The Post Office Vaults

Great selection of beers in a good atmosphere, and a great place for a few drinks, a real hidden beauty bang in the middle of Birmingham.
The only criticism is also part of the charm. It’s pretty small, so can get crowded, and being small and ever so slightly underground (in a physical sense, not in a bunch of pretentious bellends drink there sense) if somebody farts, and this is an ale pub so somebody will, everyone suffers.

Hmm couldn’t decide between ¾ stars. I guess you could call this place a hidden gem as you really wouldn’t notice the small entrance off new street or even the side door opposite the main post office. Décor certainly isn’t important to them-it’s sparse and a little dated, but then that’s not what you are interested in if you come here. There have a great selection of ales on tap, plenty of bottles, a whole board of ciders and a shelf of whisky that I’d like to work my way through some day! None of your regular chain, big brand bar stuff. Definitely worth popping in if you fancy a change from the norm.

Plenty to choose from on tap beer and cider, im more of a lager drinker so not much for me but the other half who’s from USA was in his element :)

More pubs need to be like the Post Office Vaults. These guys supply the tastiest beers from around the world at really reasonable prices.
Entering the old post office vaults is a strange experience for the uninitiated. From new street (which i guess is technically the back entrance, but probably the one most people actually use), you descend down a steep flight of stairs and hang a right into a room that was basically furnished to look like a 30 year old drinking den. The beer theme is evident from the eclectic rows of empty beer bottles laid around the room, and dried hops hanging from the ceiling.
It has a real cellar vibe, with no natural light whatsoever, which adds to the drinking den characteristic. You could be anywhere in the world when your down here, well maybe any part of the world with a large Brummie ex-​pat community.
With cask ale on for £3.50 a pint, its easy to get comfortable around a table, often so easy that you find yourself in there for the long run :-s
The beer list at the POV is nothing short of sensational, 8 cask ales at a time, a range of lagers and a kegged beer alongside, and hundreds upon hundreds of bottled beers from all of the beer producing superpowers!
The POV doesn’t serve food, but it does provide plates and cutlery, encouraging you to bring your own. I must admit I’ve not spotted may sitting down with a curry or a plate of fish and chips, most people seem to grab a sandwich, but if I worked in town I couldn’t imagine a better place to spend my lunch hour (though I’m sure bosses will disagree…)

In my mind one thing Birmingham is renown for is the fantastic choice of pubs that serve quality premium, world and craft beers and ales for all beer lovers from far and wide. This independent pub gives justice to a famous quote by Benjamin Franklin — Beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy. With over 300 bottled beers from different parts of the world including real ales and cider, this pub is pretty much going to have something for everyone’s taste. The pub is quite small, cosy and unique, however there is limited seating if you can get hold of it, otherwise when busy people don’t seem to mind standing as its all about the beer here. I enjoyed beer from my two favourite beer-​making parts of the world — Germany and Belgium. The vaults boasts large menus listing the different beers from different countries with different strengths. I tried the delicious Schneider Weisse wheat beer, La Trappe blonde beer, and Bitborger on draught. I will not hesitate to visit this legendary pub again and i look forward to trying new beers. The location is excellent — walking distance from New Street station. I highly recommend it.

A really cool, if far too small for how popular it is pub located in a basement in Birmingham City Centre. Several real ales and a good selection of foreign beers are available. If you visit on a Friday or Saturday night prepare to feel like a sardine, but the quality and price of the beers are worth it. You can shove your BrewDog up your @rse!

This is a great real ale pub, a great selection of really good beers. My friend Steve raves about the wheat beers. It’s atmospheric too, not one for the lager drinker.

