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The Great Western (Holden's)
| Beer (sort) | Average Score (sort) | No. Samples (sort) |
|---|---|---|
| Batham - Best Bitter |  | 3 |
| Bristol Beer Factory - Independence | | 1 |
| Castle Rock - Screech Owl | | 1 |
| Holden's - Black Country Bitter | | 6 |
| Holden's - Black Country Mild | | 4 |
| Holden's - Black Country Special Bitter | | 1 |
| Holden's - Golden Glow |  | 1 |
| Holden's - Old Ale | | 2 |
| Loch Lomond - Lost in Mosaic | | 1 |
| RedWillow - Wreckless |  | 1 |
| Sarah Hughes - Dark Ruby | | 2 |
| Blue Monkey - Ape Ale | Not Tried | 0 |
| Bristol Beer Factory - Talisman | Not Tried | 0 |
| Camerons - Shotgun Wedding | Not Tried | 0 |
| Elland - 1872 Porter | Not Tried | 0 |
| Enville - Ginger Beer | Not Tried | 0 |
| Millstone - True Grit | Not Tried | 0 |
| Neepsend - Wendigo | Not Tried | 0 |
| Ossett - Excelsius (was Excelsior) | Not Tried | 0 |
| Salopian - Flashback | Not Tried | 0 |
| Sarah Hughes - Snowflake | Not Tried | 0 |
Visits Details
21 Sep 2019 (Magnus Greel)
Mid evening fairly busy as expected in this superb station waiting room (well nearly) worth allowing time for a visit before one's train departure time.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Rock - Screech Owl | 5.50 | | Ooh I do enjoy dangerously drinkable ales and this golden honey and mandarin ale didn't disappoint in any aspects, superb! |
| Holden's - Golden Glow | 4.40 | | Earthy with raisins and berries |
| Batham - Best Bitter | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Bitter | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Special Bitter | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Ossett - Excelsius (was Excelsior) | 5.20 | Not Tried |
13 May 2019 (Philip Pirrip)
Return visit mid evening.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batham - Best Bitter | 4.30 | | In lovely smooth nick |
| Sarah Hughes - Dark Ruby | 6.00 | | Worthwhile nightcap (traincap) to power the journey back south |
| Holden's - Black Country Bitter | 3.90 | | Distinctly better than at lunchtime, no idea why, perhaps a new cask on |
| Holden's - Black Country Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Golden Glow | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Special Bitter | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Castle Rock - Screech Owl | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Elland - 1872 Porter | 6.50 | Not Tried |
13 May 2019 (Philip Pirrip)
Lunchtime visit. Circumstances conspired to me eating 2 large hot pork baps with gravy and apple sauce.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holden's - Black Country Bitter | 3.90 | | In not very inspiring condition on this first visit of the day |
| Sarah Hughes - Dark Ruby | 6.00 | Not Tried | |
| Batham - Best Bitter | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Golden Glow | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Special Bitter | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Castle Rock - Screech Owl | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Elland - 1872 Porter | 6.50 | Not Tried |
23 Jan 2019 (ChrisE)
Afternoon visit and welcoming. I treated myself to a bowl of grey peas (pronounced gray pays in here) which were delicious. It was nice to see the real coal fires warming the bars on a cold day.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holden's - Black Country Mild | 3.70 | | |
| Holden's - Black Country Special Bitter | 5.10 | | |
| Batham - Best Bitter | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Bitter | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Castle Rock - Screech Owl | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Bristol Beer Factory - Talisman | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Neepsend - Wendigo | 5.00 | Not Tried |
29 Nov 2018 (ChrisE)
This was supposed to be the starting point for a mini-bus trip to a selection of the finer West Midlands pubs and finishing off at the Dudley Beer Festival. Unfortunately Network Rail had imposed a blanket 50mph speed restriction on the West Coast Main Line because of extremely high winds, a great pity as there did not appear to be anything more than a gentle breeze. Almost two hours late in to Wolverhampton, I had well and truly missed the bus so I decided to have a couple of pints in the Great Western where it just happened that I knew the majority of the customers that were in here, so a couple of pints became a bit of a session. A really superb boozer but not as busy as it used to be when people were allowed to have a beer during their breaks from work. Service was excellent.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Hughes - Dark Ruby | 6.00 | | Fantastic pint. I had planned to visit the Beacon Hotel today, so I took advantage of the fact that this beer was available here. |
