Four Oakes / Sutton Coldfield - Friday 16th January

The monthly Friday night trip with a group I first met up via a mutual aquaitance some 3 or so years ago now - as always an excellent opportunity to try new pubs.

Tim chose this time and suggested the area near the Cross City line north of Sutton Coldfield.

As a change from custom and practice this time we met at the Wellington in Birmingham. Beer choice on the TV screen / menu was :

• Wye Valley HPA
• Oldershaw's Alchamy
• Blackboard Country BFG and Pig on the Wall
  
• Purity Mad Goose, Pure Gold and UBU
• Derby Pale Design and Cool Yule (these were the ones I sampled)
• Burton Bridge Top Dog Stout
• York Centaurion's Ghost
• Morgan's Christmas Cracker
• Stumpy's Drunken Dog
  
• Warwickshire Golden Bear

Being warm inside, we decided to drink in the garden and the conversation was whether kebabs were edible when sober or not. Before moving onto the station (it was too early to get the cheap evening ticket we ventured into Bennett's and whilst marvelling at the internal wall art sampled a choice from Pedigree, Banks's and Jennings Cocker Hoop - the menu / coming beck board indicated they also ofered other beers from Jennings in the shape of Sneck Lifter and Cumberland Ale (although these weren't available this time).

At the station we managed to convince the ticket seller that we weren't going to dash to the platform but would wait for the 6.35 when our cheap ticket became valid. So,e stayed on the platform, others secumbed to thirst and went for a swift half in the Skakespear on the concourse.

The train journey passed with conversdation around converting vinyl to CD (don't know why 've added this bit but it happened so I am including it until we got to Butler's Lane, waklked up the ramp and decided we didn't know where next. We chose to head left the correct choice but what some thougth was a pub, others a tyre sales place turned out to eb a hospital but at least we were definitely heading on the right road up the hill and eventually arrived at the White Lion.

A Thwaites's pub, the choice was Original and Bomber (both in good form). Note to self, the food looks good here so may return.

Next we strolled, then walked then thrudged then yomped till we got to Mere Green and due to it pouring we called in at Barley's - no real ale so it was lager or keg or shandy interspeared with conversations on podcasts, etc. Some thought there were other pubs in the aera but alas none immediately apparant so onward to the Half Way House whixch was busy but a good choice of beers (Deuchers IPA, Brew XI and Wyre Piddle's Piddle in the Hole) made the wait to be served worthwile (good value - 6 pints for £15.10.)

From there it was back to the train and onto the next stop at Sutton Coldfield where we visited another Thwaites's pub (the Three Tuns with choice as above nb karaoke on Fridays) and then to the excellent Station where the choice was TT Landlord, Blacksheep, Fullers Chiswick and Dr Okells IPA.

Back into Birmingham for the end of trip pub (the Shakespear - not the one on the station) where my choice was a swift half of Batemans Santa's Tipple before heading off for the train home and research which showed that a kebab is indeed best served after beer.