Hook Norton is an excellent, traditional British brewer and the brewery itself is very traditional,…read morea late 19th-century Victorian tower brewery. They offer outstanding tours through the fascinating brewery, which still has a functioning steam engine which was still used to power the brewery until less than 20 years ago. The tour finishes up with tastings and we were given unlimited samples of all the bers they had cask or keg available at the time, along with a tasting glass. The tour is the best brewery tour I've been on to date, anywhere. There is a restaurant onsite as well, which is nice and serves not only their excellent beers, but also excellent food.

The restaurant is immaculate, the service was great and the food quality was great! Certainly going…read moreback but maybe get a tour round the brewery too!!!

Great beer & food,what's not to like?? Lots of organised…read moreevents with bands & daily meal specials. The menu features warming broths, Ploughmans, homemade burgers, chilli con carne made with Grainstore beer, and rustic sandwiches. As you tuck in to your Ploughmans at your wooden barrel table Food is served Monday to Friday - 12pm to 3.00pm and 5.30pm to 9pm, Saturday - Breakfast from 9am to 11.30am, Meals served all day from Midday to 9pm, Sunday - Breakfast from 9am to 11.30am and Lunch from Midday to 5pm.

A cracking little joint that boasts its own micro brewery…read more I does the usual beers, but I would recommend trying their own brewed ales. They cater for large groups and also offer mini tours of the brewery which is always fun and getting to sample their hard work once the tour is over. It has a more than ample outdoor seating area at the front which is great, and even though this is a small little gaff, I have never waited long to be served, even when a mass crowd of bikers turn up on mass to enjoy this little local gem.

Wonderful micro-brewery and beers. They have a pub also called the Norman Knight with all of their…read morebeers, amazing place! Keep up the good work. Best beer in the area for miles.....

So, I visited Two Towers Brewery for the second time last night. As it was an event, I am going to…read morepost about my first experience of this beery treat. So... I tend to plan something fun for a group of us to do around my Birthday. We've been to Monkey Forest and done all sorts of things... but last year I was at a loss. Whatever I plan has to be sufficiently fun to appease me, a group of goths and my lovely parents. It also helps if it's cheap and there is plentiful booze (this is generally the case in most dilemmas in life). After a brief poke around the interwebs, I stumbled upon the Two Towers website. Being an attraction that's local to me and makes beer, I was on to a winner. I dropped the fabulous Peter an email to enquire as to the chance of getting a private tour (as there were about 25 of us). About the same time, there was a groupon offer floating about (2 people for £6 for the tour). After having a conversation with Peter, it was decided they would do us the tour for the promotional rate of £3pp (very kind of them). As it's a little hidden away in the backstreets of Hockley, it's worth doing your homework first. It's actually only about a 10 minute walk away from the Clocktower in the JQ, but if you don't know where you're going you can get lost easily. A normal tour price is £10pp (but is well worth the cost), but keep an eye out for offers. From the outside, it doesn't look like much. The first comment I got last night was "Vicky... are you taking us to a carpark?". Well, yes, in a manner of speaking. The Brewery is in an mini-industrial estate. After arriving at the white door (normally surrounded by kegs and polypins), you might think it was closed! Just give it a push and if it opens, the brewery is open! It's actually open 8:30am - 5:30pm most days for sales to the public, but you need to pre-book if you want to do the tour. It's a small unit, but it doesn't need to be large. As an aside, there are plans in the works to extend and buy some new equipment; but I imagine it won't be ready and open in it's new state for a little while yet. There is a small area with beers for display and sale, a hatch for the serving of the drinks and the equipment at the back of the room. Despite it's small size, a tour can be between 1.5 - 2 hours in duration. Mark takes you through the background and history of the brewery and it's beers, the brewing process and the details of all of the ingredients used in the making. Whether you are an experienced home brewer yourself or have no idea about the process, it's interesting to learn the minute details of what makes the Two Tower beers so special. I have done the tour twice now and love it. I thoroughly recommend giving it a go (or you can always just pop in and grab some of the delicious beer for sale). The current facilities are basic, but will be changing this year!

A tour of a Birmingham Brewery that takes its names, and inspiration from the huge history of our…read moregreat city??? Yes Please I was invited to visit the Brewery on a Saturday afternoon. Most of the 16 or so people attending had been given the tour as a Christmas Gift which sounded like a fantastic idea. I'd tried Two Towers before at Hotel La Tour with their amazing Steak and Brummie Ale Pie which made it even more fun to try some of their other ales. The building itself is two units of a warehouse on the edge of Jewellery Quarter with several "vats" to create the beer in. I tried Electric Ale which is an exclusive to the Electric Cinema (The oldest working cinema in the UK) It's tasty and citric as ales go. If you are looking to sample some locally produced ale and hear all about how the history of Birmingham ties in to the beer then you can't go far wrong.

