retiredmartin

18th January 2023.

Last week’s day trip to Birmingham was a perfect example of the traumas afflicting the Beer Guide completist.

I’d been in Brum half an hour and ticked the only GBG newbie that was actually open (the Digbeth tap room being shut till this weekend).

A year ago, if I’d been focused on finishing the Guide, I’d have taken a bus to Brierley Hill to a modern micro, then another bus to a Sizzlin’ grill restaurant in Wolves, found at least one of them unexpectedly closed, and moaned about it on here.

But now I don’t have to worry about them*, I can just enjoy the big city.

Perhaps have a couple of macaroons and Prosecco to make Mrs RM jealous ?

Don’t be daft. Not when there’s new craft beer bars to be ticked savoured.

North Brewing’s new outpost is so new (though not as new as Manchester) it’s not even on Google or Bing maps yet, so just head for the tall buildings past St Phillip’s and look for Livery St.

Some lovely ceramics at Snow Hill,

and some gorgeous modern architecture for those of us who appreciate that sort of thing.

The frontage could be any modern tap room in Leeds or Manchester, particularly with the now ubiquitous Bao buns.

Which weren’t quite as good as the ones in the Salt bar in Sheff, but tasty enough.

OK, it’s not the high tables aren’t going to attract the old codgers away from the Black Country pubs round here, but the Transmission was tasty, and the staff were wonderfully smiley.

Sadly, the Season’s Reverse on cask was cool but dull. For some reason, and I blame Blackpool Jane for this, everyone was drinking the Peanut Butter Stout.

Peanut Butter Stout is what all the cool Brummie Kidz drink, the ones who think 1979 was the year of “Toei Slap Phama“, rather than “Gangsters“.

10/10 for the soundtrack, North Bar.

*Notice that it’s late January and I STILL haven’t finished marking up the GBG maps yet. Tardy.