please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Was in on the 16th, of the 6 beers sampled, the Pug IPA was the only dud, the rest were very good to excellent.
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Excellent architecturally interesting pub, both inside and out, with a very good selection of ales; those we drank were all well kept. Hopefully the place can continue to survive in an area where most other buildings have been demolished - there is a gap between the Anchor and the White Swan - another good corner drinking venue - a couple of hundred yards long. Well worth a visit.
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Classic pub, just great pub architecture. ESPN on the TV when I was there but not instrusive, pub was busy and had the air of a locals pub. Very good selection of beers, I had a very flat pint of PUG IPA, no condition in it at all which was a shame.
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Really good. Excellent choice of beers, handy for coach station.
Talk of food but they'd stopped serving when we went in circa 7pm, which is annoying.
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Friendly staff, wonderful landlord and a few great pints.
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Forgot the rating......9.
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What to do when daughter is at The Institute, have an evening to kill, and am 70 miles from home? Luckily this is Digbeth and is the home of The Anchor, a few hundred yards canter up Rea Street.
I feared that I might be disappointed, but struck lucky and found myself enjoying an evening in the sort of place our grandfathers took for granted.
George was on duty and served myself and another couple of locals in a relaxed and friendly manner. For a change, I went for Hobson`s Mild, but there was a dizzying array of real ales to choose from, and on another occasion , I shall be back to try them. The layout, with its snug, and back room added to it`s charm.
The pub became busier as the evening wore on and a barmaid arrived to assist George. The football was on the TV, and on a Big Screen out the back, but the clientele were not here for this specifically, and chatted with their companions and played pool, exploring new ales and using the shot glasses for a sample. More locals arrived, everyone except myself seemed to be about 5ft 5 (is this a Digbeth thing??) Another group arrived, a member of which was.....a woman, and seemed to be planning some sort of protest event for the weekend, they had to be told each other`s names. Need to know basis?
I love The Anchor, the only thing in the minus column was that they stopped serving food at 6, so I had to settle for crisps, but it`s a small thing. The place is a living example of social history.
Next time i`m in Brum, I shall certainly re-visit, preferably with friends, one of whom is a designated driver!
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Good to report that the price of Guinness, is still the same as it was before the January VAT and beer duty increases.
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There seems to be a raft of new staff in place at the Anchor, all very friendly, no need for the landlord to have taken such drastic action about the previous problems though......only kidding, still a great pub.
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Apparently the landlord has had a word with the regulars about the spitting, farting and spilling beer problem and assured them the barstaff will stop doing it............
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Beer_Spotter - my whole point was that if the people who 'Use rather than loose' such old boozers think that spitting on the floor, lifting your leg and farting (Oh, how we laughed) and pouring your pint slops on the floor is all OK, then that is all the pub will be left with - grubby old gits.
Roy22 - 27 Dec 2010 18:46 |
8th pub on Weekend pub crawl. Good selection of beers including Northumbria - Legends No.9 Micky Quinn & Magpie - Hedgehopper. A bit noisy in corner bar with two different football matches on the TVs. Nice little quiet snug to the left of the entrance. I don't entirely agree with Roy22. We came to the pub to sample a variey of brews in a classic boozer environment and that's exactly what we got. I'm half the age of the gents he complained about and if it weren't for the likes of us and the regulars there would be more pubs closing. Booze it or loose it!
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Liked this place more than the so popular Wellington, has three rooms and a snug if I remember . Excellent ale and a diverse crowd when I went in early saturday evening. Just seemed more like a pub than the Wellington where they one long room and you order the beer by numbers. I don't have to worry about ticks as im bald.
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Some valid points from Roy 22, especially about the beer ticker scene. They just take it all too seriously, beer snobbery of the highest order!
As for the clientele, depends when you go in. Yeah you get the old lost souls from the centre across the road, who deserve a bit of sympathy, then there`s the footie crowd, the metalheads, the eccentric morris dancers......and even the odd occasional ...woman!.....quite diverse really.
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The Anchor in Digbeth serves probably the finest real ale in Birmingham. Long in the hands of one family, the current landlord (Gerry) sets a standard that even the likes of the Wellington (in Bennets Hill) can’t quite match.
