Propping Up the Bar in Droitwich Spa

In which we set out to visit a quartet of pubs in the Worcestershire spa town, before being lured back to Worcester itself to partake in the evils of craft beer and a final Good Beer Guide tick.

Droitwich boomed in the 19th century when a chap called John Corbett made his fortunes from salt works, taking advantage of the natural brine springs in the area.  Corbett became known as the Salt King and later helped develop the town as a Spa, promoting the medicinal benefits of bathing in the salty waters.

The brine baths are gone now, all the passengers on our busy train heading to Birmingham's Christmas market instead of a day out at the Spa.

The Talbot (19 High Street, Droitwich Spa, WR9 8EJ)
We had a bit of an odd start when we arrived at the Talbot at 11:55.
(I'd read online that they opened at 11:30 - believing opening times on the web in 2021 is a rookie mistake)
"We're not really open, but just wait a minute and I'll get someone" said the staff member who looked a little surprised to see us.
A group of six also made their way in, so at least we weren't the only eager early birds. 
And it was them who got the blame for sneaking in early (erm, through the open door). 
And they got served first.

The front bar, which isn't really open yet

Waiting our turn gave me chance to contemplate which of the four Craddock's beers to pick, although in the chilly weather it was always gonna be the stout.

I really liked the Talbot.  Nice basic front bar with bench seating by the window facing the bar counter, and a fine room to the rear on two levels.
We took our drinks to the armchairs by the log burner at the end of the room and made ourselves comfortable.

But we'd made an hour and a half journey to get here which couldn't be justified by sitting in one pub drinking Craddocks beer all afternoon, however settled we were in our armchairs.

It was just a short stroll down the road to reach the next destination...

Old Cock Inn (77 Friar Street, Droitwich Spa, WR9 8EQ)
Rather unusually, the pub incorporates a large window from St Nicholas' church on its frontage.  On a street that contains several picturesque historic buildings, this is the oldest pub in town, first licensed in 1712.

It's multi-roomed inside, with a central bar which has counters serving the front and back rooms and the corridor.  The whole back room was set up for festive food, with many of the other tables reserved, although we still got a fine spot facing the fireplace in the front bar.

There's a solid Marston's line-up here - Wainwright, Cumberland, Hobgoblin Gold and Banks's Mild.  The Mild is my pick of the bunch, along with some tasty pub grub at sensible prices.

The Old Cock made the Beer Guide in 2021, but has been displaced by the Hop Pole in '22.  And that's where we headed to next - handily just 30 seconds across the road.

The Hop Pole (40 Friar Street, Droitwich Spa, WR9 8ED)
What a lovely place - lots of dark wooden beams, lots of character.

And on the bar a Sarah Hughes 'Dark Ruby Mild'.  Yup, that'll do!
The other options were two ales from Wye Valley and a Ledbury 'Gold', but who needs other options?

And just to show I'm not completely averse to this Christmas lark...

From Friar Street we walked a short way to Vines Park, through which the restored Droitwich canal flows.

Across the other side of the park was our fourth pub, which was looking glorious in the afternoon sunshine, the tower of Dodderill church hidden in the trees behind it.

The Gardeners Arms (47 Vines Lane, Droitwich Spa, WR9 8LU - web)
Arriving at the bar the cask Tetley 'Gold' looked to be an unusual find, but they didn't really have any, making 'Tribute' the only available ale.
I was intrigued with the mysterious bottles and plastic shot glasses.  £1 - oh, go on then.

"Mmm, that's actually quite nice" I said, eliciting a frown from the landlady. 
"Well did you think I'd sell something 'orrible?!"

Actually the Tribute was horrible and past its best, but somehow I managed to get half way through before realising.  Should've been on the ball and taken it straight back for a replacement Stan's cider.

Mmmm...mysterious shots

There were a fair few more pubs in Droitwich, but my prior research had suggested that we'd have drank a lot more Banks's had we explored them.
So instead we caught the next train back to Worcester, where the Craft Inn was directly across the road from Foregate Street station.

Craft Inn (54 Foregate Street, Worcester, WR1 1DX - web)
Crazy names these craft beers - my pick of Pomona Island 'I Feel Weasels On All Sides' wasn't even the wackiest of the lot.  'A Ferret Stole My 60" TV' took that accolade.
I starting babbling about beer names to the lady next to me in the queue to the bar. She clearly marked me down as being completely bonkers, whilst I was wondering how strong those shots in the Gardeners Arms were and whether the second one had been a bad idea.

There was just one Good Beer Guide pub which had eluded me so far in Worcester, so we set out to make the ½ mile walk across the River Severn and past the County Cricket ground.

We were on our way to...

Bull Baiters (43-49 St Johns, Worcester, WR2 5AG - web)
It was worth the walk.  Situated in a medieval timber-framed hall house, this was a fantastically atmospheric place to drink in.
A step-up from the old Bull Baiters micro which used to be a short way down the road and had scuppered us by being closed when we walked out here a few years ago.

Next to the Kettle crisps and pork scratchings were the pump clips advertising today's ales.
I opted for the 'Bull Baiters Mead Ale', brewed in nearby Inkberrow by Ambridge Brewery.  I should know better than to pick anything with 'mead' in the name, as this gave to flash-backs to some ill-advised quaffing of home-made mead last year.

This really was an incredible little bar and a good place to end the day.
I've even managed to resist including a picture of the mummified cat in the wall.

Heading out into the cold dark streets of Worcester it was time to make our way to the station and fall asleep on the train home.
Cheers! 🍻