A change has been happening in Birmingham of late. Punters in the city are becoming less thirsty for a pint of generic larger and are branching out to a different tipple to quench their appetite. The craft beer revolution was a long time coming for Birmingham, but following on from the openings of The Post Office Vaults, Brewdog, Cherry Reds and Pure Bar & Kitchen in the last few years/months, the city centre is now awash with a newfound love for delicious, beer boundary-pushing tipples.
Now in its second year Birmingham Beer Bash has exemplified this change more so than any other part of the city’s emerging scene. The brainchild of beer bloggers with a collective passion for interesting, independently produced keg and cask beer, its debut in 2013, blurred the eyes and stole the hearts of the hundreds that attended over the long-weekend. This year the three day festival returns in July to further satisfy the beer veterans and convince any unsuspecting craft beer virgins that there’s more to an ale festival than what’s on offer at every village hall up and down the country each summer.
A host of UK craft breweries will be making an appearance including Magic Rock, Pressure Drop, Thornbridge, and Weird Beard, as well as local brewers, Purity. BBB will once again be combining the hop-laden beer consumption with equally delicious fare, available in the form of adventurous street food stalls and fine dining gourmet food pairing sessions held on each day – tantalising the taste buds even more, while also attempting to keep punters (relatively) sober. RT
Birmingham Beer Bash
The Bond Co, Digbeth
birminghambeerbash.co.uk
Prices start from £8.50
24 – 26 July
Image by Nicci Peet
Area Culture Guide 