| Batham - Best Bitter | 4.30 | | A good traditional black country pint. Good value at £3.20 per pint but a bit of a surprise after paying £2.70 for Holdens, but this is a Holdens pub. |
| Holden's - Black Country Bitter | 3.90 | | A superb pint and only £2.70 per pint. |
| Holden's - Black Country Mild | 3.70 | | |
| Enville - Ginger Beer | 4.60 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Golden Glow | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Bristol Beer Factory - Talisman | 5.00 | Not Tried |
28 Jul 2018 (ChrisE)
The subway form the railway station is temporarily closed as part of the station rebuilding works so we had to find an alternative route (exit the station and turn left past the new taxi rank). Busy as usual and good service with great beers.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holden's - Black Country Bitter | 3.90 | | |
| Loch Lomond - Lost in Mosaic | 5.00 | | |
| Batham - Best Bitter | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Golden Glow | 4.40 | Not Tried |
14 Feb 2017 (Philip Pirrip)
Evening's last venue. THE Wolverhampton haven (admittedly after the Wolves football home match had started). Roasted myself by the coal fire whilst musing on today's love's labour's lost (Jeremy Corbyn not part of it) and the cheese and onion baps, in no particular order!
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holden's - Black Country Bitter | 3.90 | | Perfect starter before the Old Ale storm |
| Holden's - Old Ale | 7.20 | | One slowly drifts from reality until the reality of a train to catch dawns |
| Sarah Hughes - Snowflake | 8.00 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Golden Glow | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Special Bitter | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Castle Rock - Screech Owl | 5.50 | Not Tried | |
| Salopian - Flashback | 6.00 | Not Tried |
24 Jan 2017 (ChrisE)
My favourite place for missing trains, and I missed at least two of them while I was in here. A good session with a few friends in a good comfortable atmosphere. I purchased a healthy beef with onion and lard cob for the journey home.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batham - Best Bitter | 4.30 | | |
| Holden's - Black Country Bitter | 3.90 | | |
| Holden's - Black Country Mild | 3.70 | | |
| Holden's - Old Ale | 7.20 | | Truly superb strong old ale. Delicious. |
30 Jul 2015 (HSB)
16:00 Last stop before train home. Fairly quiet. As I do every visit I enjoyed a dish of black peas and bacon.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Beer Factory - Independence | 4.60 | | An excellent version of an American Pale Ale. |
| RedWillow - Wreckless | 4.80 | | Disappointing. Bit tired. |
| Batham - Best Bitter | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Bitter | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Mild | 3.70 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Golden Glow | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Special Bitter | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Camerons - Shotgun Wedding | 5.10 | Not Tried | Pumpclip says Camerons Craft. Chinook, mosaic and El Dorado hops. |
27 Nov 2014 (ChrisE)
I arrived at 11:01 expecting to be the first customer of the day, but at least four others had beaten me to it.
| Beer | ABV | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holden's - Black Country Mild | 3.70 | | Very good indeed. |
| Millstone - True Grit | 5.00 | Not Tried | |
| Batham - Best Bitter | 4.30 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Bitter | 3.90 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Golden Glow | 4.40 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Old Ale | 7.20 | Not Tried | |
| Holden's - Black Country Special Bitter | 5.10 | Not Tried | |
| Blue Monkey - Ape Ale | 5.40 | Not Tried |
About The Great Western
Summary of Beer Scores
| Total | |
|---|---|
 | 1 |
| 30 |
| 6 |
| 2 |
 | - |
The pub is found in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV10 0DG.
Located "underneath" Wolverhampton railway station on the corner of Sun Street and Corn Hill. Traditional back street Holden's tied house that has remained unchanged for years apart from a sympathetically designed modern extension, retaining a plethora of railway artefacts. Good value food and guest beers alongside the Holden's range and Batham's Bitter all pulled through 8 handpumps. CAMRA National Pub of the Year 1991. In winter the roaring coal fire can turn you into a human BBQ.
We have visited this pub 17 times, seen 29 different beers and tried 14 of them.
Postcode: WV10 0DG