The Red Lion, Birmingham

This 2 roomed pub is quite nice and a comprehensive review is below. The ales today were Butty Bach, Knock On, Bathams Best Bitter and Moonshine by whoever.

This smart two bar pub is run by the Urban Art Bar group who also operate the excellent Lord Clifden, just a five minute walk away. I popped in here early on a Saturday evening and found the place doing a roaring trade with both bars packed and a good, mixed clientele. You enter into a short passageway with the front bar to the left and the rear bar through a door at the end. The front bar was so busy I gave up trying to get to fight my way in, but did have time to note a few limited seating options around the perimeter, a dartboard and a juke box. The rear room has a Saloon Bar feel to it, with the angular dark wood servery on the front wall, button backed banquettes around two sides and a few other tables with low stools plus some limited, but much needed, vertical drinking space. A fireplace stands on the end wall with an elaborate mantle whilst beautiful cut glass Banks's Brewery mirrors cover the rear wall and part of the left hand side. The doors have some fine frosted glasswork with a modern lion motif picked out and one such door led out to an elaborately tiled rear corridor which connected back to the front bar as well as the toilets and garden. A TV screen in the rear room was showing muted live football coverage with a selection of clichéd Christmas tunes playing over the sound system and there was a large group of young lads in all wearing ridiculous 'ironic' Christmas jumpers, it being that time of year. There were four ales on handpull at the bar - Salopian Firkin Freezing, Phoenix Christmas Kiss, Lion Heart GPA and Batham's Bitter. I'd never actually had a pint of the latter before, so I jumped at the chance and enjoyed a good pint served in fine condition by the friendly bar staff. I didn't eat here, but I did see some of the food coming out of the kitchen and it looked fantastic. I really enjoyed my time here and thought it was a great example of a thoughtfully modernised traditional pub. Had things been a little quieter, I would have liked to settle down and maybe try a few more of their beers, as I suspect this is the sort of place you could easily lose a few hours. Another fine pub to include on any crawl around the Jewellery Quarter.

Old style bar and lounge serving 4 real ales and "craft keg".

A traditional twin-room pub, with a compact public bar at the front and a comfortable lounge to the rear. Refurbished sympathetically, with a few modern decorative features from owners UAB. Background music. Reasonable-looking menu, with plenty of specials on the board too. Rear patio beer garden. Two handpumps on each counter (with additional clips helpfully displaying what is available in the other one), dispensing Santa's Dark Side and Pud (£3.70) from Naylors, Kingbird(?) and Butty Bach. Well worth seeking out.

One of two Urban Art Bars in Hockley, this one is neatly done out in Victorian style with two bars round a central servery. Furnished traditionally with beaten copper topped Britannia tables and red leather covered bench seating. There are two pulls in each bar but with different beers in each, a handy stand with appropriate pump clips shows the choice in the other bar. The keg choice is the same more interesting line as found in the Lord Clifden but the casks are different. As with the Clifden decor comes from the same style of modern art prints, Churchill with a mochican being an example here.

The Red Lion is situated a short walk down warstone lane from the clocktower. Once inside the pub has two seperate rooms,the bar is at the front,this room is square shaped and had bench seating and small stools which faced the bar,the tables were copper topped and the floor was tiled. There were two TVs showing BT sports on mute. The lounge is to the rear,this is a plush looking room that is carpeted and had red leather bench seating. There were four real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Bathams bitter which was a very nice drink,the other beers were Wye Valley Butty Bach,Slaters Top Totty and a beer from Growler brewery. The pub does food and a group of women had what looked to be a nice full English breakfast. I found this to be a decent pub to have a drink in. Pub visited 17/8/2013

Small and a bit dirty. Uncomfortable.

Just a few things to add to Danny's comments. A two roomed pub that is smaller and less foody than the Lord Clifden but with a nice open fire in the back room. The flat screen TV scrolled Sky Sports News which was a bit of a conversation killer. On handpull there was Wye Valley Butty Bach, Castle Rock Harvest Pale, Nethergate Frank Incensed and Slater's Top Totty. Like its sister pub, I've ticked it off, it's popular with some punters but I feel more at home when I can sit down in a traditional environment. GBG 2010 entry

A more traditional pub than its sister the Lord Clifden, this is an ok comfortable local on the edge of the Jewellery Quarter. Beaten copper tables in two smallish rooms. There is a Banks mirror in the back lounge. 4 real ales, quality not as good as the other Urban Ales pub, but its still worth a visit