About
The Black Country Ales Brewery has been established through a genuine love of traditional ales. We brew our outstanding selection of beers using only the finest ingredients to the highest possible standards. Brewing started on the site around 1834 by Edward Guest, taken over by the Bradleys in 1870, and moth balled after WWII. Much of the original equipment is still in use, and we’re very proud to still be holding on to our connection to the brewers of yesterday.
When we bought The Old Bull’s Head pub in 1999 it came with a boarded up brick building at the rear that was referred to by the estate agents as “a two storey outhouse”. Imagine our amazement after the purchase when we finally entered the building to find three magnificent wooden fermenting vessels and other brewing equipment going back years. We love running pubs but there had never been any plan to brew our own beer until this great find. It took a few years to set up and we have had a lot of mistakes to learn from too but in 2004 beer started flowing again from the Gornal brewery.
When we bought The Old Bull’s Head pub in 1999 it came with a boarded up brick building at the rear that was referred to by the estate agents as “a two storey outhouse”. Imagine our amazement after the purchase when we finally entered the building to find three magnificent wooden fermenting vessels and other brewing equipment going back years. We love running pubs but there had never been any plan to brew our own beer until this great find. It took a few years to set up and we have had a lot of mistakes to learn from too but in 2004 beer started flowing again from the Gornal brewery.
6.4/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Cask at the Wellington, Birmingham. Poured a clear yellow golden colour with a lasting frothy white head. The aroma is malt, light grassy citrus. The flavour is moderate to light bitter and sweet, with a smooth, gluey, light piney, citrus palate. Medium to light bodied with soft carbonation.
Tried
from Cask
at
The Wellington
on 20 Sep 2022
at 11:59
7/10
Slightly toasted, dark malts, soft. Really should be on cask, dark malts.
Tried
from Bottle
on 20 Sep 2022
at 00:15
7/10
Simple soft toffee caramel malt bitter. Not much carbonation, made for cask
Tried
from Bottle
on 18 Sep 2022
at 23:30
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Cask at the Starving Rascal, Amblecote. Pours gold with a small head. Aroma is bitter and pissy. Taste is bitter, grassy and pissy Citra. A touch watery in places.
Tried
from Cask
on 18 Sep 2022
at 09:44
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Handpull cask at the Salmon, Leicester. Light yellow, very nearly straw. Clear with a small but tight white head. Gentle aroma, I'm getting lime sour candy and pink grapefruit rind. Nicely balanced taste, it's mostly sweet with a weighty bitterness coming in toward the finish. Light body, soft to nilcarbonation. Very well put together little pale.
Tried
from Cask
on 29 Jul 2022
at 17:20
5.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 8
Overall 5
There’s an artificial citrus character to it, with a peculiar aftertaste, that turns this into a bit of a disappointment. Looks lovely, clear and gold with a creamy white head, but there’s that that lemony smell that’s not ideal. Smooth and a little malty, big citra vibes, bitter and then a bit of a strange taste to finish it off
Tried
on 26 Jul 2022
at 17:51
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Decent enough golden ale with a lovely creamy white head and a light biscuit malt aroma. Slightly grainy, biscuit malt and floral hops with a touch of citrus poking through, and a little hop bite in the finish
Tried
on 26 Jul 2022
at 17:30
6.5/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6
From cask at The Wellington with Ratebeer people at the Birmingham Convention 2022. Clear dark golden. Aroma and taste of pale malt, biscuits, pine shoots and marmalade. Good drinkability.
Tried
from Cask
on 02 Jul 2022
at 09:31
6.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Cask @ Royal Oak, Shrewsbury. Clear pale gold appearance, good white head. Soft, light floral sweetness.. fine.
Tried
from Cask
on 28 Jun 2022
at 20:09
5.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 4.5
Cask at Shrewsbury Arms, Stafford. Pours hazy pale lemon with a small foamy white head. Slow to settle but with good lacing. Vague hints of citrus and malts in the aroma. In the mouth it is initially sweet and tangy with lemon and grapefruit flavours. Then citrus hops and mango come through to dominate, leaving a sticky yuckiness on the roof of the mouth (though I’ve known worse). Not for me this one.
Tried
from Cask
on 22 Jun 2022
at 21:03