The pub itself is a beautiful old Victorian boozer, with a handy corner position between Bradford St & Rea St, and is about ten minutes walk from the city centre. Alternatively, several buses pass down nearby Digbeth high street, with the 50 being probably the best as it’s frequent and turns right outside the pub.
Beer festivals seem continuous at the Anchor, with usually a dozen or more hand pumps in use. The wise choice of breweries like Kelham Island, Osset and Fernandes (to name just a few), combined with Gerry’s obvious skill as a cellar man, make the Anchor a sure-fire winner on most occasions. The stained glass windows, traditional interior and friendly young barmaids only add to the charm of the place. The main bar has a smaller/quieter side room partitioned-off (once a non-smoking area), whilst there’s another room on the way to the toilets, which when not used for storage, offers a deathly quiet space away from the main area. A pool table in the main bar area in my opinion, doesn’t really justify the space it takes up,
But if there’s anything to criticise about the Anchor, it’s the clientele, who very much reflect Birmingham’s real ale scene. Dominated by ‘beer tickers’, these are mostly old men whose ‘hobby’ is to sample (and then tick-off) every new ale they can get hold of. Many breweries capitalise on this source of demand by selling endless one-off real ales, but the big secret of the brewing industry is that these are usually not new at all. Most are just blends of the same few standard beers that any brewery makes, with a dash of flavouring or colorant to change them a little. Sold under novelty names usually pertinent to weather/sport/holiday seasons etc, they rarely return, and occupy much of pump space in the larger real ale pubs (Anchor, Wellington etc.).
The beer tickers following this hobby are often drinking from late morning, every single day of the week. If you think that a bunch of old men with a borderline alcohol problem make for dull company, you’d be right. The Anchor, with its forever changing beer selection, has become a magnet for such old geezers. On one recent visit, just one such 70 to 80 year old decided, after swearing profusely to himself for half an hour like someone on a dementia ward, upped his game by spitting loudly on the carpeted floor. We took flight to another room. The landlord looked concerned, but said nothing. Later, he apologised for this behaviour, but explained that the old man had been drinking there for 20 years, this apparently making it OK. He quickly agreed that they were becoming like a day-care centre for such troubled old men.
So there you have it. Beautiful pub. Friendly staff. Superb beer range. But take your own company, as you’ll find little agreeable here.
Roy22 - 14 Nov 2010 14:05 |
A rare find:- a real pub full of people drinking beer (or whatever) to socialise. Not a gastro creche or soulless bar as most pubs have become.
Great original architectural features extant inside and out. Full of character and a large array of real ales at good prices.
Long may this remain unchanged.
An overworked term I know, but a classic gem of a city boozer.
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By far one the best pubs in Birmingham and one of only a handfull of 'proper' pubs that remain.
I enoyed a lovely pint of Carlsberg on Thursday last week, served to me bby a friendly chap. There were only a couple of people in (lunchtime) but were friendly enough.
Cracking pub!
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Great pints of Salaire and North Yorks Cereal Killer on Saturday afternoon before the Blues game....nice crowd, good atmosphere, Great Beer!. Will re-visit.
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Went back in early September. No grumpy staff, excellent ale so I again re-rate this top pub.
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Beers have been real quality lately and from some top (my non-CAMRA opinion) breweries. A pub gaffa was saying he thought the trouble with BITE was it tended to encourage only negative comments.....haven`t got any issues with this pub, ........except........only kidding!
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Great pub! Large variety of beers in good nick. Bar staff full of character - love`em! Really good juke box, plenty of footie on the tv`s and a really friendly atmosphere. Never a dull moment when the regulars are in!
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Best poozer in Brum
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cracking pub with excellent beer selection in which I've spent many, many great nights. Marred by incredibly grumpy landlord though who refused to do anything about the (unusual) bad pint I had in there. Wouldn't even consider exchanging it, which was pretty shocking.
Shame because his barstaff are really friendly!
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Wonderful pub. Relaxed atmosphere. Ale is always good.
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Great pub with excellent staff, but can get a bit too busy when before Blues games.
Brilliant jukebox which the rock loving regulars feed generously, so always plenty of AC DC etc blasting out.
