Birmingham's craft beer taprooms
Three breweries within a walk of Bournville station, a barrel store under the railway arches in the Quarter, 24 draught lines on Waterloo Street and a family-run craft bar on Constitution Hill. Where to drink Birmingham beer at the source.
By Only Birmingham Editorial
Go to Stirchley. Three Birmingham breweries pour their beer within a short walk of Bournville station, mostly from Thursday to Sunday, and between them they make the best case for drinking in B30. Then come back into town for The Barrel Store in the Quarter, Purecraft on Waterloo Street and The Wolf on Constitution Hill. Here is where to go, when, and what to expect.
Attic Taproom, 29b Mary Vale Road, Stirchley
Attic has been brewing in Stirchley since 2018, and the taproom sits right alongside the brewhouse, so the beer travels a few metres from tank to glass. The entrance is directly opposite Bournville station; do not try to get in through the industrial estate. Expect a changing range of Attic beers on keg and cask, with alcohol-free and gluten-free options and a guest or two. Deathrow Pizza bakes on site, and a build-your-own pizza with as many toppings as you like is £14.50. The kitchen is closed on Mondays and opens from 4pm midweek and from midday at the weekend. It is card only, there are no table bookings, dogs come on leads and under-18s are welcome until 6pm. Most of the music, comedy and markets are free.
GlassHouse, Waterside Business Park, Pershore Road
GlassHouse opened its taproom in 2019 in a unit at 1649 to 1652 Pershore Road, and it pours from 10 draught lines, with cans, natural wine and cider besides. The cans run heavily to hazy pales. The hours are short, Friday 4pm to 9pm and Saturday 1pm to 9pm, so plan around them. The best way in is along the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, five minutes from Bournville station; there is no parking. Dogs are welcome, and children until 6.30pm.
Birmingham Brewing Company, Hazelwell Road
The Brummie beers, all of them gluten free and vegan and brewed on renewable energy: Pale Brummie, Gold Brummie, Brummie Stout and Stirchley Lager among them. The taproom is on Stirchley Trading Estate at the end of Hazelwell Road, through a blue door on the River Rea path. It opens Thursday and Friday from 4pm, Saturday from noon and Sunday from noon to 7pm, with natural wine and local cider for the non-beer drinkers. No booking needed, and children and dogs are welcome.
A Stirchley afternoon
- Start: GlassHouse when it opens at 1pm on a Saturday, via the canal towpath.
- Then: Attic, opposite Bournville station, for a pint and a pizza.
- Finish: along the River Rea path to Birmingham Brewing Co, open until 10pm.
Bournville station is on the Cross-City line, so nobody needs to drive.
The Barrel Store, Jewellery Quarter
Attic's second bar is tucked under the railway arches in the Quarter, three minutes' walk from Snow Hill. It pours Attic beer and guests, with cocktails for the unconverted, and Deathrow Pizza again in the kitchen. The name is not decoration: in late 2023 Attic brewed 4,000 litres of lambic-style wort and filled 21 wine barrels to age with wild yeasts, and those beers will be blended when they are ready. There is a quiz every Tuesday from 7.30pm at £5 for a team of six. It is step-free, card only, and you can walk in or book.
Purecraft Bar & Kitchen, Waterloo Street
The city-centre option, open since 2014 with Purity Brewing Co. Purecraft has 8 cask and 16 craft lines on draught covering around fourteen styles, and about 60 bottled craft beers from around the world. It is a proper kitchen too. Open from 11am Monday to Saturday and until 8pm on Sundays, with a cellar bar and games room downstairs for hire.
The Wolf, 2-10 Constitution Hill
The Wolf is a Birmingham family business that opened in January 2017 with the plain aim of bringing craft beer to Brum, on the edge of the Quarter at the bottom of Constitution Hill. It opens from 4pm Tuesday to Thursday and from noon at the weekend, and on Sundays it does roasts from midday. Book on a Sunday.
And for cask
Craft does not mean keg only. If the group splits, send the cask drinkers to The Wellington on Bennetts Hill, where 29 handpumps across two floors include nine changing beers, and meet in the middle.
Know before you go
Taprooms keep short hours. GlassHouse is Friday and Saturday only, Birmingham Brewing Co is Thursday to Sunday, and most places are card only. Check each brewery's own page on the day, because tap takeovers and events change things, and take the train to Bournville rather than hunting for parking in a business park.
