North Brew Taproom Birmingham – Welcome Beer and Bao Buns review by Maddie Booth

Grapevine (and others) were invited to visit North Brewing Company at their signature site in Leeds to get a feel for their soon-to-open Birmingham Taproom – the first they are opening outside of Yorkshire – and boy are we in for a treat!

Their new taproom to be located in Snow Hill – right next to the station will be the perfect place for trying new things, relaxing after work and a perfect addition for those bar-hoppers.

We were encouraged to try loads from their range, which grows all the time. According to the team, they bring out a new beer almost every week! They’ve already been producing new ranges with various breweries across the region, it’s been great to see them involve themselves in the beer community.

It is evident already they’ll fit in very well in the region, with staff that go well and beyond to accommodate, an awesome atmosphere and a huge array of beer that anyone (even non-beer drinkers) will enjoy! We tasted some of their favourites like the Springwell Pilsner which definitely didn’t disappoint and we can see why it’s one of their best-sellers.

On offer was a selection of their more unusual beers such as the Full Fathom 5 which is infused with coffee and coconut, an absolute hit for someone wanting something with a little more richness – it is silky smooth. Or, for those wanting to not let go of summer yet, the Pinata is the perfect antidote – really soft and juicy with mango and guava fruit.

North have partnered up with Little Bao Boy for the food and I never thought beers and buns would be such a perfect combo – but boy are they filling! As a vegetarian it’s sometimes frustrating when you see one option that you like but they had 4 options for bao buns, so I had to try them all.

The buns are absolutely rammed full of filling from crispy, sticky tofu to aubergine to mushroom and even cauliflower! The cauliflower ones were my favourite, it is such an underrated veg and they cooked it perfectly to add real juiciness to the bun.

We’ll definitely be back! See you soon North – opening mid November.

(Top tip – if you aren’t a massive beer drinker, they’ve even got negroni’s on tap!)

Words by Maddie Booth for Grapevine Birmingham