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Gunmakers Arms, Birmingham
Birmingham
B4 6HG
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Moby Duck left this review about Gunmakers Arms
I thought this might have been my pub of the day, but it was not to be, the interior was rather scrappy in its decor, I got the impression there was a long term refurbishment underway but the current state of the place was rather amateurish. There was 4 beers on ,all from Two Towers, my choice of Demon was not great having a certain tang I was not too keen on. Looks like it should be a good pub but on my visit I can't find much to recommend.
On 8th October 2017
- rating: 5
[User has posted 1875 recommendations about 1848 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Al Bundy left this review about Gunmakers Arms
A pretty decent 3 roomed pub. A bit of a trek if your train arrives at New Street. On the other side of some dual carriageway. 5 handpumps serving Two Towers beers which weren't too bad. The main room is sort of split in 2 with a wooded floor area by the bar and a carpeted area to the right as you enter. Sparsely decored inside. There is a games room at the rear.
On 19th January 2017
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3487 recommendations about 3390 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
General Staal left this review about Gunmakers Arms
Well and truly open. This is now the tap house for Two Towers Brewery. It stocks their full range.
Has just won the CAMRA rising star award.
A warm and friendly pub, Mark and his brother are excellent behind the bar. Clientele are also really friendly.
The Two Towers range is superb, especially the Jewellery Porter, Bhacker Ackhams, Chamberlain Pale, Hockley Gold and, when its on, their Black IPA called Vulcanised.
Could do with more interesting decor, but this is a really nice pub. Oh, it does food now and also has Friday Night Street Food.
On 30th March 2016
- rating: 9
[User has posted 142 recommendations about 125 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Gunmakers Arms
In 2011, Birmingham Council tried to change the name of their historic Gun Quarter, but relented after a public outcry. Had they got their way, the area's legacy would at least have been recalled in the name of this pub in the heart of the district. It's a nice traditional two bar set-up, with a public bar to the left and a larger lounge to the right. The public bar looked fairly basic, with some fixed bench seating along the end wall and a selection of sports related items and pictures on the walls. The landlord was busy cleaning this side when I arrived early on a Saturday afternoon, so I went into the lounge which has a compact bare boarded bar area and a slightly larger carpeted seating section further to the right. There is a short stretch of bar on this side and a similar layout in the public bar, although the servery has a third counter that faces the entrance and suggests the position of a former jug and bottle area. The lounge bar has been decorated with whiskey boxes, some breweriana and a few old paintings and there is some limited pew seating towards the rear. The larger seating area meanwhile, has some truly garish upholstered banquettes, low stools and low comfy chairs. The walls are half panelled with white upper halves and a large projector screen dominates the right hand wall, although it was out of action, leaving me to suffer Heart FM (a subsidiary of Yam Yam FM?!) for my sins.
Two Monty's beers were available - Sunshine and Old Jailhouse - as well as fairly standard keg options which included Kozel and something called Kofola, which I have since discovered is a Czech/Slovakian soft drink. The landlord was very friendly and made sure he poured the Old Jailhouse through before serving me what I'm guessing was the first pint of the day given that I was the only customer. It wasn't really up to much though, which was a shame as I was looking forward to trying something from a brewery that was new to me.
I thought that this place had a bit of something about it, but was let down by the poor timing of my visit and, more worryingly, the dubious pint. I'd probably give this place a second chance, but if I was pushed for time, I'd pick the nearby Bull instead.
On 17th November 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Gunmakers Arms
Looks like it has gone East European, with what I think were Czech and Slovak flags outside (as well as a Union Jack). The barman and a number of the punters were also of similar persuasion. The reason for my visit was to sample the Montys ales that this place sells. However on my 2.30pm visit both Montys ales were off, 'eez back in ten minutes' said the barman. Seeing as I’d made an effort to seek these out, I was a mite disappointed so I went to the Bull early. When I came back 20 minutes later it still hadn’t been sorted out, though upon seeing me the main man immediately scurried off to do it, leaving me marooned at the bar for an uncomfortable few minutes. The resultant half was flat as a pancake and was a waste of my time. Two-roomed interior, a smaller room with a blue-tinged hue on the left and a larger room to the right with an eye-watering clash of colours from the busy carpets, nasty pea green walls and floral banquettes. Generally there was an air of depressing shabbiness about the whole place. Over-loud music from Yam Yam FM pounded away for little purpose, blackening my mood still further. In stark contrast to the nearby Bull and I wouldn't bother this one again.
