Brewhouse & Kitchen, Sutton Coldfield

I had only been to one of this chain before in Bristol. and found 3 of their beers on at this one today. all in good condition. Had a flight of 3 thirds which I was warned would cost more than a pint, and paid £5.10. Not a lot of flavour to the Sutton Pale Ale, but enjoyed the Marksman and Black Belt. Pleasant sitting in the sun at the front of the pub, and we were given a taster glass of Mango Milkshake, a tap beer which was poor at first being so cold, but by the time we had finished the cask beers the flavour was coming through. Enjoyed my visit and would come back.

Housed in a prominent building, formerly the Cup, but now one of the expanding eponymous chain. Remodelled and thoroughly refurbished when it became a brew-pub, with a traditional appearance to the bar but a more modern look to the feature dining area extension on the road junction corner. Between these two sections, the brewing vessels make an interesting sight. Further seating is also available out on the front patio terrace for the better weather. I found five different beers on the two banks of four handpumps, including a tasty Black Belt porter (£4.00).

I've visited a couple of pubs in this chain previously, in Islington and in Chester. They follow a similar formula, the brewing vessels are on view as you enter, all gleaming copper, decor tends to be rustic, this one has some exposed brickwork, distressed timber wall boarding etc. A large tank contains hops and has a bit of hop related information, bullet point style, a full height curtain suggests one end of the room can be divided off. The long bar is on a back wall, there is a raised area at the far end, beyond the brewing equipment. Seating is at all sorts of different tables, one has a central fire pit. The previous incarnation can still be seen in areas with The Cup signage remaining externally plus the old leaded windows. There are ceiling fans which are located in areas where there are downlighters in the ceilings, this causes a strobe light effect which could be a serious issue for some people. Beers were served in large tankards with handles, they had their own 004 Oaks, Marksman, Sutton Pale Ale, The Cup and Black Belt.There was also Yellow Hammer Carnival cider. I think this was the dearest round of the day, averaging comfortably over £4 a pint. Food is important here and looked to be possibly the main reason why people were in on an early Saturday tea time. Worth a look if only for the novelty value of seeing the on-site brewery but not one to spend too much time in I think.