Black Country Ales is planning to sell five pubs in its portfolio this year, director Angus McMeeking told M&C.
The brewing company currently has 23 other Midlands pubs within an hour of Dudley in its portfolio and is always on the lookout for more “wet-led real ale houses,” McMeeking said.
“Classic real ale pubs where the beer is the star and there’s no significant food offer outside of sandwiches and cobs and pork pies – that’s essentially what we do.”
Although not setting any targets, “we’re hoping to pick up pubs in ones and twos,” he said.
Black Country took on the Waggon and Horses in Halesowen in December and an offer had been made on another which was currently subject to solicitors’ approval, McMeeking said.
The five sites being sold were more “community-based pubs” which didn’t fit the Black Country model, he said.
Renovation work had also recently been completed on the Black Country brewery and output was now up 30% on the same time last year, McMeeking said.
“We couldn’t match demand over the Christmas period, so we’re hoping we’ll put that right.”
