The Anchor Inn

The Anchor isn’t a bad pub, (it isn’t a great pub either), its just mediocre! In… like my, uh opinion, man… (sorry, we watched The Big Lebowski earlier!), mediocre is far worse than terrible, at least terrible provokes a reaction. Have you seen ‘Black Mirror’, fucking awful innit… But at least you can sit there and enjoy the fact, that Charlie Brooker genuinely believes his writing has ever surpassed the satirical value of ‘Dead Set’. Black Mirror is one of those things that I find so cringe worthy, funny and embarrassing that I am compelled to watch, (YouTube conspiracy videos, anyone?). I openly mock at its lack of subtlety or originality, I happily walk out to get coffee or go for a piss when each episode is going through its, (all too obvious), crescendo. Just so I can stand there and smile to myself about the fact, that if it had have been written in the early 2000’s, it would have been edgy with a strong social message. But as it is, everything its attempting to say, (with all the subtlety of a gynecologist in a gas mask!), has been said and done before, far better by far more eloquent people.
If The Anchor was a t.v. show it would be Peaky Blinders, The Walking Dead or Family Guy since 2009. The sort of shows that are that good, you have to remind yourself to stream them illegally every few weeks, when you can’t find anything else to watch! Just look at the Unilocal rating, 3 stars = A-​OK… If you ever get told you’re A-​OK at anything, it roughly translates to being told, ‘You do the thing worse than hoped but better than first expected’. The Anchor for me is one of those summers day knocked off work kind of pubs, attempting to drink one of everything from the ever changing blackboard, ‘Skullsplitter’ Orkney ale is a particularly memorable one… well, up until about the third pint then memories become fuzzy. Don’t misunderstand, though I can honestly say I love real ale, I am in no way a ‘craft beer Cunt’. I have never toasted, ‘the health of my forebears’ nor have I ever called a pub a ‘hostelry’, called a landlord ‘stout yeoman of the bar’ or called a young woman a ‘wench’.
The only really memorable thing that have happened in The Anchor was after hours on a Saturday night about 7 years ago. Blues had played at home that day and apparently lost, judging by the atmosphere in the pub when we got there, we drank in the back at first and come lock in, everyone had to move round to the front bar. There was about a dozen people in the bar, a few pissed up bluenoses, a few regulars and us, as neither the regulars or football fans were our kind of crowd to mingle with we decided to play pool. As we’re playing, a couple of the bluenoses turn round with their back to the bar to watch… This was either because they were interested in the game or they had heard us taking the piss about their efforts at pulling the blonde barmaid. Who was being bought drinks, necking them and then fucking off down the other end of the bar to chat to the regulars. It didn’t take long for one of them to put a 50p on the rail and ask, «winner stays on?», «yeah» we said and continued to play. I beat my friend and he stepped away, but not before he put 50p down.
We both stepped back to drink while the first bluenose put his money in and set up the table. From my first go after the break I could tell I was going to win, so could the bluenoses. As I am quickly potting all my colours on the table, another bluenose puts 50p down. I beat the first and my mate steps up to put his money in the table, the pal in question was a much better player than me and he beat me in style… and this is what he continued to do for the next 3 or 4 games. Each football fan stepping up to the rail to put money down with a look that says, «I’ll knock the cocky fucker off» and each one walking back to the bar twice as angry as the last. It took my mate about 20 minutes to go through them all, they stopped putting money down, I grabbed a couple of drinks and we continued to play… then the comments and whispering started, first about our long hair and then how we were dressed. Me being in all black wearing — Chelsea boots, drainpipes, skinny fit t-​shirt and leather jacket and my mate in Chelsea boots, drainpipes, pink shirt, black waist coat, pinstripe jacket and trilby. In his defense, he dressed that way long before hipsters caught wind of the look. Granted, we may have thrown the occasional innocent comment back about Reebok tracksuits, or whatever they were wearing but nothing to warrant them waiting on Bradford St for us to leave. The barmaid wise to what was happening, let us out of the other door on Rea St and we walked into Digbeth to get doner meat and chips. We sat in to eat and watched them head to The Kerryman… then we watched as they were obviously turned away from The Kerryman, cross the road, silently get into taxis and consider their wasted night. We finished eating and headed for The Kerryman…
…We got in!

Had a couple of pints in here with a friend over lunch and service was friendly enough. It’s very old school and rather run down, some might say grubby. At least the pool table bar we were in was. There are other bars, but I didn’t look.
Apparently it’s big with the CAMRA crowd and there’s a good selection of beers on offer that’s for sure. There’s not much food — crisps and pork pies. At least it makes the choice quick and easy. I went for crisps. Seating is bare and uncomfortable. I wish I’d had a game of pool now. The guy in the next table let out a loud fart as he stood up to head outside for a swift ciggie. We didn’t take it personally — added a bit of character in fact!

It’s been many years since I’ve visited this pub. I’m not sure why, as it’s really close to the city centre, off digbeth high street. It’s a proper old traditional pub, divided into small rooms. In the main room on Saturday a band was playing which lead to a lovely atmosphere! Other rooms were quieter, which was better for our group who wanted to chat;) the pub clearly hadn’t been decorated for a very long time, but no one going in there intentionally would care-it’s clean and tidy in any case:)
The main draw ofcourse is the real ale-there’s a big chalk board above the bar with all the beers on offer and we were spoilt for choice. Most of the beers I was looking at were around £3.20, which isn’t bad. We stayed for a few hours and then moved on elsewhere, but could’ve stayed much longer if it wasn’t for prior commitments.
Worth a visit:)

Beesting mmmmm, went here 17^th October 2014 and such a friendly place, lovely drinks, and excellent recommendations for drinks.
Awesome x

Situated behind the coach station in Digbeth, The Anchor is a «proper pub» with several rooms, and the main room by the bar is split by a high partition. It’s a little odd to navigate, but it’s a nice place with a homely feel to it.
This was one of the pubs I used to visit at least once a week as it was closer to where I lived than some of the city centre pubs, but the main reason I like the place is the selection of real ales, which changes regularly.
It’s just over 5 minutes walk from the Bullring, so if you like your beer, and long for a decent pub outside the hustle and bustle of the city centre bars, this could well be the place for you.