The place does attract a few undesirables, namely the real ale tickers, an unfortunate side effect of selling a wide variety of ales. It also
attracts the occasional celebrity, personally I've seen a TV newsreader, a Swedish Guitar God and a TV historian amongst others.
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Still a great pub with a fantastic selection of beers. If this was 1/2 mile up the road in the City Centre it would make a fortune.
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I last reviewed this at 10 out of 10 but my last visit was spoilt by the exceedingly rude landlady. I had forgotten that on the blackboard only those ales with the price next to them were actually available. Of course I ordered one not available, "Well where is it?!" she demanded. Sorry, is not on, is it just the ones with the pumpclips showing? "Where is it?!" Sorry, I saw it on the board and assumed it was on. "If it hasn't got a price next to it, it's not on!" she barked. Then later as she went around the pub closing the curtains, my friend closed the curtains behind us so she didn't have to lean over. He got no thanks.
Shame, otherwise it is a top pub.
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Birmingham CAMRA stalwart , a fine, sturdy bric kand-terracotta corner pub like quite a few in the city, particularly in Digbeth (although sadly a few are closed at the time of writing). No such problems here, as it is as popular as ever for good reason.
The unusual, multi-roomed layout around the central bar has earned the pub a place in the CAMRA National Inventory of pub interiors, described in detail in the previous posting. It can take quite some time to reach one part of the pub from another. The main bar room has a pool table and darts, both usually pretty busy.
The real ale range here is well known, with anything up to 12 microbrewed ales plus cider. Be sure to check both the main room and the 'snug' area behind the screen, for the pumps are different in both.
Never had a bad pint in here, although I believe it can happen.
The pub is 5 minutes walk from the Bull Ring in a rather run-down area (although I believe that adds to its charm somewhat). It's a must-visit, and can be combined with the Lamp and White Swan for a most rewarding traditional crawl. Deserves its plaudits.
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Multi award winning real ale pub situated in the Irish Quarter of the City and a stone's throw away from Digbeth Coach Station. It's one of Birmingham's distinctive red brick, tile and terracotta pubs and dates back to 1902.
The pub is a multi roomed street corner gem with the lively public bar following the angle of the street corner on which the pub is situated. A wooden screen divides up this main drinking area, creating a small snug type bar area on the right which can be separately accessed from Rea Street or via the smoke room behind. The smoke room is much quieter and has fixed seating and disused bell pushes. The pub is listed in CAMRA's National Inventory of Unspoilt Interiors.
On the real ale front, it's a real CAMRA favourite with regular beer festivals featuring and it's been voted Birmingham CAMRA pub of the year on four separate occasions.
Between Thursday 11th and Wednesday 17th March, a St Patricks themed beer festival was held with approx 20-30 real ales being available over the period, with an emphasis on Irish breweries such as White Gypsy Brewery from Tipperary.
My visit on the evening of Monday 15th was disappointing as the pub had a limited selection of real ales. I was told that this was due to the St Patricks Day Parade in the area the previous day, which had attracted large crowds. A subsequent visit on Friday 19th was more satisfactory with decent pints of Beowulf Fallen Cross and Hobsons Mild being enjoyed.
Irrespective of whether there's a Beer Festival on or not, you should make every effort to get here if the opportunity arises.
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Visited here last weekend for the second time. The beer range is always good. But the quality is variable. As our visit was just before St Patrick's Day, there was very much an emphasis on Irish beers. The full list was Franciscan Friar Weisse & Rebel Red Ale, Church End Irish Coffee, White Gypsy Emerald IPA & Bruinette, Northumberland St Patrick's Ale, Maguires Rusty Anchor Ale & Plain Stout, Hobsons Mild, Adnams Irish Stout, Mauldons Midwinter Gold, Acorn Blond and Shandon Stout. Real cider was Wilkins Medium (very nice) and Thatchers Cheddar Valley. I love the interior of this place, with its 4 or 5 separate drinking areas. We had the room nearest the toilets to ourselves. A nice pub well located for the coach station and certainly one of the best in Birmingham.
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Had a brilliant session yesterday for St Patrick's Day. The place was full, and we had to use the back room to get seated at a table.
