Scran: The Colmore in Birmingham

Colin Drury's monthly series celebrating venues combining top-tier food with independent beer continues in England’s second city…

• • •

Colin Drury

Photos:
The Colmore

Saturday 22 August 2026

•••

This article is from

Italy

issue 134

Share this article

When we first walk into the Colmore, in Birmingham city centre, our open mouths must tell a story.

“You haven't been here before, have you?” asks manager Ian Cole. “We can usually tell new customers by the way they look around.”

The place is beautiful. Like, really beautiful.

It's genuinely no exaggeration to say that, in half a lifetime's worth of drinking, I have rarely been in a place quite so stunning as this. Think spectacular chandeliers, velvet panelling, and marble tabletops. Think ornate wall lamps, polished glass and baroque wood. Think, a 30-foot bar with 16 taps and eight hand-pulls serving the likes of Brew York, Vault City and Nothing Bound. The place — a Grade II listed building — was once a Quakers counting house and three original tiled friezes have been exposed and polished up. 'Pondera', 'qvis tam' and 'improbvs', they say: be wary of those who are dishonest about weights.

“You'd expect me to be biased,” says Ian. “But I don't know if I've ever been in a better-looking pub. It's modelled on bars like The Ginger Man in New York but with a Birmingham slant. I have an office upstairs but, quite often, I'll just come down and work here instead.”

Oh. And it also does amazing, beer-infused food too, which — we almost forgot — is actually why we're here.

The Milanese pizza here is nothing short of fantastic (as they may or may not say in Italy), with the dough being made of Mediterranean flour and Thornbridge Brewery's peerless Green Mountain hazy IPA. I mean: do combinations get any better?

We'll answer that shortly.

Speaking of Thornbridge, the Colmore is, in fact, one of its growing suite of venues. The Derbyshire-based brewery took on the former TSB bank almost a decade ago and, after its jaw-dropping renovation, opened the venue in 2019.

The original plan was to focus on liquid sustenance but, at the time, Birmingham City Council was largely refusing drink-based licences in a bid to diversify the nighttime economy. “So, food sort of came about by accident,” says Ian. “It was almost like 'let's get a pizza-oven'. But today, the menu is such a massive draw that getting it right and doing it well has become absolutely key to our success.”

That menu is a stripped-back mouth-watering prospect.

After a liquid starter of Thornbridge's own Lord Marples bitter and the Halcyon imperial IPA, we tuck into two mammoth offerings. The Brummie comes topped with tandoori chicken, green chillies, curried pomodoro sauce and a yoghurt and mint dressing, and combines gloriously with the brewery's most legendary drink, the Jaipur IPA. The Hot Hot Hot, meanwhile, is all spice and fire: jalapenos, scotch bonnet peppers, hot sauce (also made with Green Mountain), chilli flakes and spiced nduja. Offt. The You Let My Tyres Down hazy pale – by Nothing Bound – is a much-needed coolant on the side. Rainbow slaw and a new potatoes portion are simple but effective add-ons.

“We're all about making properly crispy pizzas,” says Ian. “I cannot stand a floppy pizza when I'm having a drink. Like at [a well known Neapolitan pizza chain that shall not be named]. You need a diagram of how to fold them. I don't want that. I want a pizza where the toppings don't fall off if I don't hold it right.”

It's job done on these. And job done on the entire place.

We have a Fagans Irish Red Ale (from Kelham Island Brewery) and a Cherry Cocoa Mocha Melt pastry sour (from Vault City) for a makeshift dessert. To make the most of them, we settle into plush red armchairs.

It may – as Ian pointed out – be our first time here. It will not be our last.

Ferment travelled to Birmingham on CrossCountry, which connects more than 100 stations across Britain from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted to Cardiff. For the cheapest tickets, book in advance at www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk.

A partnership with Seatfrog also offers First Class upgrades.

Share this article

You’ve reached your limit of 5 free articles this month.