Purecraft, Birmingham

Not really my cup of tea as a venue, but I will thank the Good Beer Guide for bringing me here. Flagship for the Purity range and a chance for me to try for the first time their Saddle Black Stout. It was superb. Visit blogged at http://bit.ly/2id5KVh

The exterior is quite nice but sadly its one of those new style bars that try and look like an industrial canteen. Its all bare brick, stone floor, exposed pipes and canteen-like furniture inside. It seems to be an outlet for Purity beers and these were to the for. Overpriced crafty stuff also available. I agree with the review below that its worth a visit, but only a quick visit.

Large room decorated in a brutal stripped back style, with the service ducts etc showing. Its very Brew-Dog like but there is a small lounge area on the right as you walk in with padded seats. Very beer keller like with long simple benches. Differs from Brew Dog in offering Cask ale, mainly from the part ownership of Purety Brewery but also guests such as Roosters. Keg selection of beers as well and the food is also cooked in beer. Not cheap but nice place with quality products.

A London style bar/kitchen opened by Purity (localish brewers of Mad Goose, UBU and the like). Interior layout is basically a large, modish open space with some utilitarian wood seating /benches and not much else. Four ales on five pumps; three from Purity and a guest from Roosters which, like so many beers sampled that day, was out-of-condition. Plenty of keg and - Brewdog style - you have to look at the board behind the bar to know what’s what (sigh). Friendly hipster barman who promptly disappeared when I took my initial sip of the listless brown liquid. Prices were on the steep side – why drink Purity here when you can grab it somewhere like the Welly a few yards away for less? Glasses are marked with half and two thirds measures. Glad I didn’t need the bog as reports elsewhere of the ridiculous signage would have enraged me. Found this a bit disappointing really and unless I wanted some speciality keg I doubt I’d bother to make a re-appearance (and actually the Brewdog is probably a better bet for that anyway, or even the Post Office Vaults for bottles?). Meh, given the options within 5-10 minutes of here I wouldn’t bother again.

This recently opened bar and kitchen looks very smart on approach, sited in a grand building just off Victoria Square. It’s the first pub to be opened by the Warwickshire based Purity Brewery and seems to be pitching itself as a craft beer bar with restaurant style food. Sadly, the promise of a grand, opulent interior vanishes as soon as you enter, with the décor stripped back to the basics, or in some parts, missing altogether. You enter into a laminate floored front seating area with some sparse high table and stool seating, an all-white colour scheme, large front windows and, apropos of nothing, a few bicycle saddles mounted on one wall. A ‘meet and greet’ person was stood to the right, checking if customers wanted to eat and directing them to tables when necessary. There is an easy to miss room off to the right, which looked considerably comfier and cosier than any of the other areas throughout the pub. Moving through, you emerge into the main body of the pub – a large open plan space with a bare concrete floor and undressed ceiling with all of the ventilation mechanics visible and wires hanging everywhere. The servery is on the right hand wall and has a basic servery with a wood and steel counter and a white tile bar back. There is a huge open space opposite with seating options constrained to the perimeter. Some hard fixed wooden benches run down the back wall, with a cushioned back which just about makes sitting on them tolerable. A couple of rows of standard tables and padded metal canteen style chairs make up the majority of other seating options, and there was one long table with some built in low stools positioned diagonally opposite the open kitchen over on the left side of the room. Most of the wall space remains bare, with a few modern art prints on the rear wall breaking things up a bit, but otherwise it’s all a bit empty and sterile, although you would hope this will mellow over time (I visited only two weeks after they opened). Some stairs in the rear corner lead down to who knows where and are notable for the large rubber ring shaped light feature that hangs above them. There are two banks of handpulls either side of a huge, chunky keg dispense line. Many handpulls were doubled up, but there were still plenty of options to choose from, with the line up on my visit consisting of Purity Mad Goose, UBU, Gold and Saddle Black, Kirkstall Dissolution IPA and Tiny Rebel Cwtch. Detailed boards on the bar back list all of the draught beer options including strength, price, tasting notes and even the beer’s IBU. I gave the Mad Goose a try and I have say it was in absolutely perfect condition, so credit to the cellarman for that. The menu remained a work in progress, with sandwiches and platters still not added and limited offerings elsewhere. Mains seemed to cost around £14, with ‘small plates’ closer to a fiver and bar snacks between £1-3. The staff were all very friendly and attentive and seemed keen about the whole venture. I quite enjoyed this visit, but I have to say that the terrible minimalist décor is misjudged, as it doesn’t make me want to stay here for more than a pint or two. But for quality beer in great condition and a friendly welcome, you can do a lot worse and I suspect as the place beds in, it will develop a bit more character and become a key player in the city centre’s pub scene.

A lovely Georgian corner building which has been refurbed and painted sympathetically. However, walking in to the building creates a very different impression from that of the traditional exterior. Stripped back and minimalist, one gets the feeling of an old industrial unit which has been done up as a bar. It is similar in feel to the Drop Forge in the Jewellery Quarter. The difference being that the Drop Forge really was an old 'factory'. The staff were really friendly and couldn't do more to help us and went out of their way to make our visit comfortable and enjoyable. However, Mrs Staal and I went in hoping for a drink and some lunch, but at 2:00 in the afternoon, most of the tables were empty, although their were plenty of people standing around, but all the tables had reserved notices on them. We had a drink and were going to leave and go elsewhere to eat, but, after quarter of an hour, a table for two was vacated and we sat down. This would strongly suggest that this establishment is for food, not for drinking. Having said that, lunch service ends at 2:30, but lots of tables (about half) were reserved from 2:30, meaning that the table situation would continue after lunch. But this could be just a one off on the day we came in. We both ate and the food was absolutely delicious, but the portions were, in my opinion, quite small. Even Mrs Staal, who eats like a canary, was still hungry after her meal. The food was also quite expensive. If I ate here again, perhaps a couple of the bar snacks would be more useful - perhaps using the bar snacks as a kind of tapas. I really enjoyed the beer, I had the Cwtch Tiny Rebel, Purity Saddleblack and Fourpour Oatmeal Stout. All on top form and delicious, but very expensive. I would drink in here again. It is nice, but I could not spend an evening here. Top marks for the friendly service though.

This is the Purity taphouse, which does food - housed in Christchurch House (the church once stood opposite). It is in Georgian style, now in grey and white, with a rusticated lower and lintelled sash windowed upper storeys. It looks great. The interior is an open plan area, with a main kitchen and bar area, and entrance area and a side area. The main room has tables and chairs along with a long table with fixed stools. It is in brick, a toffee colour with brown paintwork and offers stunning views of the kitchen, ducting and the large doughnut that hovers over the stairs to the bogs. The side areas have laminate flooring, and i assume that this will eventually cover the bar room too (although I may be wrong!) these have arty art, a saddle display (bicycle) and very painful on the backside high stools. There is no TV and the music was very quiet. The service was functional and the clientele seemed to be mainly that 25-35 bracket. A plethora of kegs were supported by Purity's Mad Goose, UBU, Pure Gold (fine), Saddleback and guests, Rooster YPA and Kirkstall Dissolution IPA and Cwtch Tiny Rebel. Expensive, yes. Pretentious, yes. Worth a visit, yes.