The Best Real Ale Pubs in The Malverns

CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) has released it’s latest edition of the Good Beer Guide and highlights 15 pubs and breweries across The Malverns as top places to drink real ale. It’s no surprise that so many Malvern based watering holes have been included, as the gentle landscape of this area has been entwined with the process of hop growing for hundreds of years. Traditional pubs are nestled in the towns and villages of The Malverns, so at home in the scenery they may as well have emerged naturally from the ground. Warm timber beams, crackling fires and a selection of locally brewed ales, stouts, and ciders flow freely and are testament to the local craftmanship of The Malverns. If you’re up for a walk, try our Real Ale Rail Trail that takes you around some of the best pubs on the Malvern Hills, or read on to discover the best in brews for every palate…

Please drink responsibly.

Pubs

Royal Oak, Kinnersley

The village of Kinnersley is a small parish with a lovely community pub. The Royal Oak is friendly welcoming families, dogs, locals and visitors alike and offers well priced local beer including Doombar and IPA’s.

Talbot, Knightwick and The Teme Valley Brewery

With an onsite brewery (Teme Valley Brewery) and lovely rooms above this 14th century pub overlooks the River Teme. The Talbot have a knack for making things from scratch from their in-house blended coffee, freshly baked bread to homemade black pudding and pickles. The eight ales offered are brewed on site and have something to suit every palate. From the Hearthwarmer, a strong winter beer with a 7 day ferment, to popular regular brews This, That and T’other The Talbot is an ale lovers dream.

Fox & Hounds, Lulsley

Set in the beautiful Worcestershire countryside, The Fox & Hounds is Alfrick & Lulsley’s characterful country village pub and restaurant with excellent locally-sourced food and a selection of lovely real ales. Extensively renovated and refurbished in late 2017, the Fox & Hounds at Lulsley caters for village locals and destination food diners.

Great Malvern Hotel, Malvern

 The Great Malvern Hotel stocks drinks from Malvern brewery The Lakehouse and is perfectly situated in the heart of Great Malvern. This friendly, family run business offers comfortable accommodation, great food, and good, old fashioned hospitality and service. Built in 1842 the hotel has been updated whilst still retaining many of its historical features. Their cosy bar a has a great selection of beers as well as local gins and cider.

Nag’s Head, Malvern

This highly rated pub is one of the most popular in Great Malvern and for good reason. The interior is charmingly ramshackle and the atmosphere inclusive with good food if you are thinking of stopping for lunch. Described as a ‘shrine to real ale’ the beer selection is wide and ever changing offering a fantastic selection of both cask and canned options. You won’t want to leave if you bag a spot by the fire or join their beer club to meet like minded folk and taste the best in local beer.

Weavers, Malvern

Great Malvern’s newest microbar situated right in the centre of town – Weavers really know their stuff. Selling a plethora of locally sourced ales as well as ciders, craft beers, wines and spirits Weavers boasts a casual, friendly atmosphere to boot. Bring your own food and chat in the modern bar area or head upstairs to the cosy lounge and sink into the sofa. There’s a sun trap beer garden for the summer months that has great views over the town and to the hills. Beers on tap change regularly with offerings like Butty Bach, brewed in the Wye Valley.

Fox, Monkwood Green

This little pub, along with locally brewed beer, serves old world charm and the feeling you’re in the middle of nowhere. There’s a skittles lane, nicely planted beer garden and plenty of regular music nights. Set next door to a nature reserve famous for its butterflies locations don’t get more bucolic than this.

Olde Anchor Inn, Upton upon Severn

Straight out of a fairy-tale this classic black and white timber framed pub as been serving the picturesque riverside town of Upton upon Seven since 1601. Steeped in history and home to some of Upton’s biggest music festivals the Anchor needs to serve great beer – and so it does.

The Red Lion, Cradley

Recently refurbished, with a large beer garden overlooking the countryside and plenty of ever changing local cask ales the Red Lion is well worth a visit. As well as serving home cooked food from the kitchen the Red Lion often collaborate with local street food vendors and host live music nights.

The Wyche Inn

With probably some of the best garden views in the county it’s worth the walk up England’s seconds steepest road (Old Wyche Road) to get to The Wyche Inn (there is a less steep way up the Wells Road from Great Malvern). Their full list of previously hosted beers numbers in the hundreds and they currently host three cask ales all sourced from local micro breweries: Ledbury – Gold, Motley Hog – Green Hop Goldings and Bewdley – Baldwin IPA. The welcome at The Wyche is always friendly and there are few better places for a restorative drink after a long walk.

Farmers’ Arms in Birtsmorton

The Farmers Arms at Birtsmorton is a traditional 15th century unspoilt and un-modernised pub of which few remain. Serving traditional real ales and homemade food 7 days a week. They pride themselves on being a pub that serves food and not the other way around. The two regular ales on offer are Hooky Bitter and Old Hooky and they have two regular changing spots for local brews.

Breweries

As well as pubs there are a range of breweries around The Malverns. You can sample these beers at some of the pubs above, buy bottled versions in local off-licences and delis and some even offer brewery tours and tap rooms onsite.

Friday Beer, Malvern

The Friday Beer Company was conceived in 2011 when three of Malverns expert scientists were made redundant. The brewery has found success since supplying carefully brewed, award winning beers to the drinking establishments of Malvern and Worcestershire.

Lakehouse, Malvern

Award winning craft beer makers at Lakehouse offer tours of their brewery from a whistle stop tour to a full day of hands on immersion in the brewing process.

Spilsbury & Jones, Stanford Bridge

Located on a farm by the banks of the lovely River Teme beers are brewed from fresh hops grown just metres from the brewery – you can’t get much more local than that! Spilsbury & Jones use their extensive brewing experience to create a real craft English Lager, their Tom Jones Lager is smooth and crisp with notes of vanilla and clean citrus. The ultimate dream is to become a single estate brewery with all ingredients sourced from the farm – until then pop by their taproom.

Hop Shed, Suckley 

The Hop Shed is an award winning brewery based on a hop farm in the beautiful Worcestershire countryside. The brewery is in a converted chicken shed which has inspired the name of the brand and beers, which are all named after breeds of chickens. They only use locally grown hops in their beers and have won numerous awards for their delicious brews.

The brewery shop is open 10am – 4pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) and the Tap room is open Fridays from 4pm and Satudays serving a great range of Hop Shed Beer as well as other locally sourced drinks and snacks.