A Sarah Hughes surprise at the Nelson Arms

After the last, rather lengthy post, here is a much shorter one, not just for balance but more because the narrative can be told in just a couple of pages. What I'm going to write about, is how a slice of the West Midlands - Black Country came to Tonbridge last weekend and how, surprisingly, few people actually realised what they missed. Some of you may remember that, just over a year ago, I wrote a piece detailing my tour around a few of the Black Country’s finest and most characterful public houses. My companion and guide for that tour was local expert, Stafford Paul. Apart from the obvious candidate of the Vine at Brierley Hill, the pub which forms the brewery tap for the legendary Batham’s Brewery, there were several other standout pubs, and chief amongst them was the Beacon Hotel at Sedgley. This classic Black Country pub is made all the more famous by having its own brewery on site.

The Beacon Hotel & Brewery was built around 1850, with the first licence being granted two years later. Since then, the pub and brewery have remained virtually unchanged for decades. The Beacon is an English Heritage listed building with an historic pub interior, of national importance, and it really is a place where time has stood still. The traditional Black Country Victorian tower brewery and public house was bought at auction in 1921 by Sarah Hughes. Sarah Hughes was a legendary character who ran both pub and brewery, and she continued brewing beers at the Beacon until her death in 1951. Her son Alfred continued the tradition for a further six years, before brewing ceased, altogether, but rather than remove and demolish the attached brewery, the plant was mothballed.

Then, after a 30-year lapse, Sarah’s grandson John Hughes, lovingly restored the brewery, giving it a complete overall overhaul, by replacing any broken worn or missing parts, and in 1987 brewing re-commenced at the Beacon. In tribute to his legendary grandmother, John produced a strong, dark beer called Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild, weighing in at 6.4%, a strength that is far higher than your average mild. Today, this labyrinth-like pub has several drinking rooms based around a small central hatchway, that serves the beers brewed in the tower brewery, at the back of this Grade II listed pub.

It was a bit of a mad dash last year for Paul and me to get to the Beacon on time, because the pub is one of the few which still observe a period of afternoon closing time. Paul had worked out a bus route which ought to have got us to the pub, for at least one pint, before the start of the afternoon break, but a combination of roadworks and heavy traffic meant that we almost missed our window of opportunity. Fortunately, we have indomitable Good Beer Guide ticker Martin Taylor to thank for his efforts that afternoon. Martin had joined Paul and I at the equally historic Old Swan, at Netherton, a pub also known as Ma’ Pardoe’s after its former legendary landlady. We thought there would be plenty of time, but the road conditions seemed determined to thwart us. With the clock ticking, Martin left the bus and went on ahead, half walking and half jogging, leaving Paul and I sitting on the bus, wondering whether he would make it or not.

I'm pleased to report that Martin made it to the Beacon by the skin of his teeth, and when Paul and I arrived at this wonderfully unspoiled Black Country local, there was a pint mug of the legendary Sarah Hughes Dark Mild, waiting for each of us on the bar. The bar staff had just called time, so a massive thank-you to Martin for saving the day. At 6.4%, the home-brewed ale wasn’t one to rush, but interestingly enough the pub management seemed in no hurry to turf any of us out the door. So, having achieved my quest to sample this legendary beer, I was content to commit the Beacon Hotel to blessed memory.

Fast forward to last weekend, when I happened to notice a post, on social media, advising that the Nelson Arms in Tonbridge, would be featuring two beers from the legendary Beacon Hotel. Naturally, Sarah Hughes Dark Mild was one of them, but the second was a light-coloured, 5% bitter called Sarah Hughes Surprise. With this in mind I was determined to get along to the Nelson in order to sample both beers. As it happened, I wasn’t able to visit the pub until Sunday afternoon and not knowing whether either of these beers would still be on sale, I stepped inside the Nelson with a sense of trepidation.

My fears vanished, after seeing clips for both beers displayed on the pumps. The pub was surprisingly quiet for 3 o’clock on a Sunday afternoon, but a combination of inclement weather, plus the start of the school holidays was probably to blame. The cosy, snug bar to the far right of the pub, was empty, leaving me a choice of tables and comfy chairs. I got stuck into both of the beers, although largely reserving the stronger dark mild until last. The Surprise was a new one for me, and was a typical, West Midlands, light bitter, but as in March 2024, the Sarah Hughes Dark Mild was definitely the star of the show.