Dale Harvey and his wife Holly run the Great British Pub Crawl, which has more than 100,000 followers on Facebook and over 11,000 subscribers on YouTube.
The couple are on a mission to drink their way through every single pub, micropub and bar across the entire United Kingdom, whilst finding the nation’s best along the way.
Alongside their regular pub crawl videos, in 2024 Dale began a series of “must visit pubs”, where he looked back on some of his and Holly’s favourite stops along their journeys.
They have made trips to Birmingham, Kidderminster, Redditch, Worcester, Dudley, Stourport, Stourbridge and many, many more towns and cities across the West Midlands, so it comes as little surprise that the region features heavily in the “must visit pubs” series.
In his videos, Dale gave the Black Country a special shoutout of its own, saying it was home to “lovely people” and some “phenomenal breweries”.
He said: “Black Country pubs are something else.”
Although the couple have sung the praises of a number of pubs in the region on their individual visits, here are ten they believe everyone simply must visit.
The Old Crown, Digbeth, Birmingham
Claiming to be one of the oldest pubs in the city, right upon entry, Dale said this place has a “story to tell”.
He praised the beautiful, rustic Tudor building and the “lovely” selection of beers and ales they had.
The Lamp Tavern, Dudley
Dale said this old-school pub was nothing short of a “ten out of ten”.
From the stained glass to the friendly staff and drinkers, Dale did not hide how much he enjoyed The Lamp Tavern.
King Charles II, Worcester
This pub in Worcester is incredibly rich in history and shows it off in a fantastic way, according to Dale.
He praised their “stonking beer lineup” and also highlighted the glass panel in the pub’s floor that allows drinkers to look into a deep well, with a skeleton at the bottom!
The Fountain Inn, Walsall
With Dale describing this pub as having an “exquisite line up” of beers and ales and an overall “banging” pub, he made it clear why The Fountain made this list.
Located on an unassuming residential road, he said he was pleasantly surprised by how much he enjoyed his trip here, especially after seeing the pub cat, Sid.
The Beacon, Sedgley
Although admitting it appeared unassuming on the outside, Dale said “everything is brilliant” after visiting The Beacon Hotel in Sedgley.
He raved about the encased bar that sits in the middle of the pub and the ruby ale he tried there, which was brewed in the pub’s onsite brewery.
The Beacon is home to the Sarah Hughes Brewery and its the brewer’s only pub.
The Britannia, Upper Gornal
In the video, Dale was “very impressed” by what The Britannia had to offer.
He raved about the pub’s large beer garden and their beer selection that he said was “absolute quality”.
The Bartons Arms, Aston, Birmingham
Dale was left “speechless” after visiting the Bartons Arms in Aston.
The old school pub was described as being “breathtakingly beautiful” with Dale not being able to find anything to fault with the pub.
The Vine (AKA The Bull and Bladder), Brierley Hill
After overcoming his confusion about what the actual name of this pub is (he settles on The Vine, which is what is written above the door), Dale fell in love with the Bathams Brewery flagship pub.
He describes it as a “top place”, praising its “beautiful” interior and great beer selection.
The Court of Requests, Oldbury
The is the only Weatherspoon’s on the entire list, with Dale and Holly’s ethos being centred around supporting local, independent pubs and brewers, however, Dale could not get over the fact this pub is situated in an old court building.
Describing it as “a belter of a building”, Dale said The Court of Requests is “well worth a visit”.
He was also given a special tour around the old prison cells below the pub, which he described as “incredibly eerie”.
The Severn Stars, Stourbridge
With a “stellar beer lineup” and a “beautiful bar” Dale could not recommend The Severn Stars enough.
He called it a “phenomenal place” and praised every detail of what the pub had to offer, right down to the seating.