On 13th November 2014
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Gunmakers Arms
The Gunmakers Arms is a decent looking white painted pub.
Once inside there was a smallish bar to the left which was empty,so i went in the lounge to the right,this room was almost spilt into two halfs,the area near the bar was the smaller and had a laminated floor,the larger area away from the bar was carpeted and had comfy bench seating with small stools and chairs.
A TV was showing BBC football score updates.
There was a seperate room to the rear which had a pool table in it.
There were two real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Montys Old Jailhouse which was a very nice drink,the other beer was Montys Match.
I quite liked this pub,but it was fairly empty on my Saturday afternoon visit.
Pub visited 17/8/2013
On 17th August 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Soup Dragon left this review about The Gunmakers Arms
Update: Another pub i thought i had reviewed! It is a Victorian corner pub (in square Georgian style) with rear patio area. It is in white render with black paintwork around the doorways and sash windows - with a dog tooth cornice. The interior has two rooms, and an area at the back that has now been roofed over to for a pool room, where the table is free. The two main rooms are a bar, which i have never actually gone in, and a lounge. The lounge is open plan and is in mint green and wood panel, with a white ceiling and patterned carpet. There are some general prints and modern pictures (different coloured phoneboxes) on the walls and the seating is comfy seats and perimeter baenches. There is a large pull down screen (not on) and the background music was charty and a bit loud. The service is always excellent here - the chap is always chatty and from Slovakia. The clientele is often small, but friendly. Beer; tap stuff with a couple of lagers, Kozel being one. There are a couple of handpulls with Monty's Brewery offerings; MPA and Sunshine most recently - the MPA was OK. I find this a solid, friendly little place and we often pop in for one - or more - if we get the free pool table.
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This pub is currently closed
[Admin edit: actioned 4/1/10]
On 16th June 2013
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3067 recommendations about 3062 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about The Gunmakers Arms
This well run pub is defo worth a visit. Two handpumps serving ale from Monty's Brewery from Powys in Mid-Wales. The Slovakian manager told me that he has total exclusivity for Monty's in Brum. I found the manager friendly and chatty along with the locals. The pub is quite sparse and is very clean. I went for the Monty's Sunshine and the Manjana, both were very good. Also the Czech lager called Kozel went down easily. Glad I called.
On 10th October 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Gunmakers Arms
Refurbished local corner pub in the historic Gun Quarter and also failrly close to the Roman Catholic Cathedral.
Sympathetically done up but with a slightly modern fit and an overall nice feel.
There is a bar area and a lounge split into two to make the area next to the serving area having a bar-like feel. The other part is carpeted.
Seating is traditional , some padded benches, dark wood floor. There is a games room at the rear and a patio area.
This side of town is getting more accessible from the City Centre's Business Quarter as the Council try and soften the affect of the innner ring road.
Nice pub amd seems well run, top marks considering its position way from the main city areas.
3 real ales - all from Monty's brewery - very nice, not sure why its connected with Monty's but adds a variety to the centres drinking.
On 29th August 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
General Staal left this review about The Gunmakers Arms
This pub is well and truly reopened.
Externally, it is rendered in white and internally, most period features have been ripped out over the years. There are two rooms, a bar and a lounge and the decor is quite bland. There is a screen on which sports can be shown.
Service was incredibly friendly. I was served by a Slovakian gentleman who is the landlord. He was very friendly and was very proud of his pub. The other punters in the pub were also really friendly.
Beerwise, there is the usual tap stuff, plus M&B Mild on Smooth and two real ales, both by Monty's - a brewery I had never heard of. One was dark, Manjana, and one was light, MPA. Both were well kept and delicious.
The Gunmaker's is a brilliant complementary pub to the Bull, just round the corner. Its important to frequent pubs like the Gunmaker's. It is in a quiet, out of the way corner of Birmingham City Centre and could easily miss out on trade. But then again, if the Bull can survive, so can the Gunmaker's.
On 5th August 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 142 recommendations about 125 pubs]