West Midlands Metropolitan

The West Midlands metro area might seem an unlikely home for independent food and drink producers, but look past the urban landscape and you will find a scene that punches well above what most people expect.

Stirchley in south Birmingham has quietly become one of the most exciting craft beer neighbourhoods in the country. Birmingham Brewing Company has been producing multi award-winning vegan and gluten-free beers from their Stirchley Trading Estate taproom since 2016, and their Beer School lets customers brew their own. Attic Brew Co, also in Stirchley, opened in 2018 and has quickly built a reputation for hop-forward ales, 100% vegan brewing, and one of the best taprooms in the city. Glasshouse Beer Co produces distinctive, bold, fruit-forward IPAs just down the road. Between them, these three breweries have turned Stirchley into a destination for craft beer lovers from across the Midlands and beyond.

The scene extends across the city. Burning Soul Brewing near the Jewellery Quarter was voted best new brewery in 2017. Two Towers Brewery serves traditional real ales at the Gunmakers Arms tap. Dig Brew Co in Digbeth pushes creative boundaries. Holdens Brewery near Dudley has been a family-run Black Country institution for four generations since the 1920s.

Beyond beer, the metro area has genuine food producers worth discovering. Berkswell Cheese at Ram Hall in Balsall Common is a fine British ewes milk cheese with national recognition. Walter Smiths Fine Foods in Balsall Common is an award-winning family butcher sourcing from local farmers. Loaf in Stirchley is a community bakery producing real bread using traditional methods alongside a cookery school and neighbourhood cafe.

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