The JD Wetherspoon pub in the Merry Hill shopping centre at Brierley Hill is launching "meet the brewer" nights.

The first is planned for Thursday, March 5.

It will feature real ales from Birmingham-based Silhill Brewery and a talk from its head brewer and founder Mark Gregory.

Shift manager Josh Howl plans to offer "meet the brewer" every few months.

Over the last eight months the Abraham Darby has seen real ale sales grow from 500 to 1,000 pints a month.

The March 5 event will run between 7pm and 9pm and CAMRA members will be able to use their 50p vouchers. Food will also be available.

Up to seven beers will be featured including possibly some from Nottingham Brewery which Silhill bought in January.

Silhill started in Solihull in 2014 and is now at Bracebridge Street, Aston.

The guest beers in firkins (72 pints) will remain on line until they sell out.

A JD Wetherspoon pub in Sedgley is closing for maintenance work to be carried out.

The Clifton in Bull Ring will be shut from Monday, 9 February to 6pm on Friday 13 February.

The pub is a current Good Beer Guide entrant.

The kitchen will also be shut for the following week while work is completed.

A spring beer festival will be running in the Clifton from March 4 to 15 with festival beers £2.20 a pint.

A range of 30 UK and international beers will be featured over the course of the festival.

Holden's Brewery is launching a spring offer on one of its beers.

Customers buying eight pints of Black Country Bitter (3.9 per cent ABV) in its pubs will get a ninth pint free.

The offer from the Woodsetton-based brewery will run from the start of March until April 30.

Reward cards will be available from the bar and once full with eight stamps a free pint of bitter can be claimed.

A branch brewery has launched its new zero alcohol bottled bitter in its pubs.

Brierley Hill-based Bathams trialled zero and low alcohol beers during 2025 before deciding on one to offer in its pubs based on the response of customers who tried them.

The 149-year-old brewery has a dozen pubs with many in the Dudley and South Staffordshire area including brewery tap The Vine (Bull and Bladder), The New inn, Wordsley; The Britannia, Upper Gornal; The Fox and Grapes, Pensnett; The Lamp Tavern, Dudley and The Plough and Harrow, Kinver.

Following a successful debrief meeting tonight, the branch intends to proceed with Dudley Winter Ales Fayre 2026 (subject to budget approval).

Mark out your diaries now: Thursday 26 - Saturday 28 November.

This forthcoming Tuesday, the Dudley Winter Ales Fayre Team are undertaking a debrief for DWAF 2025. We would welcome any feedback you have, whether it's good, bad or indifferent via this form: https://forms.office.com/r/4hZMe8XNwa

Your input will help us decide on the way forward, should DWAF 2026 go ahead this year. However, we should mention that there are several key roles that require filling. If you think you can provide support to these- and the vast majority don't need any experience- by all means drop us a line at ku.gro.armac.yeldud@fawd.

The Dudley and South Staffordshire branch decided on a shortlist of six pubs to judge for the branch's annual pub of the year award.

Branch members are invited to take part in the final judging.

Among the finalists is The Vine (Bull and Bladder) in Brierley Hill, which won the 2025 award.

The Beacon Hotel in Sedgley, which won in 2024, and 2023 winner The Bird in Hand in Wordsley are also on the shortlist.

The Old Bush in Wombourne, The Malt Shovel in Dudley and the Mount Pleasant (The Stump) in Sedgley are other three pubs in contention.

Anyone wishing to take part should email chairman John Corser ku.gro.armac.yeldud@riahc() or secretary Teresa Cartwright ku.gro.armac.yeldud@yraterces() to obtain a judging form.

Completed forms need to be returned by March 8.

The judging includes beer quality, cleanliness, service, community focus and alignment with CAMRA principles.

Note: we've updated the typos in the email addresses. Apologies.

A Lower Gornal pub has reopened under new management.

The Chapel House in Ruiton Street had been shut since the start of the year after former licensee James Stevens finished.

The Holden's pub reopened on Friday, January 16 under the new team of Brooke Coulter and Zach Williamson.

New hours are Monday to Thursday, 3pm to 10pm; Friday, 1pm to 12 midnight; Saturday, 12 noon to 12 midnight and Sunday, 12 noon to 10pm.