Great Irish music and a lot of Irish beeers on from Franciscan Well from Co Cork, Messrs Maguire from Dublin, White Gypsy Brewery from Co Tipperay.
We stayed with the English breweries, and had superb ales from Mallinsons, Coastal, Blackwater brewed at Salopian, and Church End.
The Church End beer called Irish Coffee on the clip and Gaelic Coffee on the board was lovely. Said to be dark luscious and velvety made using a whole bottle of Jamesons. Beer of the day certainly. Had a great time as the atmosphere was first class.
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Lovely pub with many drinking areas.
Have a wander round the different rooms.
Selection of real ales makes it one of the best in Birmingham.
A board shows the names and price ofg the ales available.
Ales are from micro breweries and have a range of light
and dark beers.
Enjoyed beers from Downton and Birds breweries this visit.
Good value food and cobs usually available.
Close to rhe new Digbeth Coach Station.
A must if you are in the area.
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What a difference a week makes. Chose 2 Scottish brewery beers today. Deeside beer was well off, pure vinegar, and when I took it back I was asked if I really didn't want it! The other Scottish beer was almost as bad but we felt unsure about returning that one. Did get the one changed for a Birds brewery beer, Waited till another enthusiast ordered the beer I had returned and asked him what he thought of it. Off!! He got his changed, but the pumpclip was left on. Gerry is brill at sourcing new breweries and beers, but when they are off, they should be taken of.
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Really enjoyed the ales and company on my Saturday visit to this fine pub. No problems with the bar staff either as they were friendly while serving. Enjoyed good beers from Six Bells, East Coast, Sadlers, Lymestone, Rugby (Willeys) Beowulf and Red Squirrel. Brilliant.
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Highly regarded pub which discerning drinkers often hold as a mecca for quality ales. Very convenient for the newly re-opened Digbeth coach station, this Victorian and Irish oriented pub, offers at least a dozen different ales nearly always in fine fettle. While the Anchor ticks many boxes for me it falls down considerably in quality of service. As remarked before you will seldom be greeted with a smile, and although no bar staff is actively rude, most transactions will be conducted in a manner best described as taciturn. Also I should advise that the back bar is not the best place to attract the staff's attention, even when the pub is not especially busy. For this reason I prefer the warmth and civility offered by the White Swan five minutes up the road. But based solely on the range, quantity and quality of beer on offer the Anchor stands head and shoulders over nearly all of it's competitors.
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10 minutes walk form New Street and handy for the ultra all new coach station, this is another one of those rare breed of decent old fashioned city pubs with decent beer. I tried the heart of Wales Green Dragon which was a top notch pint. There was a good mix of clientelle on this busy Saturday evening.
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Another of my favorite pubs even though i sometimes feel that the quality of the real ales are not the greatest, there are plenty of continental beers and bottled beers on selection, i enjoy the openess of the pub, the landlord Gerry is always friendly and makes the effort to talk to you even if some of the bar staff's attitude leaves a lot to be desired, the jukebox has a great selection with every style of music you could wish for but the music can get a bit loud on Friday nights, its a bit pricey but it is an Independent pub so its the price you pay for a pub has unique has this
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I love digbeth but for my money the White Swan up the road is a lot better pub in terms of warmth of welcome. The Anchor has a big reputation for beer, but the barstaff lead a lot to be desired.
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I feel the need to reiterate how good The Anchor is. I've been to all of the real ale pubs in Birmingham including recent visits to several that are currently in vogue (e.g. Wellington, Clifden, Victoria, Red Lion, Contemptibles, Joint Stock). These other places demonstrate that real ale in Brum is thriving. What I've also found though is that the ale in The Anchor seems that bit better. I note the reviews that question the quality at The Anchor and I've had a few dodgy ones over the years (and it's not always that easy to get it replaced). A few weeks ago I finished a crawl by visiting The Anchor. I'd had the ubiquitous Purity and Wye Valley beers at the other establishments and they weren't bad. One of Anchor staff, knowing my usual tastes, recommended a golden ale that was a huge cut above what had gone before: it was so fresh and zingy and just hit the spot. Again last night my chosen beer, Shropshire Lass, was superb.
