News
Here is the latest news about the branch and pubs & breweries in the branch area.
- Dudley Winter Ales Fayre 2025
Thursday 19 December 2024
Following tonight's Dudley Winter Ales Fayre debrief, it looks like we will be going ahead with DWAF25 next year.
Our thanks to Robin for kindly agreeing to oversee it once more.
- Dudley Winter Ales Fayre - a reflection
Saturday 30 November 2024
And Dudley Winter Ales is done. Thank you to the Green Army and Team Tango for all their help and support. We hope you enjoyed it. If you have any feedback feel free to complete this form... https://forms.office.com/r/4UESBiTyHQ
- Update on Dudley Winter Ales Fayre
Saturday 30 November 2024
We wanted to provide you with an update on what's left at Dudley Winter Ales...
For the beers we've got around 100 gallons in 50 beers. That includes a new, full Sarah Hughes' Snowflake and a Bathams XXX.
There are still twenty ciders of which at least 12 have a substantial volume in them.
We also have some wines and some Guinness 0.0 too.
So whilst we've not run out, we certainly don't expect to be running until the scheduled end time of 8pm.
Our advice is: if you're thinking of coming, come early. Doors open at 11am with no charge on entry.
- Holden's new beer
Wednesday 27 November 2024
Holden's Brewery in Woodsetton has launched a new winter beer.
Jolly Stag - 4.7 per cent - will feature at the Dudley Winter Ales Fayre and is also on sale at the brewey's chain of pubs in the lead up to Christmas.
Holden's Old Ale - 7.2 per cent - will also be ready for 2 December..
- Pre-sales for Dudley Winter Ales
Wednesday 27 November 2024
Just a reminder that the pre-sale tickets for Thursday close tonight at midnight, and the same for Friday's tickets tomorrow.
Pre-purchasing allows for fast track into the event* and affords a £1 saving in tokens. Go to https://tckty.camra.org.uk/e/309/dudley-winter-ales-fayre-2024 for ticket purchases.
(*=Fast track applies for when the event opens. After all queues have subsided, we will then return to a 'general" queue for all entrants.)
- Dudley Winter Ales Fayre setup
Tuesday 26 November 2024
All's going well for this week's Dudley Winter Ales Fayre setup. The team have been at Dudley Town Hall with the racking and beers.
The event kicks off on Thursday afternoon. Pre sale tickets are still available up until Wednesday night. Go to the main page, as per the menu on the left, for all the latest information including the beer listings. - DWAF '24 listings
Saturday 16 November 2024
We know you've been patiently waiting for the beer and cider list: DWAF '24 beer and cider listings
- Volunteering at DWAF
Friday 8 November 2024
We're always very grateful for voluntary support for Dudley Winter Ales Fayre. If you can spare a couple of hours, please kindly complete a form for us.
Volunteers get discounts on food, free drinks and if you can work more than seven hours- and you complete the form by Monday- a very fabulous top too.
- Details of Dudley Winter Ales Fayre
Thursday 10 October 2024
Tickets are now on sale for the Dudley Winter Ales Fayre. Purchase information and details on the fayre can be seen on our dedicated page (found via the website menu).
- Branch meeting minutes
Sunday 6 October 2024
You may have noticed that the branch meeting minutes are no longer showing on the left menu. We've rightly been reminded that these should only be visible to members and to see them you'll need to log in view this page: Branch meeting minutes.
So, they've not gone. They're just in the right room now.
- A little ditty on beer scoring
Tuesday 1 October 2024
You visit your local often to enjoy the ambience , companionship and beer
But is it in this year's Good Beer Guide?
"Of course not!" you sneer.
So if you want to change this, when you visit and sample the beer
Don't just forget it. Get on line and go right here...As a CAMRA member
it's where you use your voice.
Tell us what's good or bad,
Go on! make YOUR choice.
Play your part & mark the beer,
And who knows this time next year ......?
