Birmingham Beer Bash - That was fun!

Saturday 23rd July, went for a run, abandoned son to an afternoon with his grandparents (still not sure they "get" Pokémon Go though) and headed off to Birmingham with the youngest of my two brothers. It was time for his second craft beer festival, having attended Craft Beer Rising with me back in Feb, this time we were going to get it right (no falling off the cliff). First up - food, hello Subway! Grab water and Four Pure Session IPA from M & S, for the train journey to what was once the industrial heartland of the UK. Arriving in Birmingham, you are greeted by a very clean modern train station at New Street, felt more like an airport terminal to me, which when compared to some stations, made it feel very pleasant, open and bright. We took the exit pointing towards the Bullring (Shopping not involving beer or food I presume, so, we swerved this) and after a pleasant walk of around 10/15 mins we arrived at The Bond Company.

The Bond Company is a wonderful example of what can be done to conserve previously derelict buildings, creating a wonderful multi purpose multi functional space, the Victorian buildings look fantastic and any event would be enhanced by hosting it here.

Which brings nicely onto the event in question - The Birmingham Beer Bash.  

 It's a much smaller event than say Craft Beer Rising, or, Indy Man, but, the charm of the venue grabs you immediately. Whether that be the aforementioned buildings, or, the canal, even the graffiti that can be seen, somehow adds to how everything looks and feels. As ever, the weather played it's part - it was a shades and sun cream kind of a day. Organisation was good, mobile tech being used to good effect, tickets scanned, pick up glass with tokens, or, without, depending on your booking, and, off you go to find beer. (There was a technical hitch with the credit card payments, which I think some found frustrating, probably none more so than the guys selling the tokens!) Now, I know not everyone is a fan of tokens, but, I haven't got a problem if that's the route the organisers feel is the best option for them. 

One room housed all the beer, making it rather a simple affair to browse, choose, sample and buy. As ever, everyone serving had time for the punters, and, it is always a pleasure chatting to people who have brewed the beer are in some way connected to the brewery, brings a personal touch, one sadly lacking from more traditional beer festivals most of the time.

The atmosphere was very friendly, and, I bumped into people I knew, people I had previously met and those I only knew from Twitter, on top of that I had a interesting conversation with Malster, it's possible I have even remembered some of what he said. A lot of fun was had and a fairly considerable amount of beer was consumed, but, all was conducted by everyone concerned with a smile on their faces. Unless circumstances change, I will be returning to this event in the future. A big thanks to everyone who helped make it what it was.

My youngest brother and myself enjoying sunshine and beer.

David and Clayton doing exactly the same! 

My beery highlights - you can find my rating and thoughts on Untappd.

The Arbitrager

To Arbitrage - the simultaneous buying and selling of securities, currency, or commodities in different markets or in derivative forms in order to take advantage of differing prices for the same asset. Now, I have been in banking for 29 years and that sentence means nothing to me! What I do know though is that this tiny pub is a most welcome addition to the City of London beer scene.

They are unique in the Square Mile as they only sell draught beer and cider produced in London, and, as they only buy in a small quantity of each beer, the selection is always changing. The beers are served in 2/3 and 1/3 pint measures, or in growlers (why they are not called flagons is beyond me.....) to take away, this option is tempting when one is having a bad day in the office I can tell you! The beers are served in excellent condition and the bar staff are always more than happy to talk you through the range and let you have some tasters. They also have a wide range of spirits, all distilled in London, the gin selection really is rather good, (I am partial to a nice G&T, especially in the summer months, or, days I should say). On top of this, they have home made tonic, which is served on draught, along with an in house punch which changes regularly.  

The Arbitrager as a pub has been around for many years, and would have been a favourite haunt for bank messengers and those brokers working at the stock exchange opposite. However, I only knew the pub as dirty, smokey and selling stale out of date crisps thrown at you by a very grumpy landlord! I can assure you it is much improved.

Not only have they upgraded in terms of personnel, drink choices and bar snacks, the place itself has had a considerable makeover, as you can see from the pictures above. On the left is how it used to be, and, I must say this picture makes it look a whole nicer and cleaner than I remember it. On the right is how it is now. It is snug, but, bloody lovely inside, they have used the limited space to great effect, well done to whoever designed it, worthy of an award in my opinion.

Near the bar is a large map of London (sadly the picture above only shows a small part of it) on it they have highlighted all the London breweries, which, as you can imagine, requires a lot of updating on a regular basis.

All told, this is a great little boozer and one that is firmly on my radar during the working week. The pub can be found at 27a Throgmorton St London, EC2N 2AN. If you are in the area, I can highly recommend it as a place to visit, cheers!

For those of that are interested, these are the beers I had on a recent visit:

Islington Lager at 4.7% by Hammerton Brewery - a refreshing tasty lager which is unfiltered and unpasteurised, proving once again that lager does not have to be clear, fizzy, cold and tasteless.

Rye IPA at 6.1% by Maregade Brew Co (these guys are new, and, are brewing below the Cock Tavern in Mare Street, Hackney, once the home of Howling Hops). I like my Rye IPAs clean, and, this one hit the mark, I will be seeking out their other beers when I get the chance.

Biere De Garde at 7.7% by Partizan Brewing - a very drinkable slightly higher than usual abv biere de garde, but, absolutely delicious, really well balanced between the fruity flavours and the sourness/funk.