I highly recommend to go there and have a tour. Nigel was such an excellent guy, he knows a lot and…read morehe's very passionate about beer. My go to are the IPA, Haus and Pils. The place have si much potential, I hope they will open a bar and a bear garden

Wychwood Brewery was kind of a rare opportunity for me to try beer from abroad. I am very grateful…read morethat the opportunity has arose and I got to try a beer from the UK. Steve and I experienced their Hobgoblin Ruby Ale. There are a couple different versions of this Ruby Ale but we had the one that came in at 4.5 ABV. It is an English style Brown Ale with noticeable flavor highlights of toffee, maltiness, sweetness and dryness all very well balanced with none of those flavor highlights being too heavy handed. I like brown ales in general but virtually all of the ones I have had are made in the United States. What I noticed with this UK one was the dryness and how the sweetness was more in the background on your taste buds rather than dominant. Not too sure how it was done but it was a refreshing change of pace.

Surprisingly challenging to find in this little town, once dominated by the brewery, down a…read morebackstreet in a seemingly residential area. Upon arrival we were ushered downstairs, and given a half-pint of their monthly special - ours was the 'full Brazilian' which was...well...not the best, but good to try. We were then taken around the brewery by our very knowledgeable tour guide / ale aficionado. This involved tasting the raw hops, and different kinds of malts used, and looking at lots of vats and pipes and other brewing stuff. It is actually surprisingly small for how common their beers are, some of the equipment was over a century old which seemed impressive. After the tour came the bit that everyone was looking forward to, the tasting! Beers served at the recommended temperature, which despite the detailed lecture from our doctor of ale tour guide about ale temperature, was still a little warm for me. 11 beers, served one or two at a time to compare and contrast. Before you get excited they were served in tasting cups, about the size of a double-shot but still...11 in half an hour was pushing it for some. Finally, nice and loosened up, into the gift shop for some hobgoblin related purchases. Of course, you can buy the beer here and of course, it is a fraction of the price it is in London...of course, make sure you plan how much you can carry *before* purchasing. A couple of things to remember: * Book at least two weeks in advance for the tour, places are limited - more limited than I had expected. * Don't wear flip-flops...they will force you to wear 'daps' because of all the crazy cleaning irritants on the floor.

Had a great day out today fulfilling my yearning for some serious real ale action after months of…read morelife in Germany. To that end, I visited one of the UK's oldest independent breweries, Three Tuns. I'm not sure how old the existing building is, but it's a gorgeous red brick affair that was threatened with residential development in 2002. Fortunately, common sense won out and the brewery began producing again in 2003. The current output can only be described as fantastic. I drank Three Tuns all over mid-Shropshire today, and each pint was magical. From the first extremely hoppy XXX, to the pint of Stirling after lunch in the adjacent Three Tuns Inn, to the pint of Curate straight from the barrel. I ended up going home a happy man carrying 12 pints of the amber nectar with me. Unfortunately, brewery tours have to be booked in advance, and it's best to arrange for a Saturday. I shall do just that!

Having visited the pub next door a few times and sampling the beer that is brewed here, I have to…read moresay it is one of the finest selection of traditionally brewed ales I have ever tasted. Go there - try some - simple!

Quaint and quirky brewery / tap house / bar / pub / venue in Fargo Village. This place is truly a…read morehidden gem and I can't believe more people haven't heard of it. There are a great variety of real tasty locally brewed beers (many if not all of them I think are brewed in the bar itself) and the staff are incredible. Real rustic punky / folky vibes inside and there's always some great music playing in the background. Usually things like Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Sum41, Bowie, AAF, Blink 182 etc! Fab place for an evening wind down, and sometimes they have more bouncin' events on like their recent beer festival, and the occasional pub quiz

I've really enjoyed my time spent at Twisted Barrel! It has…read morea chill Hipster/Boho sort of vibe. Warm and cozy in the winter, and sprawls outside in the summer. Most of all the beers, cider and ales on tap were created in this shop! You can literally see all the equipment that was used around the seating area. Although they're not brewing it while you're there, it's sort of like eating in the kitchen of a restaurant. The staff there are all super cool. Especially on Friday and Saturday nights. They always recommend different drinks to what sort you like, and even let you have samples sometimes. They used to serve vegan food, but now it's only drinks and some nuts. There's also beers to take away, and sometimes they do deals with the other local FarGo vendors so keep an eye out. I've seen events going on there some nights as well like open mic night and quiz night. Some nights I go by and it's so packed there's standing room only. Other nights you can get the place to yourself. It's a bit hit or miss. But all in all if you're planning to go with a group of friends, best to send someone ahead early to snag a table with chairs. Boys beware: Not the sort of place to pick up chicks. This is usually older generation clientele who really appreciate small batch beers and a chill vibe associating with their own friends. This is Not a pub or bar for PUA's! Haha. Great drinks and independently owned. Definitely recommend stopping in! ;)

Excellent beers available from this brewery, I usually drink them at The Malt Shovel…read more Bottled beers are also available, so you can drink real ale at home, ring the brewery for list of stockists.