- Good Beer Guide 2025
Friday 27 September 2024
The 2025 Good Beer Guide has now been published.
It features many pubs in the Dudley and South Staffordshire branch area.
The allocation for the branch was reduced this year and the guide features 22 in our area of the Black Country and three in South Staffordshire.They are: Amblecote, Red Lion; Blackheath, Britannia, Cyder & Cobb and Old Bush Revived; Brierley Hill, Rose & Crown and Vine; Dudley, Malt Shovel; Enville, Cat Inn; Kinver, Cross Inn; Kingswinford, Bridge Inn, Ale Hub and Cottage; Lower Gornal, Fountain Inn; Old Hill, Wheelie Thirsty; Rowley Regis, Britannia;Sedgley, Beacon Hotel and White Lion; Tipton, Fountain and Rising Sun; Upper Gornal, Britannia and Jolly Crispin; Wombourne, Old Bush and Wordsley, Bird in Hand, New Inn and Queen's Head.
Congratulations to all of them. The branch will be looking at beer scores for all out pubs before starting the process for the 2026 guide.
All pubs offering real ale in our area will be considered and some that have dropped out this year due to changes in licensees will have the opportunity to get back in.
- Sedgley Charity Beer Festival
Wednesday 25 September 2024
Sedgley Charity Beer Festival is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2024.
The annual real ale event is being held in First Sedgley Scout Group's Jubilee Hall headquarters at Ladies Walk. Doors open at 5pm on Friday, September 27, with 36 beers featured this year.
The two-day festival, run by volunteers from the scout group, has raised more than £90,000 for the group and good causes over the years.
Festival committee chairman and group chairman David Baugh said: "We expect up to 1,500 people to attend over the course of the two days.
"We have more than 100 volunteers involved this year.
"We started setting up on Monday – it is a real labour of love to put it on each year."
Tickets are on sale on the gate at £15, which includes a festival glass and £10 of drinks tokens.
The festival also offers 14 ciders and a gin bar featuring 10 gins and four rums. There will also be a barbecue operating. It runs until 11pm each day and opens at 12 noon on Saturday.
There will be a number of live bands performing including Sedgley Ukulele Strummers on the Saturday afternoon, Damn The Weather, Venus Rising and Woodsetton Wonderers.
Gold sponsors are N D Walters Carpets and Flooring in Dudley Road, Sedgley.
Charities being helped this year include the BBC Children in Need appeal and the Beacon Centre for the Blind in Sedgley.
- Sedgley pub reopening
Sunday 15 September 2024
A Sedgley pub is to offer real ale when it re-opens as an Indian bar and grill. The Crown in High Street has been closed since August 31.
It was sold by Marston's to Walsall-based Gurdeep Singh. The pub is expected to open as The Crown Bar and Restaurant on September 21.
It will then be offering two real ales in the bar. Ginni Singh from Willenhall will be running it. He previously ran The Tamworth Arms in Tamworth, which he sold in November.
- Ashwood Inn, Wordsley
Monday 9 September 2024
The Ashwood Inn at Sandringham Place, Wordsley, has re-opened after a £362,000 refurbishment.The pub, under the Proper Pubs chain, has undergone a complete transformation and now hosts a brand new function room, accommodating up to 100 people, as well as new flooring, furniture, fixtures and fittings throughout. It also has a renovated bar area. Plans are afoot for the pub to introduce real ales soon.
Our best wishes and good luck to Sandra and Steve Pemblington who will be running it.
(Our thanks to the Express & Star for the article.)
- Birmingham social
Tuesday 20 August 2024
We've got a social planned for this Saturday. Read through the diary page for more information.
- This Wednesday
Monday 5 August 2024
It's a double delight this forthcoming Wednesday. At 7pm we'll be at The White Lion for our next Dudley Winter Ales Fayre organisation meeting.
Before that, we're at The Beacon Hotel for 6pm to present them with the Branch Pub Of The Year.
We hope you can join us for both of either important sessions.