5 days ago
Popular pub campaigner and YouTuber gives verdict on Black Country boozers
A POPULAR YouTuber and avid pub campaigner who travels up and down the country with his partner reviewing the nation's watering holes has given his verdict on his top Black Country boozers.
Dale Harvey and his wife, Holly, run the Great British Pub Crawl, which has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on social media who are eagerly supporting the couple's mission to visit every pub in the UK.
From London to Nottingham to Manchester and everywhere in between, the pair have been all over the country, but Dale told The News that the Black Country has something special about it.
"It's just such a great area," he said. "The people are friendly, and it has two of the best, if not the best, breweries in the UK - Bathams and Black Country Ales.
"It escapes people's radars, as people automatically think of Birmingham when in the West Midlands."
On top of his high praise for the Black Country as a whole, Dale revealed his favourite town, and also his favourite boozer, which he has visited in the region.
He said: "I've never had a bad day out in the Black Country, but Stourbridge is especially brilliant.
"The selection of pubs in the Amblecote Triangle is truly great.
"That crawl is a proper hidden gem.
"Then, nearby over Brierley Hill way, The Delph Run never disappoints.
"It was sad to hear about The Black Horse closing recently - all the stops on that route are great."
But where did Dale crown his favourite pub in the Black Country? Here's what he said:
Favourite pub: The Queen's Head, Wordsley
"That place is out of this world," Dale said. "It has to be my number one."
The Black Country Ales pub is a firm village favourite, with a classic interior, a nice beer garden and a great atmosphere.
Honourable mention: The Vine 'AKA The Bull and Bladder', Brierley Hill
Dale said: "Whatever you know it as, it is a phenomenal boozer."
The Bull and Bladder has also recently been crowned not only The Telegraph's Best Pub in the West Midlands, but also the 2025 Dudley CAMRA Pub of the Year.
Honourable mention: Severn Stars, Stourbridge
Dale gave this Black Country Ales pub a special shout-out, and he is not the only one to have given it praise as of late.
The Oldswinford drinking hole has been crowned the 2025 Stourbridge and Halesowen CAMRA Pub of the Year
Honourable mention: The Court of Requests, Oldbury
Despite being a Weatherspoons pub, which Dale said he does not often praise highly, he said The Court of Requests is truly unique.
Set in an old courthouse, this pub has a rich historical character that makes it unlike any other pub in the region.
It isn't just the pubs in the region that Dale has praise for.
He said: "I have never been a cask ale drinker, but Batham's Best Bitter is undeniably good.
"I would go as far as to say it is the best bitter in the world."
Dale is planning a return to the Black Country in a couple of weeks, taking on Stourbridge for the third time in June.
