Cheapest pint in the Midlands?
According to tonight's edition of the Birmingham Evening Mail, West Bromwich currently boasts the cheapest pint in the region.
Over at the Marksman public house on the town's high street, owner Belal Hussain is reportedly charging a mere 89p for bitter, lager and cider (although the article offers no clue as to which specific brands are on tap).
I was most taken with one regular, quoted as saying how nice it is to buy two or three pints and "have change from a tenner". I'd be fascinated to know which pub in West Bromwich is currently charging between £3.34 and £5.00 for a pint.
But is the Mail correct? Is this the cheapest pub in the Midlands? Are customers merely getting what they pay for? Do let me know.
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Toby Jugg - A former newspaper reporter, Steve Green now works as a freelance journalist and technical writer. He first joined the Campaign for Real Ale in the mid-1980s and currentlyproduces a regular column for Solihull CAMRA in the Solihull Times, under the pseudonym "Toby Jugg".
My son, the young master Walpurgis, works in an upmarket bar in Solihull where, he claims, you can also still get change from a tenner for three beers. Mind you, we are only talking 40p... and you'll need to hurry as prices are about to increase by 20p a pint!
I know the establishment in question, but to be frank, it's more of a bar-restaurant than a straight pub, plus it's in the Touchwood complex (which automatically racks everything up by 20%).
Similarly, the Metro Bar on Warwick Road has positioned itself as an upmarket gastropub, although its range of real ales actually makes it a friendlier hang-out on a Friday night than the neighbouring (and cheaper) Saracen's Head, which removes its tables and chairs to cram as many customers in as possible, creating all the ambiance of a Japanese bullet train.
It's probably fizzy junk with the same alcohol content as a can of Vimto.
Hey, I'm not ABV-fixated. For instance, I can happily recommend Becks' low alcohol bottled beer, which is only 0.5%, which is ideal if you're driving but would still enjoy a clean-tasting, refreshing lager. My local off-licence (corner of Warwick Road and Lincoln Road North) is currently knocking them out at a fiver for eight (62.5p each).
i resently went to the marksman pub.and there drinks woznt cheap and got over charged for 2 drinks.and when we questioned them over being over charged we was told we wasnt having our f****ing money back and through us out,wot sort of pub is that.
The comments section has become a bit of an advertising slot has it not. The Marksman does sell the drinks cheap, almost every kind. Its a shame I dont drink myself, but my friends were loving it. They even got their first drinks free. I do know that on one occassion that the Police were round because someone started to get out of control, and im not sure why but they said that the full price should be charged to slow the heavier drinkers down so early on in the night - I dont htink this point was put across to all the customers arriving an hour later. All in all its a great place good atmosphere for the locals and other visitors... Im afraid to say that no food has been served there since it reopened under BHussain I know this because he is my brother. So I think I know whats going on here. And it's not just fizzy drinks to whoever mentioned that, its not fizzy drinks at all becasue my coke cost more thanthe lagers and shots i got for my mates (even i had to pay), go down and check it out - the offer is still on.
Am I alone in finding it blindingly hipocritical for someone to complain that the comments section is being used for free plugs -- and then launch into a commercial for his brother's pub?
I welcome unbiased feedback, but I agree the comments from "Laky K" are overtly commercial. However, it's not as though he or she disguised their relationship to the pub's current owner and I trust readers of this site to have the common sense to view them in context.