Formerly The Royal Mail and closed for several years. Good selection of beers and an excellent bottle menu.

I visited here on Monday 18th March 2013, it was actually easier to find than I expected as I entered via the Penfold St entrance which is probably a lot clearer and more obvious than the New Street entrance. Both entrances lead down to a cellar style bar though entering via the Penfold entrance you realise that the pub being is much closer to street level at that end. The pub is a one room oblong shaped affair with bar at one end, nothing particularly interesting about it, but it was pleasant enough. There were about eight handpumps as I recall with a Beuwolf stout at 7.4% the most interesting of these, in fact it was very tasty from the small sampler I had. I had 300+ beers to choose from in the bottled beer list or bible as they refer to it, though I decided to go for an old favourite in Br’ La Senne Zinnebir. I also had a Brooklyn There Will be Black and chatted quite a bit to the bar person, she was really informative about local pubs and clearly knowledgeable about her beers. A good bar with a good range (mostly bottles) I will definitely return here again. Btw this is just a 4-5 min walk from both Brewdog bar and also the Welly and in fact makes a nice little inbetweener.

Fine establishment for real ale and beyond. The selection is varied and there’s enough pumps to keep you occupied for several hours. Failing that there’s enough lager and bottles to supplement any whim, but it’s probably not the best idea to bring non beer drinkers here as there is little choice from the aforementioned. The decor is simple but suits, including indented light fittings surrounding by hops on the vine, as is the bar. To add to the already beer themed bar it has a hundred or so bottles from around the world circling the upper part of the room and a choice of Good Beer Guide books to read, which it is in of course. No food.

Visited on 28th December 2012 on a Birmingham city crawl. Basement pub with cosy intimate feel, friendly staff and warm welcoming locals. Eight real ales available and over two hundred bottles for those seeking more exotic varieties. I enjoyed Hobsons Mild and Salopian Oracle both of which were in fine condition. Although I was visiting alone, a fellow beer drinker was friendly enough to accompany me to the next pub. A must for anyone visiting Birmingham - you will not be disappointed. Handy for New Street and Moor Street stations and close to the Wellington.

A small underground beer bar in the heart of the city. It’s not so easy to find, but don’t give up. They have 14 regularly rotating taps, but this place is special for its awesome bottled selection. Ask for the beer menu. Don’t just look behind the bar! They don’t serve food, but you are welcome to bring in your own. The service is superb. The staff are ultra helpful and always ready to offer a taste. They even pour small samples in front of each pump so you can see the style. The wifi works well too, which is more than can be said for many bars these days. It does get busy at the weekend, but that’s no surprise. This is a must visit bar on any Birmingham crawl!

New bar in the centre of the city, near Victoria Square. It is a cellar bar, the New Street entrance is a little tricky to spot. Specialises in foreign bottled beers, particularly American, this is proving to be a good move as it seems to be popular. There are 8 cask hand pulls, time will tell how many of these will be rotating. No food is served but you are free to bring along your own. Seems to be a midway point between a Craft beer supplier and Real Ale house. It really is worth taking a look and close enough to the Welly, where there is a slight link, to be able to combine the two. I was really impressed hence the mark, but will review again later.
Updated review Dec ’12. This has been running 1 year now and remains an excellent place for beers in the City Centre. The Real Ales remain interesting, well sourced and in good condition. As has been said, the bottled beer is somewhat expensive. It is popular and often full particularly on weekend evenings. A must visit.

Only been the once (mid-week lunchtime) and it was very quiet. The place is pretty basic in design and layout: choice of levels and doors to enter, only one floor to drink in though. Hand pulls were interesting beers (to me anyway) from breweries I don’t see very often in the Midlands: quality of the two I had were both good. The bottled selection is huge for the UK and Birmingham in particular: sadly the prices put me off and why my ’value’ score is low. I know some International brews are costly, but I’ll not pay stupid prices for a bottle if good cask ales are available unless it is something I’ve been dying to try.

A small cellar bar offering an extensive bottled beer menu (over 100) from Belgium, Germany, America and a few other choice European brewers. 8 pumps offer a decent choice of local and national ales from the likes of Hobsons, Salopian, Freedom and Dark Star. There’s usually a Weisse on tap - most recently Maisel’s. Belgian and German beer merchandise adorn the walls, as do the ever increasing line of empty bottles near the ceiling. Quite pokey so get there early. An essential part of any Brum crawl.

good little bar, would like to see some more british bottles apart from that overall ok.

Excellent addition to the local scene, glad to see the superb worldwide bottled range doesn’t detract from the local cask offerrings.