I have been to The Anchor when none of the 8ish ales on satisfy my taste buds. Recently though I seem to have been lucky (maybe the fact that golden ales proliferate in the summer).
The staff (some more than others, especially in the day time) can seem a bit surly. But, get to know them, and they can be a great help in identifying the ale that will suit your tastes.
Oh - and there's a new pool table which is a great improvement on the old one!
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Love the pub for all the reasons described but I agree that beer quality is not always up to the mark. Barmaid is used to reading her mag until selection picked after scanning the board. We often get in mid week, and I feel that the beer is top notch weekends, but can be a little tired midweek.
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This pub is the local CAMRA pub of the year for 2008. I’ve been here a few times before and I think that this time I’ve just been unlucky. It’s a fine old pub in a pretty derelict part of Birmingham with an interesting layout across several rooms and lots of original features. When I walked in I was disappointed to find that only four of the handpumps were in use, every other time I’ve been in they’ve had at least 7 or 8 on. The blonde streaked barmaid was reading a magazine and even though she had obviously seen me, she didn’t bother to put her magazine down and carried on reading until a few strategic coughs and an excuse me eventually got her to move her backside. I had a pint of the Hill Climb from Prescott brewery which really wasn’t very good. It wasn’t poor enough to take back but I wasn’t really happy with it. I hadn’t had anything by Prescott before so it might just have been a poor beer and not the pubs fault. I’m not impressed this time, but as I have been in the past, I’ll give it another chance next time I’m around here.
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Missed the May Festival due to illness, probably the saddest time of my life, 65 ales on and I missed them, WOE Alas. I did manage to get a drop of the Tea Kettle Stout from Hertfordshires Tring Brewery @ 4.7abv Wonderful drop of black gold. Worth a try even if you are not a Stout person, far superior to that horrible Guiness sludge!
H
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me and my mate went to the anchor on sunday as always had a great selection of ales on.including one from are favorite brewery skinners called pennycomequick which was in cracking form.hope to see some more skinners soon at the anchor a cracking brummie pub top marks!
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Visited the Anchor Inn recently (19/05/2009) and found it to be a really friendly place with some interesting people. The pub itself is a lovely place - nice separate rooms not one big wide open drinking den like many pubs. Staff were attentive even offering me tastes of the beers without any prompting - great service. A nice range of beers including milds. Sadly I only had about 30 minutes in there before I had to run for a train. Think I will be back though.
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Yorkshire beer week, and between our group, all available offerings were sampled, and all were excellent. It is hard to fault this pub, very friendly service, great atmosphere (visiting football fans welcomed), excellent beer. I have been there on a few occasions, and found the beer to be of a consistently high quality.
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Only popped in twice, but on both occasions I've been served a suspect pint in a filthy glass with a scowl from the barmaid, seems somehwhat bizzare given its generally glowing reputation amongst local drinkers.
Does have a great interior, but I've never convinced myself to give it another try.
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Called on a Wednesday and had to have a tail end festival beer replaced. As we cannot get here weekends now, we like to call but wish the beers changed more promptly when they reach the end of the barrel.
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went to the anchor for the first time over the weekend and they had a burns festival on. was good fun - tried some scottish beers and haggis! will definatly go again.
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I always call into the Anchor when doing a crawl in Birmingham, and like the last reviewer, can find the ale quality to be suspect. I think it depends on the day you go actually as to how long the beer is on. Weekends very different to mid week visits. Agree it is a real pub and not just a bar.
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I came to the anchor on the reviews from this site and have to say I was a little disappointed. The first two beers I tried were both cloudy and I had a little trouble with the barman to replace them.
However the third pint I chose was spot on and top grade so maybe I just caught the place on an off day.
I will pop back I'm sure when I can and see if I have a better experience.
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Annual pilgrimage to the Anchor during a crawl last night. I was struck by the lack of clientele - it seemed much quieter than I had ever seen, and no one was playing pool. The time would be 2200-2230. Nevertheless the pub itself remains unchanged from a year ago, and it is, as the previous reviewer describes it, a proper pub.
From a wide, varied choice of seasonal, festive beers, I selected a half-pint of Buntingford SILENT NIGHT (4.1%)which turned out to be a highgly quaffable, bitter, amber ale.
