The Crown Inn  

The Crown Inn is an independent freehouse and sits almost opposite the Duke of York in the small but friendly town of Oakengates.

It has three distinct drinking areas, a public bar and a lounge, though all have no carpet. You can enter the pub from the bus station at the rear, or from the front - Market Street.

The 14 beers are always varied from local and further afield. The only regular is the Hobson's Best Bitter. Beers tend to be from those small hard to find micros. The board which tells you what's waiting in the cellar to come out was full - another 12 beers. The beers are keenly priced and some will be surprised if they live in a city.

Beer festivals are held twice a year in May and October and these specialize in beers from new and independent breweries. The festivals have 40-60 new beers, by that we mean haven't been seen anywhere else yet.

This place is a Mecca for real ale lovers and it's only 20mins on the train from Wolverhampton, 37 mins from Birmingham and only 4 minutes walk from Oakengates station, with good road links all round (just off the M54).

Be warned, sometimes they have beers on in the 'public' bar to the rear that are not always (obviously) available on the board in the front bar, so check first.

There is no food available at the Crown, though they do do ready-made rolls. There are some restaurants around, and as always there are a selection of takeaways within 20 yards.

The Crown Inn itself has bright decor of whitewashed walls and decent seating. There is some barrel seating in the smaller third area towards the toilets. Outside at the rear there is a picnic table which is really the extent of the beer garden. Access for the disabled is also available at the rear as there are too many steps at the front (see pic).

There is no accommodation at the Crown Inn.

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