Wolverhampton micropub wins two CAMRA awards months after plea for custom
An Oxley micropub has beaten its bigger rivals to walk away with two major CAMRA awards.
The Keg and Comfort, Stafford Road, was presented with Wolverhampton City Pub of the Year and Cider Pub of the Year on Saturday by the Campaign for Real Ale.
Owners Louise and John Clive are delighted with the victory as it comes two months after issuing a "use it or lose it" warning to Wolverhampton drinkers after the cost of living crisis began to bite.
She said: "This is a major achievement, especially in the current climate and in a year that we have been worried may be our last. We now go forward to the regional competition, which is a great feeling even to be put forward."
The Keg and Comfort opened in 2018 and has built up a loyal following of regulars but with the cost of living crisis following the pandemic is under the same pressure as the rest of the hospitality sector.
In February Louise and John laid bare the pub's precarious financial position in a plea for customers to spend their hard-earned cash at independent watering holes instead of big brewery-owned premises.
Louise said: "We are now in the position of having to ask all of our customers to please, support us, physically, for the next few months and we’re hoping the summer may help, energy costs come down and things get a bit more back to what they were.
"If not, we are looking at possibly three to five months and that’s if we can make it that far.
"This isn’t a guilt trip or trying to drum up extra, it’s literally saying if you want us around and you can, then we need you to come in."
The call to arms did its job and instead of closing up the pub's owners are cleaning awards.