The pub, which will offer three real ales regularly, will continue to offer live music on Saturdays and will soon have Sky Sports.

Several branch breweries received certificates at the annual West Midlands CAMRA regional awards at the Firs Club in Codsall on Saturday, December 27.

Holden's Brewery in Woodsetton won gold in the barley wines and strong ales category of the West Midlands Champion Beer competition.

Enville Ales took home silver in the same category for Blizzard.

Enville won gold in the differently produced speciality category for Enville White. It also won silver in strong stouts and porters for Enville Gothic.

Holden's had a bronze for Black Country Mild in the milds category and silver in the premium bitter category for Golden Glow.

Kinver Brewery won three awards in the bottled beers categories. Bronze for Kinver Edge in the under 4.4 per cent category and bronze for Khyber and silver for Over the Edge in the over 4.4 per cent category.

The overall West Midlands Champion was Hobson's Dhustone Stout (4.3 per cent).

The Dudley and South Staffordshire branch was highly commended in the pub data section and won gold for most improved pub information in 2025.

*At the awards Simon Massey, director of the Sarah Hughes Brewery and the Beacon Hotel in Sedgley, appealed for CAMRA members across the West Midlands to support efforts to get business rates reduced for pubs.

He warned that more pubs would close unless the Government had a re-think.

"If we don't take up this fight more and more pubs are going to close. The few good pubs will survive, but many traditional pubs are going to be lost because they can't afford to go on.

"Only us and CAMRA are going to take up the fight," he said.

Gary Timmons, CAMRA's pubs and clubs campaigns director, said 15,000 pubs had been lost nationally since he became a CAMRA member.

"It is up to all of us to get in touch with our MPs. We have go to engage with whoever is in power," he said.

He urged member to write letters to their MPS in support of reducing business rates for pubs and branches to invite MPS to their beer festivals to lobby them. Dave and Carol Kelly of Kinver Brewery with the bottled beers awards.

Becky Braham of Enville Ales with the brewery's awards.

A real ale pub in Swindon, near Wombourne, is re-opening on Friday, December 12. The repair work being completed at The Old Bush

The Old Bush in High Street has been closed since the end of October when a car damaged the side of the pub.

Repair work to the pub has now been completed.

The chimney has had to be rebuilt and a new fireplace installed in the bar.

Licensee Clare Marsh said The Old Bush would re-open on Friday and food would initially only be offered on Sundays between 12 noon and 3pm.

The300-year-old pub offers two regular real ales - Enville Ale and Wychwood's Hobgoblin Gold.

A Kingswinford real ale pub has won a pub of the year competition.

Kingswinford and South Staffordshire Conservative MP Mike Wood launched his competition earlier this year.

He invited nominations for community pubs across his consitituency.

Bea and James Lane with Mr Wood and the award behind the bar.

Following visits to all the nominated pubs The Park Tavern in Cot Lane was announced as the winner.

Mr Wood visited the pub to hand over the award which is now on display in the lounge of the Park Tavern.

The pub's licensee Bea Lane has been running regular Walking Wednesdays for local people to take part in 5km walks starting and finishing there.

Mr Wood said:"Landlords James and Bea Lane were nominated for constantly going the extra mile—supporting local initiatives, fundraising for charity (especially the wonderful Beth's Sunflowers), and bringing the community together.

"From raffles and charity bike rides to sponsored walks, they’ve helped raise thousands of pounds, even contributing to the installation of a local defibrillator.

"Nominations described The Park Tavern as a true “happy place” and everything a great local pub should be: welcoming, generous, and firmly at the heart of the community."

He also announced category winners including:

Black Country Community Award - Horse and Jockey, Wall Heath in special recognition of the landlord and landlady’s ongoing outstanding engagement with the local community, and their continued service to Wall

Best Ale Pub - Old Bush, Wombourne in recognition of their commitment to serving an outstanding range of real ale and draft cider in a traditional, warm and welcoming environment.

Village Pub Award - The Cross Inn, Kinver for being the embodiment of a great historic village pub with excellent beer, and a range of tasty cobs made with fresh bread from the local bakery.