Wishing the pub the very best and hoping that business picks up very soon. It is well worth going the extra mile to visit this pub.
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finally got here on friday night and i've got to say it's brilliant. It's worthy of all the praise it gets. with the lareg amount of ales available it's inevitable that comparisons are made to the wellington, and it's got to be said that this place is much better. As i was saying on friday, the welly is a great place but at the end of the day it's a building that sells beer, the Anchor is a proper pub, and a bloody good one at that. Top marks all round, can't believe it's taken me so long to get here, but it won't be long before i'm back.
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Best pub in Brum In My Books , 10/10 :-)
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Excellent pub, which gets even better during the regular beer festivals. Can take a while to get served, but worth the wait...
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Had a couple of sessions in here during a visit to Brum.Highest praise.
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Great pub, great beer selections and Hobson's Mild is quality. Nice little outdoor section and a host of rooms. The comments here say it all.
As it can get very packed, i just have a sneeking regard for the White Swan just up the road - truth is if you do one, you will do the other!
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Not much to be said that hasn't been said already. Great pub, great beer and the staff are top notch.
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Brums finest pub.
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This is a fantastic pub, currently surrounded by large building sites. Newcomers might find the location a bit obscure (unless they have come by bus) but it is well worth seeking out.
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Wow! What a choice of beers from micro breweries. A must when in Brum.
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This place is excellent for local Beer. I never miss the Church End Beer festival.
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Not been in for a few weeks but have to say what a lovely place this is. I always try to get here when I am in Brum. Highly Recommended.
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I love this place. Top Marks.
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I really like the beer in the pub and the huge, ever changing selection of real ales. Its a very nice, traditional, Victorian boozer. The traditional pub food looks nice too. Its certainly popular, but I have not tried it yet. Yet somehow, the fact that its divided into 'small' rooms and is popular, I find this pub a bit dark and claustrophobic. But that's just me. Go in and try the beer!
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Easily my favourite pub in Brum, but I have been going in there since I were a lad. Part of my going to St Andrews ritual, a few in the Anchor then the walk to the ground. A brilliant and ever changing range of beers to try with regular festivals. The food is great value and hearty. Gets packed at times but rightly so, it is a classic.
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Excellant Ale. Not like any other pub I Know. The is passion in this pub for the art of Beer Keeping. Birminghams best pub by miles. Its like a beer festival on every trip. Keep it up. Recommended. If i could give a rating of more than 10 I would.
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Called in on Tuesday and found 4 beers new to me. There would have been 5 but I had to return one as it had gone off and it was replaced - no problem. Still a brilliant pub for finding new brewery beers.
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A four-roomed Victorian pub in the dingy side streets of Digbeth, The Anchor has just won Birmingham CAMRA pub of the year for the 4th time. There is always a good range of constantly changing Real Ales - at least 3 on a weekday and around 8 at the weekend.
There is a pool table in the front bar and a jukebox in the rear lounge. The decor has been maintained as original as possible, including a snob screen that helps form the snug.
The food offering has recently been vastly improved and there are some good home-cooked offerings at very reasonable prices. The staff are generally quite friendly and helpful. It is also home to friendly Birmingham City supporters that welcome well-behaved visiting fans who enjoy a good pint.
This is probably the best pub in the world. Rates 10.
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Very traditional Brummie Irish pub with a fantastic range of real ales.It has a very good cook but could do with a more extensive menu.Great on match days if you are a Blues fan!.Has won award for best real ale pub in Brum.
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Came across this place by chance, when walking from New Street railway station to the Paragon Hotel on a dark, rainy evening without a map (on reflection, perhaps not a very sensible thing to do as the industrial estates behind Digbeth bus station are not exactly the most salubrious parts of town). Anyway, the place is full of character and has a great range of real ales. Thoroughly recommended.
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Great proper pub. Had a trip to Birmingham for football and made sure we found this pub. Well kept real ales, good atmosphere. Worth a trip to Birmingham just for this place which deserves the awards it has.
