We visited a Wolverhampton pub which is proud to be the first micropub in the West Midlands, a supporter of local breweries and full of famous visitors
It's a pub which holds a unique place in the West Midlands pub scene and which has become a popular place for great beer from local breweries and some famous visitors.
The concept of the micropub is one which is becoming increasingly more popular among people looking to run their own pubs and bring life back to buildings left dormant and decaying.
There are plenty of pubs dotted around the region which have opened in former shops, banks and other commercial settings and which offer a full pub experience without breaking the bank or taking over the lives of the owners.
While there are more and more micropubs in the region, there can only be one first, the one which started the trend in the West Midlands and led the way.
That one pub is the famed Hail to the Ale, set on Pendeford Avenue in Claregate inside a former post office and grocery store and which, since opening in September 2013, has become a must-see location for any fans of real ale, as well as a serial award winner from CAMRA.
The pub, which takes its name from a friend of owners Angela and Gary Morton who shouted "hail to the ale" when toasting the group, came about after Gary Morton said they had been toying with the idea of owning a pub to go alongside their existing brewery Morton Brewery.
He said: "We saw an article about micropubs and how they were using vacant retail premises, getting permissions in place and opening small, independent bars like this and because we had the brewery, we were always interested in having a pub.
