The Malt House, Birmingham

This is a Greene King foody gaff, with all that brings. Only their own ales available, no guests, but there was a Greene King seasonal ale, named False Nine. Plenty of outdoor seating with views of the canal, and only on leaving did I notice an upper floor with balcony area that would have had even better views. Not one I'd be fussed about going back to but nice to have tried it because of its location.

Clearly a lot spent on repurposing this old industrial building to take advantage of the key location at the canal junction and adjacent to the ICC and Brindley Place, but they have made quite a good fist of creating somewhere that is nice for a pint with lots of separate areas and a good sprinkling of heritage features. Probably best avoided in peak tourist times though. As with much of their estate now, just Greene King ales on handpump and in fact only Old Golden Hen was on with others 'coming soon'.

Nice spot near the canal but better in the summer! A couple of Christmas ales on plus Black Sheep and Tribute. We went for Tribute at £4.50 and it was just about OK.