A Saturday Selection of Birmingham Breweries

When planning my adventures I always think it's a good idea to have some outings in reserve that you can wheel out whatever the weather - you know, precisely the kind of trip that you can save for a rainy day in January. Nick and I needed to call upon one such option for our first excursion of 2022 when a miserable forecast couldn't stop us from touring some of Birmingham's craft breweries...

- Farmers Bridge Top Lock -

Saturday 8th January 2022 then and it's wet, oh so very very wet. Undeterred, Nick and I join forces at New Street Station for an opening walk through Chamberlain Square and Paradise - the main square is dramatically different from the days when the old Central Library's concrete charms used to dominate the scene, and the new leisure/retail arrivals include outlets such as Dishoom and Albert's Schloss. Summer Row drips us onto the towpath of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal as Nick gets all nostalgic about his student days, lodging at Cambrian Halls and playing table football in the College of Food common rooms. I attempt a few snaps of Farmers Bridge Top Lock whilst we wonder whether the Flapper has reopened or not.

- Something Chocolatey at Sommar Brewing -

Confirming the Utilita Arena whereabouts of our brewery target for a little later, we squelch along Sherlock Street in order to find shelter at the Figure of Eight Wetherspoons (alas the Black Drop ale we both opted for here reminds us of boot polish with a soupcon of fence panels). Pausing to admire Black Sabbath Bridge - complete with bench depicting Messrs Butler, Osbourne, Iommi and Ward - we retrace our steps to Sommar Brewing as situated in an Arena unit between Costa Coffee and the Legoland Store. Sparkling fermenting vessels FV1 to FV5 form the backdrop as we partake of 'Day We Caught The Tram' (an English IPA) and Play Brew's Gingerbread and Rainbow Chocolate Vanilla Milk Stout, a mouthful in more ways than one! Quirky cog decor and skeleton skull artworks add to the fun as we consider Brewery Saturday to now be properly up and running. 

- Red Coat in RedBeer'd -

Whilst in the Paradise area, we can't resist sampling the Prince of Wales on Cambridge Street to see how the place is adjusting to Black Country Ales ownership. Nick has fond memories of attending live music here and it perhaps isn't quite as cosy as before, although the Beartown Creme Bearlee certainly tickles the tastebuds. After that, we hotfoot it along Hill Street to catch the number 45 bus via Selly Park and the Pershore Road. Cotteridge is calling courtesy of the RedBeer'd micropub, located two shopfronts down from the busy Watford Road roundabout. A listing in the 2022 Good Beer Guide promises great things but our high expectations are more than met by an enjoyable half of Fownes's Frost Hammer. A cushioned pew by a plug-in radiator serves as our cob-munching perch although there is further seating upstairs. 

- Stirchley Trading Estate -

RedBeer'd effectively marks the outer extremities of what has become known as the Stirchley Beer Mile, with the Pershore Road corridor acting as a magnet for all things craft. We would have glanced in on the Glass House Beer Company next but their Waterside Business Park taproom is closed until spring. Not to worry, Hazelwell Road soon has us bearing down on the Stirchley Trading Estate where the Birmingham Brewing Company occupy Unit 17 beside the River Rea. Specialising in vegan and gluten-free beers, there are a range of cask and keg offerings to choose from so we plump for the citrus zing of Pale Brummie (4% ABV). The brewery bar has a student vibe and is deservedly popular on a soggy Saturday afternoon.

- Attic Announcements -

You almost can't move for breweries around Stirchley with Attic Brew Co awaiting but a short walk away on Mary Vale Road, just as well really given how the rain is suddenly belting down again. I remember first visiting Attic with Mr D9 on the way back from Redditch once although they've added a street food marquee out the front since I last came. Easily accessible from Bournville railway station, the brewery focuses on new world beers with a liking for pales, extra pales and NEIPAs. As tempting as those are, for us the standout has to be the Swirls Chocolate Gateaux Stout, 5.2%'s worth of luscious loveliness and rather moreish to boot. 

- This way for BEER -

Stirchley really is spoiling us this afternoon and we've still got two microbars within a few doors of each other to account for. Cork & Cage proves well worth a look, compact and chic with a suggestion of old butcher's tiles. We commandeer the last spare table so as to try out the Fall Morning Coffee Stout, a powerful dose of darkness that hails from Nothing Bound (they're based in Heightington near Bewdley apparently). We can't leave Stirchley without popping into Wildcat, especially as they have a glowing BEER arrow outside; the result is a heavyweight encounter with Ikley's Stout Mary as we stick to the darker end of the spectrum.

- Triple Chocoholic in Kilder -

Deeming our Stirchley splurge an indisputable success despite everything the elements have thrown at us, we board the bus back into Birmingham hoping to squeeze in a suitably crafty nightcap. Kilder is ideal both in terms of its proximity to Moor Street Station and for a stellar beer selection that has us swooping straight in on the Saltaire Triple Choc, no procrastination necessary. From railway arches to industrial estates we've certainly seen some sights today and it's all the more noteworthy when you consider that most of our chosen haunts didn't even exist five years ago. Birmingham's brewery scene truly is booming - cheers!