA.

I feel very sorry for those drinkers who stick rigidly to a favourite tipple, often from one of the national breweries. Like wine drinkers who pick up a bottle of the same plonk every time, they miss so much. Bernies, Solihull's own Real Ale Off-Licence, has done a great job in bringing some of the best beers from around the country to our doorstep, so we don't have to travel the country any more to bring variety to our tastebuds!

Whereas wines from the best Chateaux cost a fortune, brilliant real ales from the best micro-breweries cost no more than the mass produced national brands.

Variety is said to be the spice of life. I have certainly found it so with real ales. You need to experiment a little - go on, give your taste buds a treat.

How Should We Deal With Binge Drinking?

Now that the epidemic is firmly established amongst the young and girls for the first time out number boys for frequency of damaging binges.

The big difference in recent years is the way alcohol is now made available to teenagers / children in children's drink form, Alco pops and the many 'shock drinks' that are regularly pushed at two or four for the price of one enabling people to take in enormous alcohol concentration with little volume.

Only a few years ago shorts were unfashionable among the young, they were expensive and sold poorly. The strongest short drink I can remember was Polish pure spirit 50% or so only sold in Yates Wine Lodge, a very untrendy spit and saw dust chain at the time. Other than that cider, lager and traditional British ales were the regular options. Once a few pints had been drunk, the drinker would be merry and fairly full, four pints being half a gallon of fluid in the stomach. Where available the variety of British real ales allowed low alcohol content 3.5% - 4.8% tasty drinks to be enjoyed with friends without the need or ability to down the fluid quickly.

Reducing the ready availability of high concentration alcoholic drinks, by taxation (cost), legislation (prosecution of reckless bar owners pushing high concentration alcohol to the young) and education (this is what high concentration alcohol does to your health).

Perhaps the solution to reduce teenage alcohol concentrated drinking is teenage CAMRA membership, its hard to over indulge in full pints of ale rather than thimbles of Alco pops with the same alcohol in. I must write to the Times.

Real Beer Becomes Trendy

It's official following another successful Solihull CAMRA real ale festival. Treated to the many different tastes, colours, smells from the real ale market near and far, the Solihull CAMRA Festival sold out every session and proved, by the range of clientele, that real ale is no longer the drink of the fanatic in the corner. Rather the discerning choice of the modern consumer.

Solihull town pubs like J D Wetherspoon's White Swan, The Saddlers and The Hogshead support the delivery of real ales to its customers. Some even complimented the Solihull CAMRAS' real ale festival with a couple of their own (The White Swan).

The White Swan, The Saddler's and The Hogshead don't stop there - working with Cask Marque (a quality standard for real beer) and CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), they have their standard real ales and some new beers throughout the year. The White Swan and The Saddler's rotate them so that customers can try even more excellent flavours! Away from the town centre The Vaults in Knowle (double pub of the year winner), The Bulls Head Barston and many more take the real ale experience to the Warwickshire countryside.

Where company policy allows, the championing of small breweries adds local flavour and entrepreneurship to the drinking experience. Wherever you choose to drink your real ale, remember to ask if its cask and for a full pint for your money. You will be pleasantly surprised by the range of flavors and enjoyment real ales can provide.