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I have had 2 great visits this month. Last week I attended the presentation of CAMRA pub of the year 2007 and a great night it was too. I was there again last night for my Haggis and Neeps. There was a superb selection of Scottish Ales, well served as usual in this friendly local.
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I hadn't been in for about a year but it never disappoints you when you go back....great range of ales (about 30 on?), great interior and traditional lounge/bar set up, and a good juke box which had been upgraded. You really know what the fuss is about here.
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thought might be a bit of an old mans pub! but was really nice, friendly staff and good music on the jukebox and my first real ale!recommended by a member of staff. will return!
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The Anchor is fully deserving of its P.O.T.Y. 2007 for Birmingham. Almost spoilt for choice once again on 28/12/07 when I had the pleasure to spend an hour or two sampling the beers.
A somewhat lively pool game was in progress on my arrival, and I enjoyed the pleasant company of two Camra guys with a railway interest up in Birmingham for a special cross-country event.
Still smelt fairly strongly of paint following the recent redecoration of the interior - but don't let that put you off, the beer soon dealt with that! The decorators did a fine job and, apart from this, the interior of the pub remains unchanged.
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On a stag weekend in Brum I went into The Anchor Inn on the off-chance. It had just won the CAMRA award and I can see why - lovely interior broken up into smaller bars/booths, twelve ales on - the ones I had were great - and friendly staff. The only thing wrong with it was an old chap who kept tapping his beermat on the table (why not put a drink on it instead?!). Not too much of a problem though, I simply moved seats - of which there are plenty. Top pub.
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Cant complain when you walk in this grade 2 listed building and enjoy a nice cold pint. been good on my viists... Beer well kept and the pub has recently been awared as per comments below...recommended
Seaman Max
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Bostin boozer
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Congratulations to the Anchor for being awarded Birmingham CAMRA pub of the year 2007. Gerry and the staff deserve the praise for the excellent beer they serve from the micro breweries, both from new and old favourites. Nice to see the decorators in too. Well done.
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Always had a good pint in here personally whether it was ale or cider and thats the main thing in my eyes. The changing line-up always brings in the nerdy beer-spotter types but the rest of the locals are sound and last time I was in the girls behind the bar were a top laugh and eager to serve which is always a bonus. This place makes a night in just Digbeth itself worthwhile and when your ready to breathe beer fumes over unsuspecting birds you can head down the street to the Sanctuary club.
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A down to earth pub, perhaps in need of decorating inside but welcoming nonetheless
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A real gem just 10 minutes walk from railway stations 5 from 2 minutes from Digbeth coach station. Always has a vast selection of ales
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Always worth a visit as they get new breweries and unusual beers in. Regular beer festivals held too. An intersting pub with various rooms including the non smoking room separated from the main bar area by a partition, and a quieter lounge area away from the main bar with its pool table.
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Decent beer but a bit hit & miss in terms of atmosphere
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Decent beer but bar staff lack personality and enthusiasm.A good place to pop into if your heading to or from the coach station.
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Traditional unspoilt pub within easy reach of Birmingham City Centre. 4 seperate rooms. Note the original partitioning between the large main public bar and the much tinier snug. Pub is listed in the CAMRA National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors. There is a good range of real ales for the enthusiast, predominantly local micros. I had a pint of Styrian Goldings from the Outlaw Brewing Co -and very palatable it was too.
To the previous contributor who feels the interior is "dowdy and oldish" all I would say somewhat sarcastically is - let's modernise Stonehenge, Canterbury Cathedral etc, now wouldn't that be cool !
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A drinkers pub, a smoke free area, real ales, good range, cant give this pub the accolade it could have, just lacks the character for me, maybee its the overall feeling, hurry to serve you staff, and no familiarity/joviality, not rude just efficient, also the pub has retained its original victorian decor, wich for some is ok but for me dowdy and oldish, you know the brown ceiling feeling.
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A classic English boozer, fast disappearing. Probably as it was 40+ years ago. The sort of pub Londoners really want.
A full range of beers for the bitter drinker.
As a MILD drinker pleased to see 2 of these were on tap and at the time of my visit there was Hobson’s Mild from my native Cleobury Mortimer and a delicious Beijing Black (Pig) Mild from Pot Belly Brewing Co of Kettering.
