Chester Tavern, Kidderminster

Community pub and acoustic music venue, sourcing changing cask and craft beers from breweries both locally, and some from further afield, that are not commonly found in the area. Service is friendly and knowledgeable.

There are four cask ales, sometimes including a dark one; always including Wye Valley HPA, plus three changing and interesting beers from independent breweries. Keg taps are also eclectic, always including a dark and/or sour beer. The local Copper Beech beer on tap is unfiltered and unpasteurised.

The pub has a fairly spacious ground floor. A central polished timber staircase leads up to a large room with a separate bar serving keg lines and cans from the fridge, but no cask ales. Original fireplace recesses have been retained throughout showing evidence of use from a previous age.

Open mic night is the last Tuesday of the month and booked acoustic artists play every Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon, as well as one-off gigs. See the pub's FaceBook page for details. An acoustic trad folk music session is held in the lounge on the second Tuesday of each month. Comedy is staged upstairs monthly on the first Wednesday.

At the back there is a large beer garden, created in a Mediterranean style, with table benches, low walls, up-light featured trees, a covered area and a bar hatch.

Substantial over-the-counter snacks include pork pies from the local Wyre Pie Company, sausage rolls, scotch eggs and cobs.