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BrewDog Birmingham, Birmingham
Birmingham
B1 1BL
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about BrewDog
With a little longer to spare than anticipated before having to catch my train home, I decided to brave this Brewdog outlet, just a short walk from the station. The bar is fitted out in typical 'craft beer bar' fashion, with an exposed concrete floor, bare brick walls, stone bar top and wall to wall hipsters. Modern windows bearing the Brewdog logo lead you in to a simple room with the servery running along the rear wall. Some unusually arranged seating to the right sees a series of small booths created which look fairly cosy as far as this sort of bar goes, whilst over to the left it's more run of the mill, with high tables and stools filling the mid-section and various drinking shelves running around the perimeter. Décor comes in the form of the usual Brewdog promotional material and some hand drawn informative guides to the brewing process. Stairs lead down to a small lounge with very comfortable sofas and armchairs in a compact and, dare I say it, cosy looking bare boarded room. That's certainly not to suggest that this is in anyway a pub for the traditionalist, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and it all certainly makes a change from the normal gun-metal grey pubs Brewdog seem to churn out.
It would be too much to expect any cask ale on the bar, but there was the usual strong keg range which offered Brewdog Dead Pony Club, Punk IPA, Baby Dogma, Old World IPA, Lumberjack Breakfast, Brixton Porter and five beers in the IPA is Dead series - Amarillo, Kohatu, Victoria's Secret, Exp 366 and Comet. A further six guest keg brews from the likes of Hawkshead and Buxton were also available alongside the usual vast range of expensive bottled options. The staff were super friendly and when ordering a beer, they asked if you had tried it before. If you reply 'no' they freely offer a taster so you can be sure you're ordering something you'll enjoy, which I thought was great customer service. The cheery barman who served me gave a thorough description of the Baby Dogma, along with a taster before I decided to have a half. It was a pretty tasty beer, but cask drinkers are likely to be put off by the usual temperature/carbonation compromise.
I've been a little unkind to Brewdog when reviewing some of their other bars, but I thought this place was a lot better than others I've visited. The staff alone made this an enjoyable visit and I thought the brewery had reined in some of their interior design minimalism excesses, making this a good options for fans of the craft keg movement.
On 10th May 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3387 recommendations about 3387 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about BrewDog
A brewdog chain pub housed in a fantastic building. The Geoffrey Building dates to 1901 and is of three storeys (plus dormered attic). It is of brick and yellow terracotta, with Roman windows in general, with the most outstanding feature being the gabled corner bay windows (the top being smaller). The pub frontage, by contrast, is in black. The interior has an open plan room, with a few seats downstairs, outside the bogs - the gents having a beer timeline to distract you enough to pee on your shoes and a piping system that allows you to hear upstairs conversations (MI5 take note). The main seating is a mix of high stools and boothy areas and the decor is mainly brick, with a bit of cheery grey and tin. There is no TV and the music is general and at a decent level. The service was fine, as ever it is in Brewdog pubs and the clientele was, again, mixed. There are some paintings and strange sayings on the walls, "the revolution wont be televised" for example - I am sure it will be, but only available on Sky. Beer; well, their usual range and prices - i had the Dead Pony Club this time, which was fine, just a bit hoppy for my taste. I have been in a few times, and will do so again i am sure.
On 27th November 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3141 recommendations about 3136 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about BrewDog
This Brewdog has about half a dozen tables and chairs out front and on our hot Sunday eve visit these were full. There were a few more drinkers inside and some drinkers downstairs. There were three booths on the right, so we parked ourselves there. After a good day on the real ale, I can get tempted to a Brewdog beer or two. The staff were friendly, chatty and helpful and took a lot of patience when choosing my tipple. I went for the Fake lager at 4.7, Punk IPA 5, and a 6.7 IPA.
On 25th July 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3747 recommendations about 3747 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about BrewDog
Ah, Brewdog, arriving in the second city late in 2012 with its brand of trendy bars.
Really a mixed bag this one. Situated in the listed former Geoffrey Building, the need for Listed Building consent seemed to delay the eventual opening. The building is on a vehicle restricted cross roads, only really used by the inhabitents of the various city apartments that are in the area. John Bright Street used to be a pub/club hotspot but has since declined since developments elsewhere in the city. There are therefore a lot of empty pub units here, but not over obviously so. I expect they got a good price on the lease therefore, but there is further hope with the opening of the refurbished New Street Station, especially after April 2013 when the first part will be complete. Also, there is arguably a new Craft Beer quarter appearing here with Brewdog, the excellent Victoria, a promised Purety Brewery Pure Craft Bar on Navigation Street, a new 11 handpull trad local in the form of the Craven Arms near the Mailbox by March 2013 and the independent Penny Blacks, as well as Post office Vaults and Lamp tavern being not too far away.
Its a typical exterior for the chain on a corner unit. Inside it will never be described as homely or comfortable, sharp edges, bright, dull concrete tables, basic chairs and a fresh bar with plenty of brick on show. There is a sofa near the door and some booth type areas, as well as the tasting area downstairs where the toilets are also located.
The Blackboards behind the bar show the beers, usually around 6 or 7 Brewdog beers and 4 guests, all keg, served cold from indifferent taps on the bar. the food looks like a choice of burgers and the like, not sure on the quality as I havn't tried it. The beer is served in thirds/halves/two thirds/pints, depending on what you want, and the strength. Prices are high, but its the City Centre and some of those beers are strong!
This all sounds a little negative, but I actually like their beers, there are some nice sipping strong ales, the bar staff are very helpful. Ok its not real ale, but the craft label means some tasty stuff, and the quality I find excellent. Its a basic place, but it still has a nice modern feel, young, upbeat, whatever words like that you want to use.
No, it won't be everybody's cup of tea, but for me makes to improve the choice of drinking holes in Birmingham, and a very welcome addition.
On 28th January 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1611 recommendations about 1588 pubs]