Chester Tavern, Kidderminster

Modern community pub and acoustic music venue, sourcing guest beers from around the country that are not commonly found in the area. Service is friendly and knowledgeable.

It has a fairly spacious ground floor with an attractive timber bar. A central polished timber staircase leads up to a large room and 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 on Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons, 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 is the large beer garden, created in a Mediterranean style, with table benches, low walls, up-light feature trees, a covered area and a bar hatch.

There are four real ales, sometimes including a dark one, one from Bewdley along with Wye Valley HPA, and two changing interesting beers sourced from independent breweries. Keg taps are also eclectic, always including a dark and/or sour beer. The local Copper Beech craft beer is unfiltered and unpasteurised.

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

Level access to the ground floor, with a separate spacious WC that includes baby-changing facilities, although it's not adapted for disabilities.