This place looks lovely and warm and cosy from the outside, exactly like a good old fashioned pub…read moreshould look. However, entering the pub, all the tables were labelled reserved, and the candles, décor and clientele was a little too upmarket for my liking. I persevered and continued to attempt to find a table that had not be reserved, but unfortunately could not. I was about to walk out, when a member of staff kindly offered to allow me and my friends to sit anywhere, and removed the reserve sign from the nearest seating area. In this instance, my initial liking for the Bluebell had been rekindled by the staff, who were very friendly and welcoming to the likes of a scruff such as me. Although I still felt a little too underdressed to fit into their sleek, modern designed interior, which was littered with bear skin rugs on the floor, curtains around doorways and potpourri scented toilets. Drinks prices were reasonable, which I found highly surprising, as I thought they would reflect the pub surroundings. I purchased a sailor jerry and cranberry juice for around £3, so nothing to complain about there. I found it very interesting that the Bluebell doesn't keep cranberry juice in cartons, but has small glass jars full of the fruit juice instead. I'd never seen anything like this before!

Betwixt Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon lies the sleepy town of Henley-in-Arden. It's 30 minutes…read moreby train from the city centre through glorious postcard perfect English countryside, and on a summery Saturday we headed there to try out a Michelin recommended pub - The Bluebell. They've been around a while, in fact the Tudor hostelry has been feeding and watering the public for half a millennium, so they've had plenty of practise. For the last decade owners Leigh and Duncan Taylor, and their head chef James Devonshire, have been offering food that has won plaudits including two AA rosettes, and he Good Food Guide Midlands Restaurant of the Year 2013. They offer coffee and cake from 10am, lunch from noon, and dinner from 6pm. Obviously there's an à la carte menu and they've also just launched a two course for £10 lunch club, available Tuesday to Saturday, noon till 2.30, and that's what we went to sample. The restaurant and bar are intimate spaces with low Tudor beamed ceilings, flagstone and wooden floors, and heavy velvet drapes. The furnishings are eclectic and owner Leigh's eye for design is obvious with shabby chic furniture, artistic lighting, and quality stemware adding to the overall feeling of lusciousness. The private dining room looked particularly inviting. The lunch club menu (two courses for £10, or three courses for £15) is changed daily, so you get what you're given i.e. there are no options. If however you don't like that day's offering (I think that's unlikely) you can of course eat from the normal menu. On the day we went, the lunch club menu comprised Sweet Corn and Basil Velouté followed by Cottage Pie with pickled red cabbage, and dessert of Pavlova with English Strawberries and Chantilly Cream. We started our lunch with a "Bluebell-ini" (£7) that's Prosecco and strawberry juice, with a ripe strawberry on the rim. Our first course was the Velouté of Sweet Corn and Basil. Served in a vintage tea cup and saucer the smooth and creamy velouté was well seasoned, piping hot, with light sweet corn and basil flavours. It was served with sourdough bread made onsite from a "mother" dough that Chef James has lovingly nurtured for three years. The sourness of the bread worked well with the sweetness of the corn. As you'd expect The Bluebell are big on using the best suppliers, and the quality of produce shone through, worthy of mention was the creamy butter from Netherend farm, and that they use Aubrey Allen butchers for their meats. The main was a Cottage Pie, which initially I thought might not be summery enough, but the side of pickled cabbage with star anise lifted it so that it was not at all heavy. The pie itself had great beefy flavours with a good texture, and the mash was fluffy and buttery and attractively piped with crispy grilled edges. The wine list is impressive and there are 15 by the glass. I went for the delightful Veramonte Chardonnay (£6.25 a glass, or £25 for the bottle). We also had a glass of the Luigi Bosca La Linda Malbec (£7.15 a glass, or £28 for the bottle). Those wine lovers amongst you will know from just those two name-drops that there are plenty of good wines to choose. Not a wine drinker? Worry not, there's a good selection of other drinks including Purity ales (a local independent brewery). In the interests of fully reviewing it, obviously we had to have desert. A large pink quenelle of crispy sweet meringue was topped with Chantilly cream, roasted pistachios, and English strawberries. A super finale to a summer luncheon. Monthly event nights are run at the venue for about £40 which includes a three course dinner and entertainment. Coming up in July is a Calypso night with singers and dancers, and then in August there's a Ratpack night. I like venues that are run by a small and dedicated team because their passion translates in to the food and the service. That's exactly what The Bluebell will offer you. Quality produce, well prepared, and served with care and enthusiasm for what they offer. The £10 lunch offer really is extra-ordinary for this quality, so get there when you can. We will inevitably be back, which given that we get a nosebleed when we cross Brum's middle ring-road, is testament to how much we liked it. Simply delightful.