Good Spirits Award - The Green Man, Swindo for its selection of drinks, and bringing community together for a range of brilliant events for the local primary school and cancer charities.

Warm Welcome Award - The Plough and Harrow, Kinver for excellent customer service, friendly staff and an authentic atmosphere.

Best Chain Pub Award - Awarded to The Vine, Wombourne for its friendly staff and great food.

We're ready for a fabulous Dudley Winter Ales Fayre 2025 at Dudley's Town Hall. We open today at 1pm.

Our thanks to the E&S for the kind coverage of this week's important event...

https://plus.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/dudley/2025/11/23/80-drinks-on-offer-including-on-11-per-cent-in-strength-here-is-everything-you-need-to-know-about-dudleys-famous-winter-ales-fair/?

Are you coming to Dudley Winter Ales Fayre? Interested in buying a copy of the Good Beer Guide?

It's £16.99 to non-members but if you were to join CAMRA you could get it for £12. Similarly you can grab yourself a commemorative T shirt which is £15 to non-members but join CAMRA and you can get one for £12.

If you join CAMRA at the festival we will give you two free pints (or a t-shirt, subject to availability).

Join CAMRA before the festival and you can save yourself a £2 entrance fee. You will then be entitled to free membership to all CAMRA organised festivals for the duration of your year's subscription.

What's not to like? ????

The new microbar in Upper Gornal is starting to offer real ale from today. Two hand pumps have been installed at the Stripey Oss in The Arcade.

Initially two Wye Valley Brewery beers - Butty Bach and HPA will be featured.

Soon the microbar, which opened on October 13, will have beers from Dudley's new brewery Ickle on one of the hand pulls.

Prices per pint for real ale will be £3.80 for Butty Bach and £3.60 for HPA.

Real ale services will initially be Thursday to Sunday.

Ownership of Sedgley's micropub Sanzibar has changed. The bar in Dudley Street was opened last year by Dean Sands, who sadly died recently.

His widow Bex has sold the business to Bradley Freshwater who is initially opening it Friday to Sunday from 12 noon to 11.30pm offering four real ales.

He is planning to make improvements to Sanzibar which will continue with the same name.

A South Staffordshire pub is closing its doors on Monday, November 3.

The Summer House in Gospel End, near Sedgley, is over 150 years old.

The two-roomed pub has been known for its Christmas lights displays over the years and has concentrated on the food side in recent times.

Tenant Amy Harper said the closure was with great sadness and was due to rising costs from the brewery, which meant it had become untenable..

"We have loved being at the pub and we are so grateful to each and every customer that has supported us over the years..

"To the customers who have turned into friends we will miss you all so much," she said..

The pub is owned by Red Oak Taverns who bought it from Marston's last year. The Summerhouse re-introduced real ale earlier this year.

A Sedgley pub is closing temporarily for a refurbishment. The Seven Stars in Gospel End Road is closing at 5pm on Sunday, November 2. The Phoenix Pub house will re-open on Wednesday, November 27 The bar side is becoming more of a sports bar, with big screens and the restaurant area will be separate from the bar for family dining. The car park is also being resurfaced with parent and child spaces added. There will be new events including weekly bingo, quizzes and karaoke.

Tours will continue at The Black Country Ales brewery during 2026, in addition to those running for the remainder of this year.

Four tours take place on one Saturday of the month at 12 noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. They cost £20 per person with the first of the new year's taking place on January 18.

Other dates for 2026 are February 15, March 15, April 19, May 17, June 21, July 19, August 16, September 20, October 18, November 15 and December 20. The tours include tastings of three of the brewery's ales - Fireside, Pig on the Wall and BFG - and a crusty cob.

They can be booked by the BCA online shop: https://shopblackcountryales.com/products/black-country-ales-brewery-tour

The man behind Sedgley's microbar Sanzibar has died suddenly at the age of 48.

The pub in Dudley Street was closed on Friday, October 10 - the day of Dean Sands' funeral.

Mr Sands changed the name of the premises from Sandsys in the summer and invested in converting the former cafe into a bar.

His wife Bex, with the help of staff, is continuing to run Sanzibar, which offers three real ales, with opening currently from 12 noon to 10pm Friday to Sunday.