Ale Hub in St Peter's has 'cheapest cocktails in Worcester'

Ale Hub in Abbotsbury Court, St Peter's Drive, Worcester draws in people from around the estate but also from Kempsey and Norton who love it so much they seem happy to walk there.

HEART: The Ale Hub Micropub is at the heart of St Peter's nestled amongst the shops in St Peter's Drive in Worcester (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

One of the recent successes for Ale Hub, nestled amongst shops in the heart of St Peter's, is that it carved its place in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide this year and next.

Ale Hub, which occupies what used to be the One Stop and Post Office, celebrated its second birthday at its current home in September and its inclusion in the guide might just be the staff's favourite birthday present. It may be a 'micropub' but there is nothing small about the big-hearted Ale Hub staff - or their customers - after it recently raised over £1,500 for a cancer charity. 

Certainly, Ale Hub has forged a place in the heart of the locals. Lofty Fisher, 54, lives a five-minute walk away and does not begrudge a single step.

He said: "I have been coming here since it opened. I like the atmosphere, the customers, the staff and the people who bought it. The staff are brilliant. There was nothing like this here before.

"I have started having coffee since they got the machine." 

CHEERS: Lofty Fisher loves the Ale Hub and here enjoys a coffee from the venue's new machine (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Rachel Cale, manager of Worcester's Ale Hub, described being included in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide as 'absolutely fantastic'.

"There are not many pubs in Worcester in the guide. We take pride in that. If you're going to do something, do it properly. That's a real achievement," said Miss Cale.

READ MORE: Winning Post owners to sell pub with city's 'best Guinness'

READ MORE: Witch circles at medieval Fleece Inn keep out evil spirits

Gins and cocktails are a big part of the business's success as well as the real ales and a pop-up coffee shop. 

COSY: The Ale Hub Micropub in St Peter's in Worcester may be small but it is perfectly formed (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

The bar has also forged a reputation as a real community pub, raising more than £1,531 at a Macmillan coffee morning last Saturday.

Miss Cale said: "We are very grateful to the local community. Our hub is at the centre of the St Peter's community."

She described the Ale Hub as a bar with 'traditional public house values."
Bar snacks are offered including pork pies and Scotch eggs supplied by Narraway's Family Butcher's in St John's in Worcester.

SPACE: The Ale Hub is more capacious than it might appear at first glace with an intelligent use of the available space and plenty of seating (Image: James Connell)

Miss Cale said: "We support local businesses. It gives them the lift and the credit they deserve."

One of the offers is two-for-one cocktails for £9 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, which Miss Cale called 'an absolute bargain'. "We have the cheapest cocktails in Worcester," she said.

"Because our ales are so good people walk in from surrounding villages - from Norton and Kempsey - which is a real compliment. Ale Hub is going from strength to strength," she said.

CHOICE: From real ales like Butty Bach (Wye Valley) to gins like Whitley Neill and Bombay Sapphire, there is plenty of choice at the Ale Hub in St Peter's in Worcester (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Wye Valley is supported by Ale Hub, as their house ale, but they also have weekly, rotating guest ales. Quiz nights on Mondays at 8pm and bingo held twice a month at 8pm on Tuesdays have also proved a hit with customers. Last week the jackpot was £110.

Coffee is also a regular feature of Ale Hub after a new machine was installed. Coffee is available seven days a week but there is a pop-up coffee shop on Saturday mornings from 9am, adding a little extra versatility to the business. 

CHOICE: Purity and Guinness are also on sale at the Ale Hub in St Peter's in Worcester (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

Ale Hub now has bases across the region. There are Ale Hubs in Dickens Heath, Shirley, Worcester, Droitwich, Sutton Coldfield, Kingswinford, Warwick, Wellingborough and Perton.

It is a family-run business whose goal is 'to revitalise the local pub scene and provide the community with a choice of refreshing and well-kept beverages in a relaxed and friendly environment'.

A spokesperson for Ale Hub said: "There are no longer enough good quality wet-led pubs in the industry, with the majority of the larger corporate chains being more focused on selling food.

"This is why there is a gap in the market for a great quality pub. At Ale Hub you know quality and cleanliness are guaranteed and all our drinks have been kept properly and treated with the respect they deserve, meaning you get a fantastic service and most importantly a delicious drink.

"We offer a range of gins, wines and revolving cask ales so you will always find something that you will enjoy.

"We like to try lots of different cask and craft beers so we will rotate the lines to suit different tastes.

"Our most popular deal is two-for-one cocktails on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. You are guaranteed to see our bar staff shaking up a storm to create a perfect Pornstar Martini."