Ludlow Best

Actually, the best of Ludlow was two posts back, but as I haven't included the brewery tap or Black Country Ales pub, I figured I could squeeze in one more Shropshire blog post.

If only as an excuse for a little bit more timber-framed glory...

And one of the more unusual places to find Union Berlin stickering...

Normally we would have made a beeline for the brewery not long after arriving in town.  But Mrs PropUptheBar diligently checked opening times before letting me make a wasted journey after 6pm on a Wednesday evening.

Ludlow Brewing Co. (Station Drive, Ludlow, SY8 2PQ)
Ludlow Brewing Company was founded by Gary and Alison Walters in 2006, a 10-barrel plant set up in an old maltings on Corve Street.  Prior to this, you had to go back in history to 1933 for the last commercial beer production in the town when the Ludlow & Craven Arms Brewery was still in existence.  Fair to say the 21st century operation has done rather well. increasing in size and moving into the old rail transit depot in 2011, which enabled them to incorporate a taproom.
A good-sized space, the shiny brewing equipment stands proud in the rear left corner, with a bar to the right.

We'd had no difficulty sourcing the Ludlow beers during our short break - they'd been readily available in all towns and villages we'd visited.  But you get the full cask range in the brewery: 'Best', 'Blonde', 'Gold', 'Black Knight', 'Stairway' and 'Red Dawn'.
I picked the 'Black Knight' - a hybrid stout/porter apparently, not that I really know the difference between stouts and porters anyway.  

 

A lovely dark beer, served in the great condition you'd hope for with the brewing kit a few meters from the hand pump.
There were also a couple of keg beers available from craft offshoot Derailed ('Jam Dunk IPA' or 'Nebula' on this occasion).  Of the two, I only tried the 'Nebula' pale ale, rushing it a bit as they were calling last orders on Friday evening.

Leaving the brewery, we headed through the small industrial estate leading to the lower end of Corve Street.  A 10-minute walk from the centre, this quiet residential area is where you'll find Ludlow's Black Country Ales pub (number 36 of the current 55 on my tick-list).  

The Unicorn (66 Corve Street, Ludlow, SY8 1DU)
A bit more black & white timber frame frontage on a pub that dates back to the early seventeenth century.
The entrance is via a coaching inn style passageway to the side, with a door through to the bar and pleasant outdoor seating to the back.
Black Country Ales added this to their portfolio in May 2025 as they continue to expand beyond the Black Country and make completing their annual ale trail that bit trickier.

Heading into the front bar with its characterful wood panelling and beams, we found seven cask ales and three ciders available.  The regular 'Pig on the Wall', 'BFG' and 'Fireside' were joined by beers from Silhill, Hobsons, Evan Evans and Oakham.
I took a Silhill 'Bullion' through to the large rear room - a space which is much more recognisably BCA than the front bar, thanks to the wide expanse of familiar fabrics, beige wallpaper and a TV screen listing the beers.

Notices in the gents warned me to mind my language...

Talking of rules and regulations, the next place we were heading to has a few.

Dog Hangs Well (14 Corve Street, Ludlow, SY8 1DA)
The first challenge that the Dog Hangs Well presents is finding it.  There's no pub sign and nothing making it immediately obvious that this three-storey Georgian town-house is your destination.  Mrs PropUptheBar looked at me in alarm when I tried the purple door with the right street number on it, thinking I was about to bowl into some unsuspecting family's front room.
"Next one," said a kindly lady passing-by..."look for the light."

Aha.  This is lit at the times that the pub is open - which isn't for a great deal of hours or days of the week.
Once inside, a corridor takes you into a lobby with three rooms leading off it.  We followed the sounds of much chatter to the back room where we found the bar counter.
Rule one was cash only. 
A choice of Hobsons, Gun, or the 360° Brewery. for cask ales on this occasion,  Procuring a Hobson's 'Champion Mild' (on middling form) I took this through to the quieter quirky front rooms.
Rule two was no mobile phones, which I guess make my pictures below contraband...

A bit of arty mild smut in the snug over the piano, there.
Alongside a chaise lounge, church pews and partitions made from old doors.
The place has been set up in this historic building by the folks who were originally behind the Blood Bay.  The latter has relaxed the rules (by getting a card machine and being chilled about taking pictures, plus not batting an eye when some tourists checked maps on phones to find the restaurant they were headed to).  No such relaxation at the Dog Hangs Well, where I glanced at my screen whilst waiting for the solitary WC and got reprimanded like a naughty school boy.

The odd name was chosen as an amalgamation of the macabre practice of hanging poacher's captured dogs in the Royal woods surrounding Ludlow and the popular Gate Hangs Well pub name.

A bit of further exploration of Ludlow took me south of the town walls to the bridge over the River Teme.  Best poke my head into the pub on the far side.

The Charlton Arms (Ludford Bridge, Ludlow, SY8 1PJ)
Originally known as the Red Lion, this old coaching inn was renamed in honour of the Charlton family who owned the nearby Ludlford House and estate.  It's now very foody, with Michelin logos and AA rosettes on their website.  Rooms facing the water were set up for dining and was packed full when I visited.  But head left of the bar and there are casual areas where it's fine to loiter with a beer.
Cask available was Hobson's 'Best', Wye Valley 'HPA' and Ludlow 'Gold'.  I stuck local with the Gold, in good condition, taken through to a room showing the football.  The local lads were both friendly and very drunk.  All Aston Villa fans, Ludlow appearing to be an outlier in their catchment zone.

Back in the centre of the town, The Church is a recent Beer Guide entry and somewhere I figured I should check out.

The Church Inn (The Buttercross, Ludlow, SY8 1AW)
This is one of those places which dates back to the 14th century, yet is thoroughly 21st century with immaculate paintwork, big bright windows, and a smart modern feel to the busy rooms within.  
It's much changed with a one-time central servery being moved to a small section to one side.  That's where I ended up, out of the way of those finishing their evening meals.  
Note the old 17th century church bell on display at the side of the bar...

A Ludlow 'Best' here was my last pint in the town, with a pop soundtrack and ITV quiz show on TV rather than football.

It has taken me an age to reach Ludlow and I'm glad that I did.  Super castle, a decent set of pubs, and good quality cask ale all round.
I'll be waffling on about London in the next couple of posts - no timber-framed buildings on show.