So a good score for this pub on behalf of serious MILD drinkers.
In addition the pub served a range of draught German wheat beers and a range of traditional fruit wines.
Basic and good value food to help mop up a few pints of excellent MILD.
Top of the Shop!
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Partly a scoopers pub with many a guest ale, partly alocal's
pub geared to the Irish communit, with a multi-room layout
accomodating non-smokers (the front bar can get boisterous).
Note that the full roster of guests is only available at weekends.
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Another superb night of "scoops". Of particular interest was Canavan's "Dublin to Liverpool" stout, 4.5%. Everything a stout should be, thick and warming without being heavy, yet aromatic with a hint of smoked sausage. Smooth mouthfeel. Great.
Top marks also for WF6 brewery's Christmas Cracker. An exquisite combination of fruit and bitterness made this a good session ale despite its 4.2% ABV rating.
This was one of my best visits (beerwise) to the Anchor.
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Possibly pips the City Tavern (by Five Ways rail stn) for best pub in Brum. Digbeth (Brum's version of Kilburn)'s a good area for a session anyway, but the sheer choice of beers and the atmosphere in this magnificent old boozer take some beating. Friendly staff and cheap food don't hurt either.
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Another "out of towner" and another happy punter. Very impressed with decor and the beer. I'll definately go back.
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I agree with previous comments - as an "out of towner", I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this pub on my ( first ever ) recent evening visit last week. Splendidly traditional decor - its on the CAMRA National Inventory of unspoilt interiors. Try the Hobsons Bitter if you get the chance, if not there will always be something else worth trying, evidently. Pub is a bit of a walk from Birmingham City Centre, but well worth it. Highly recommended
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Fantastic! Can't believe I lived in Brum for three years & never knew about this place. Its a bit of a walk from anywhere else but its worth it! Superb selection of beers, great building, friendly staff and great atmosphere. The real thing.
anonymous - 24 Mar 2005 18:20 |
Great place. Example to all pubs wishing to serve good beer, good food and not keep people waiting at the bar. Excellent
Arnie - 22 Feb 2005 16:33 |
Do not miss this pub if you live in or visit Birmingham. Good real ale and good example of a real corner plot local town pub. regular beer festivals.
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Still a superb pub - last night was no exception. Oakham White Dwarf amongst the excellent beers on offer. I also noted that food is served at certain times of the day, with curries being a speciality - best phone the pub for further details.
Also, the locals are a charming eclectic bunch, friendly and approachable, 't is a must-visit pub. I cannot remember why my original rating was only eight points, I have today upgraded it to a full 10/10.
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agree with all comments below. The pub has a gr8 atmosphere and is worth going to especially with all the festivals. The best beers are usually the Church End ones, "scoopers" should ring pub and find out what's on b/4 going - I'm not sure if they have a web sight
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Great little real ale boozer tucked just near the bus station. The place has a great selection of ales plus a nice 'worn' feel about the place.
Eamonn - 21 Aug 2004 16:41 |
Absolutely brilliant! Shame it's in Birmingham and not nearer to where I live!!!
anon - 7 Jul 2004 01:35 |
Excellent street corner local with separate rooms. Good range of beers. Has several beer festivals throughout the year.
John - 8 Mar 2004 13:02 |
I agree with Lee who seems to like the same pus as me!! TASTE!!!
The Anchor is just a belter of a pub. You see the same faces usually or are they just there the same times that I am??? Beer is always good and there are usually one or two continental (Belgian style) beers on draft! Worth a visit anytime, but get a train or a bus!!!
Andrew - 29 Jan 2004 11:00 |
A real classic. A beer-orientated boozer in the back streets of Birmingham. Very friendly staff serve up to 8 ales most of which come from micro and regional breweries with a smile. The pub is divided into three rooms, the largest of which has a pool table. Frequent beer festivals. The most recent one featured Church End ales. Special offers include every 7th pint free. Jukebox features rock, heavy metal and a comprehensive Irish selection, all of which are played at a moderate volume allowing comfortable conversation. Within 20 mins walk from Birmingham New Street, or a short bus ride away. A MUST for any beer lover finding himself/herself in Birmingham by accident or design!
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