Meet Ben ‘Coombsy’ Coombes

REGGIE asked Ben ‘Coombsy’ Coombes from The Welder’s Dog, Tamworth, to share a tale from behind the bar. Safe to say, Coombsy delivered the goods.

“I have plenty of stories, although some aren’t appropriate for publication. There was this one time though, ages ago, this gentleman was denied entry into a pub because he wasn’t wearing footwear. Luckily, that night the local meat tray raffles were on and the shoeless guy purchased the meat tray off the gentleman who’d won. Before you know it, he’d created a set of steak sandshoes which were then deemed footwear. The previously excluded gentleman was then allowed entry as he adhered to the dress code!”

PS – Did you know Coombsy uttered the very words that inspired the naming of The Welder’s Dog brewery and bars? One day, after a particularly brutal session at the races, Coombsy said to founders Dan Emery and Tom Croft…

“Mate, I was as blind as a welder’s dog yesterday!”

The rest, as they say, is history.