The Anchor in Digbeth serves probably the finest real ale in Birmingham. Long in the hands of one family, the current landlord (Gerry) sets a standard that even the likes of the Wellington (in Bennets Hill) can’t quite match.
The pub itself is a beautiful old Victorian boozer, with a handy corner position between Bradford St & Rea St, and is about ten minutes walk from the city centre. Alternatively, several buses pass down nearby Digbeth high street, with the 50 being probably the best as it’s frequent and turns right outside the pub.
Beer festivals seem continuous at the Anchor, with usually a dozen or more hand pumps in use. The wise choice of breweries like Kelham Island, Osset and Fernandes (to name just a few), combined with Gerry’s obvious skill as a cellar man, make the Anchor a sure-​fire winner on most occasions. The stained glass windows, traditional interior and friendly young barmaids only add to the charm of the place. The main bar has a smaller/​quieter side room partitioned-​off (once a non-​smoking area), whilst there’s another room on the way to the toilets, which when not used for storage, offers a deathly quiet space away from the main area.
Bar food is available and is reasonably priced, although I didn’t try any but the choices on the menu’s sounded appetising and while this is not the kind of place you would come for a romantic lunch it is a good refuel if your out on the beer all day.

A real ale pub just behind the coach station In the Itish Quarter. Beer and cider very good. Its been a regular award. Place is divided up into three seperate bars, its a real traditional victorian pub.

I’m a bar person, I don’t really go into many pubs but I’ve been in this one. Out of all the pubs I’ve been in, this one’s not bad. It’s not my favourite but for a real nice cold beer and a little pub lunch it’s OK. Situated in Digbeth, the pub has an old British feel about it. It’s pretty big as well, which means you don’t have to be where everyone else is, you can actually take yourself to a different part of the pub.
They have those very pub like menus which I always find amusing because it’s so British pub like! The food is OK as well, your average pub sandwiches and hot meals; of course you can purchase the crisps, peanuts if you’re only looking for a little snack.
The staff are OK, maybe one or two a little moody but I guess that’s what makes pubs like the Anchor Inn so special. You can’t expect it to be like a restaurant because it’s not; it’s a place to go for a good old drink and to just chill. I’m not sure if I’ll visit again myself but I’d still recommend it.

I am not a member of CAMRA, nor do I possess a beard so I suppose I shouldn’t really like The Anchor as much as I do. However, the librarian in me loves their menu boards and I’ve always had a nice time when I’ve been in. Other things to note — they sell proper crusty cobs (cheese and onion naturally and sometimes corned beef), there are loads of different rooms — so if the bar gets a bit too lairy you can hide in the snug, one of the bar-​maids who works there is so grumpy she deserves a medal and the beer… well the beer’s lovely. Last time I went I tried their stout and porter selection — most exciting of all this meant I got to visit the ‘stilage room’ — which is basically where they keep guest ales in barrels during beer festivals and the like. You present your raffle ticket and a nice chap gives you a pint — it was great! Their smoking area is a touch small and I would avoid the outside toilet AT ALL COSTS but other than that a nice pub and much less crowded than The Welly in town.

The Anchor in Digbeth is another fabulous old style boozer that specializes in real ale and has won Birmingham CAMRA pub of the year no less than four times.
This was my first visit and I was enchanted by the number and variety of rooms — large bar, small snug, large snug, outdoor seating and what looked like a library room. I am told this is a grade II listed public house and it really does have a lovely old feel.
The real ale ‘menu’ looked pretty daunting — the ones currently available having a price next to them. I wussed out and plumped for a pint of Erdinger Weissbier — pretty good stuff. It was pretty quiet inside as it was a Thursday evening but it felt nice almost having the selected room to ourselves.
I noticed they serve bar meals and I will be visiting again soon to try one.

Traditional old pub with loads of character, if u like real ale it’s the place to be! No mod cons just good old fashioned pub. U get some real characters here. FAB!!!

Yes this is a good pub but there beer prices are steep! Popped in as part of a crawl yesterday and some of the beers were £3.40 per pint — silliness! I have’nt been here for a couple years and I think at these prices it may be a few years more.

The Anchor is a very old-​fashioned, family-​run pub, a few minutes away from Birmingham Coach station in Digbeth. It’s been going since at least 1797.
Although the location is rather unprepossessing — it’s in a slightly run-​down commercial area — the pub itself is grade II listed, on account of its well-​preserved Victorian terracotta exterior, and its untouched internal layout of separate but interconnected rooms (four or five, depending how you count them). Apart from the sports TV screen in one room, you feel it could be anywhere between 1935 and 1965. The atmosphere is very blokey, in an old-​fashioned sort of way — there were very few women customers on our visit — but friendly enough.
The real draw to this out-​of-​the-​way spot is the beer. There’s a fantastic selection of real ales available, very well kept and well served. Many are from small, independent breweries, and there’s a rotating choice of them. There are also regular beer festivals, and other special events. It’s in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide, and was the local area’s pub of the year in 2003.
Service was very good, in a business-​like rather than friendly way (the web-​site is very cheery, though). They are the meeting venue for various local groups, and do lots of charity fund-​raising, so they clearly have a regular and loyal clientele.