The Brown Lion, Birmingham

I have been looking forward to the Brown Lion re-opening for ages. Its the new Two Towers Brewery Tap House and Two Towers is currently my favourite brewer. The Brown Lion is an old Victorian pub that has gone through a number of transformations over the years. It was most recently a wine bar called Nicole's. Two Towers have refurbed the pub, giving it a complete redecoration and employing a member of staff from the Wellington in Birmingham to manage the bar. Due to the previous transformations, any sign of the old Victorian fixtures and fittings have long since gone. The interior is crisp and clean. It has two rooms set around a central bar. The place was buzzing on the Friday I came in. As you would expect, there is an array of Two Towers Ales on and one guest, plus a real cider. I had a pint of Livery Street Mild and Jewellery Porter. The drinks were, as I expected, delicious. There was only one drawback. After a third of the pint, the head was completely gone, making the drink look lifeless and flat. It wasn't, it just looked that way. When I have drunk Two Towers ales elsewhere, they've always had a good head. I could see that other people's beers were the same. Having said this. Its exciting having the Brown Lion up and running. It will be superb when the kitchen is functioning and food is being served. That is due to open on 23 May. This is a superb addition to the excellent pubs in the Jewellery Quarter.

The pub has been taken over by the Two Towers Brewery and is due to reopen during the latter half of May.