The secrets behind Birmingham’s best loved brewery

Craft beer has been all the rage over the past few years, and here in Birmingham, one particular Microbrewery has been making waves across the scene.

Offering a distinctive take on craft beer, I’ve come along to see what makes Birmingham Brewing Company stand out and why so many Brummies take pride in this particularly special beer.

In the noble pursuit of science, I found myself sampling a variety of the beers on offer. Lined up before me from left to right were the Stirchley Lager, the Sober Brummie, and then the Pale Brummie. I made sure to take more than a few hearty swigs of each. The Stirchley Lager emerged as my top tipple, but all three brews were undeniably delightful. One common quality I noticed was a smoothness and distinctiveness of flavour, and, on a personal note, I didn’t experience the usual bloated sensation that often accompanies a beer binge. So, what is it that makes these beers so special?

Paul Harwood, founder of Birmingham Brewing Company, said: “We were founded in 2016. It was a bit of a passion, a hobby of mine was home brewing. And I was made redundant from my job in financial services and decided that, as I had a bit of money, I was going to spend it on a brew kit and try to make a Brummie beer brand. We’ve grown from just myself in a little warehouse now to a team of about seventeen people brewing thousands of pints every week.”

Apart from concocting superb beverages, Birmingham Brewing Company operates with a socially responsible ethos, supporting the community and striving to minimise their environmental impact. “We brew and serve our beers all here. We’re sitting in the Birmingham Brewing Company Taproom now, so you can drink beers that have literally moved from the tanks behind me to the bar this side of me - so you can’t really get much fresher beer than that with fewer food miles really. We’re really socially conscious with everything we do.

“We use 100% renewable energy for all our processes in the brewery. Our spent grain - the waste from the brewing process - goes to a local farmer’s cattle feed, so it’s not wasted. Our Sober Brummie beer, which is a low alcohol beer that is brewed - 5% of the sales goes to Midlands Air Ambulance. And we hope that supports them with any incidents and things that happen in the local area. And it’s all obviously funded by donations. So it’s local business supported by local people and supporting the services that we all benefit from.”

Robert Huckfield, Production & Packaging Manager for Birmingham Brewing Company tells us: “What makes us unique here at Birmingham Brewing Company is that we’re gluten-free and also vegan. So we actually deglutenise our malt in the fermenter using an enzyme, which means that everybody can access our product and drink it, which is a really, really wonderful USP to have,”

“So one of the best things you can have as a brewery is when you walk into a pub and your beer’s on, and then there’s loads of people drinking your beer and enjoying it. There’s no better feeling as a brewer. It’s why we make beer. It’s why we’re so passionate about it. You know, we strive to make the best beer possible here, the most accessible beer. When we’re creating the beer, what we’re thinking is, can you have four or five pints of it with your mates? And that’s exactly what we’re trying to do here.”

Birmingham Brewing Company has rightfully earned its place as a firm favourite among Brummies, who take immense pride in supporting a company that truly values their craft.