Birmingham
The Kerryman
by stymaster on Sep.09, 2011, under Birmingham
Digbeth, Birmingham:
In the middle of Digbeth, with a name like this, you’d expect a traditional Irish pub, or something near. You’d be wrong, and be better off wandering down to The Big Bulls Head maybe, or one of the other pubs nearby. It’s surprisingly modern and stripped-out inside, and no ale. It wasn’t actually bad though, just a bit soulless and bland.
The Old Crown
by stymaster on Sep.09, 2011, under Birmingham
Digbeth, Birmingham:
Reputedly Birmingham’s oldest inn, right by Digbeth Coach Station, and near to other Digbeth pubs (such as The Anchor or The White Swan, this doesn’t quite have the atmosphere of either of those. Beer, food, and staff all fine though, so well worth a visit.
The Anchor
by stymaster on Sep.09, 2011, under Birmingham
Digbeth, Birmingham
I’ve been lax: I’ve been here twice recently but missed logging it.
It’s a must for real ale types: a traditional Brum boozer with several ales on at any one time. It also has that time-warp factor in places, and is a beautiful terracotta building. There’s food too, which I have never tried, but the beer is usually as good as you’d expect.
The Rose Villa Tavern
by stymaster on Jul.30, 2011, under Birmingham, Hockley
Hockley, Birmingham:
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The Rose Villa Tavern could be fantastic. Note: Could be.
It’s smack in the middle of the Jewellery quarter, on the corner of Warstone Lane & Vyse St. It’s near the Metro/Rail station, and while the outside isn’t execeptional, the inside has some glorious stained glass and tiles. It serves great beer too.
The downside? Well, it’s got a bit of the Fighting Cocks about it. Trying soooo hard to be ‘urban’ and hip, with interior ‘design’ fighting the original features rather than complementing, and full of people desperately trying to be cool too. Beer was fine, staff OK, but atmosphere was lacking, unless you’re cool, which I’m not. It’s owners also own the Victoria and the Jekyll and Hyde, apparently.
The Brown Lion
by stymaster on Jul.30, 2011, under Birmingham, Hockley
Hockley, Birmingham:
A combination shopping and small pub-crawl saw us wandering through Birmingham, after a brief stop at the OCs we headed for the Jewellery Quarter, and were happy to stumble accross the Brown Lion. Outside, it’s traditional-looking, inside it’s tidy and clean, if a little sparse and stripped. Top choice of real ale (it’s the brewery tap for the Two Towers Brewery, execleent staff, and good food. When we arrived it was full of other CAMRA members seemingly doing the Hockley pub crawl.
The Old Contemptibles
by stymaster on Jul.30, 2011, under Birmingham, chain
Birmingham:
Situated close to Snow Hill station, this is a large Victorian pub, part of the Nicholsons chain, like The Shakespeare and errm, The Shakespeare. For a chain pub it’s very nice indeed. Somehow it has been missed from PubBlog despite it being a regular visit in the big bad city. Never eaten here, but the food looks OK, the beer is great, and a good choice, and the staff usually good too. The only thing to watch is that they sometimes use tankard type glasses [shudder], and at weekday lunchtimes it’s full of lots of bankers. A wunch of them, to be precise.
The Wellington Hotel
by stymaster on Dec.15, 2010, under Birmingham
Birmingham:
Quite an imposing pub on the corner of Bromsgrove St, visible for Bristol St. It’s a bit tatty, and supposedly a gay pub: To me it just seemed like a town pub, with tolerable lager and a friendly barman. We were a bit drunk and in the need of food, so we left fairly soon, but it was OK.
The Shakespeare
by stymaster on Dec.15, 2010, under Birmingham, chain
Birmingham:
Ooops. This has got missed. I’ve been here lots since PubBlog has existed, but not blogged it, and when I worked just around the corner I was a regular visitor.
It’s on th edge of town, handy for the ICC, and has the feel of a local. It’s Vicorian, typically Birmingham, but is a chain pub with cheap but reasonable food, and pretty good beer.
The Sacks of Potatoes
by stymaster on Sep.12, 2010, under Birmingham
Aston:
Years ago, this was a regular lunchtime haunt as I worked nearby, but I’m an infrequent visitor now. It’s a nice enough pub, even with the presence of students, with a choice of ale and outside seating. Handy after a walk along the nearby canal.
The Prince of Wales
by stymaster on Sep.12, 2010, under Birmingham, Moseley
Moseley:
This is a little gem of a pub: Victorian, with a tiled interior and multiple rooms as well as a beer garden. Cobs on the bar, good choice of well kept real ale, and a friendly landlord. Wish it was closer.
