Black Country Ales

Microbrewery in Dudley, West Midlands, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Associated with 36 Venues

Established in 2004

Contact
69 Third Avenue, Pensnett Trading Estate, Kingswinford, Dudley, DY6 7FD, England
Description
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.

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6.1
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Cask half-pint at The Anvil, Shifnal on 22nd August 2021. Pale golden body, white head. Subtle aroma of light malts and citrus fruits, taste also citrussy with a weak malty underbelly. Nice, easy drinking beer, but it's not going to test your senses too greatly.

Tried from Cask on 23 Aug 2021 at 06:29


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

Hand-pulled half-pint on 2nd Jul 2021 in The Anvil, Shifnal (Shropshire). Smells and tastes of semi-sour and bitter apples.

Tried on 03 Jul 2021 at 09:47


6.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Cask at Shrewsbury Arms, Stafford. Pours a golden yellow with a small white head and good lacing. Tropical fruits are in the nose and dominate also in the mouth. Oranges, mango and pineapple. It has a creamy texture with some underlying sweet malts and caramel. Finish is quite a bit more bitter. Nice and refreshing but somewhat bland.

Tried from Cask on 29 Jun 2021 at 22:21


7
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

500ml bottle direct from brewery. Eye - clear copper, small off white head, ok retention. Nose - big caramel notes (they list as a separate adjunct), a little nutty, stone fruits. Taste - follows nose, again big caramel, quite sweet, figs and plums. Moderate bitterness. Palate - close to medium body, wet yet chewy, carbonation zing on tongue but not overdone. Overall - its a nice tasty simple clean bitter. Maybe a touch sweet for some but I liked it.

Tried from Bottle on 16 Jan 2021 at 02:17


7.6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

500ml bottle direct from brewery. Eye - reddish brown with small off white head, circular retention. Nose - big sweet plum note, almost raspberry like with some toasted malts in the background. Taste - jammy plums, sweet but this is balanced by a more toasted malt element. A very mild bitterness but the finish does have a nice touch of spice. Palate - light to moderate body, a little smooth, nice soft carbonation. Overall - a very flavoursome sessionable ale. It might not be complex but sometimes simplicity works.

Tried from Bottle on 15 Jan 2021 at 01:45


6
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6

500ml bottle direct from brewery. Look - clear amber, small white head and a small spattering of retention; ok Nose - caramel malts, lime; very simple traditional gold aroma Taste - biscuit malts, hint of caramel, some citrus; pleasant but unremarkable Palate - nice medium body for a 4.2%, minor chewiness, a slightly aggressive carbonation but nothing a hard pour wont sort. Overall - the blurb on the bottle states 'session beer bursting with a hop character of mango, tropical fruits and lime'. This most certainly is not the case. I like traditional but this beer feels out of time. Not sold on this one but its fine.

Tried from Bottle on 14 Jan 2021 at 00:52


6.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

500ml bottle from the brewery. Clear golden pour with small white head, ok retention. Aroma is biscuit malts and citrus, simple but clean. Taste is the same, hint of tea and toast also. Light to moderate body and an average fizz; decent refreshing. Mild dry bitter finish. A simple but well put together gold. After just finishing off a rather heavy bodied milkshake IPA this hit the spot nicely.

Tried from Bottle on 13 Jan 2021 at 00:43


7.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

On cask at the Real Ale Tavern. Appearance - dark brown with amber hues. Cream to tan head. Nose - caramel, chocolate and honeycomb. Taste - more Crunchie Bar. Palate - medium bodied, or close to it. Chewy middle with a good linger. Overall - good.

Tried from Cask on 23 Oct 2020 at 12:39


7
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

On cask at the Real Ale Tavern, Bewdley. Appearance - Amber to copper. Cream head. Nose - toast, toffee and light Bourbon biscuit. Taste - honey, toffee and caramel. Chocolate edge to it. Palate - close to medium bodied, creamy middle. Sweetish finish. Overall - a bit sweet for an ESB but nice all the same.

Tried from Cask on 23 Oct 2020 at 12:20


6.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

On cask at The Real Ale Tavern, Bewdley. Appearance - golden with a light haze and a cream head. Nose - lemon and biscuit. Taste - more lemon and biscuit. Light toast. Palate - light bodied, dry finish. Overall - decent example of the style.

Tried from Cask on 23 Oct 2020 at 12:14