The Post Office Vaults opened nearly four years ago and immediately became a hit amongst Brummy beer drinkers.
The pub consists of one small room, without lighting, in a basement off New Street. It can get rather cramped and overpowering with flatulence on weekends. During the daytime you may see an tourist or two wandering in asking for stamps. Of course they’ve been given directions to the Post Office over the road and accidentally entered the wrong establishment.
They have the largest beer list of anywhere in the West Midlands. Taking the vast majority of their bottles from imported brewers rather than home grown UK ‘craft’ producers, coupled with 8 handpumps showcasing the kind of real ales that one can expect to find in The Wellington down the road and probably the largest real cider list in Brum. The bottles are the real standout though, expect Belgian Tripel, German Rauchbier, Norwegian Porter, American Pale Ale and a whole cacophony of delectable brewed delights to tickle your tastebuds. Be warned however that these beers are stronger than your average pint of mild or lager, and with cost a deal more too.
The POV also are rather proud of their glass collection, going to painstaking efforts to ensure that most of their 350 beers are served with the correct glassware. Any Belgian will tell you how important this is!
The landlord proudly boasts about the amount of beers he has had (both in the fridges and down his gullet). He and his staff will help you to choose one from the 100’s available.
No food is served but they do provide plates and cutlery if you wish to order a takeaway. They also have a bar billiards table, although I believe they keep it covered at weekends and busier times.

Real ale isn’t the only thing I drink: I’m also partial to a good cider. With a baker’s dozen on offer, the Vaults is the best place in Birmingham to sample a few, although since I like my ciders very dry, I sometimes disagree with their labelling of the relative sweetness. Thank goodness that I can try before I buy!
Couple that together with the fact that a Oracle from Salopian brewery is always available and their ever-​changing selection of guest ales frequently includes offering from some of my favourite breweries (Ossett’s micro-​breweries Rat and Fernades spring instantly to mind) there is absolutely no shortage of excellent beverages. Now if only my time and money were also in equally abundant supply, I’d never leave.
And all that notwithstanding the vast selection of bottled beer available; not to my tastes, despite the knowledgeable staff trying their utmost to convince me. Maybe one day they’ll hit the nail on the head and I’ll have a new go to beer; until that happens, I’m happy to keep searching.
My favourite time to head down is over lunchtime. It’s not too busy so I’m able to sit; and with the city centre’s array of food outlets from which to choose, taking my own lunch and supping on a good pint is the best way I can think to spend those minutes of sanity that lurk in the middle of the workday.

Finally got around to going into this place. I entered through the more obvious entrance on Pinfold Street. On entry you could be forgiven for thinking the place is a little bit scruffy on first impressions however, its all part of the design. The focus here is clearly on the beer and its like secretly sampling the masters beer in his cellar!
Its a little exciting!
I decided to go for cider and tried Hogans. Very very nice! There was huge range of beers and a good selection of ciders. If you’re unsure of what to have the bar staff have a great knowledge of their products (which is a refreshing change) try asking for advice in Whetherspoons and you get «its wet»! Theres also the option of ‘try before you buy’ which always popular.
No food in the Vaults but you can bring your own and a couple of the patrons in there had taken advantage of the nearby Greggs.
Nice rustic atmosphere and friendly staff (and customers) I exited out of the New Street door, which is literally just a door on New Street and felt like a secret agent emerging from a shady meeting!
Great pub!

It’s a great real ale pub, but it’s very small! If it’s quiet, then this is a really good pub to experience several draught ales on tap, and a HUGE selection of bottles, but if it’s busy, it gets too crowded very quickly.
I really like it as they always have Maisels wheat beer on tap, and I love good wheat beers. If you go with friends who prefer «cooking lager» then they might be disappointed as they only have one lager on tap, and it’s Freedom organic lager. Not that that’s a bad thing, but they might get scared that they can’t have a Carlsberg or Fosters.
Phone signal in there is a bit crap as you’re underground, but they do have free WiFi, so let people know where you’re going before you go in if you’re planning on meeting up with anyone.

Ok I admit it I’m a bit of a cider snob, it has to be proper cider! proper cider is not fizzy and does not have syrupy fruit flavor.
I love a proper pint of cider, nothing is better. I’ve been to a few real ale festivals so I’m used to having a broad choice which this pub desite its small venue.
Perfect pub atmosphere open to anyone, no sneering regulars as new face comes through the door. I love the decoration of all the different bottles around the room.
Service was nice and quick and having the large board with all drinks at the back was a good idea as you didn’t have to wait to get to the front of the bar to see what’s available.
I would give it 5 stars but as this is small venue there is limited seating which isn’t a major drawback as its one of the only places I didn’t mind standing.

I’m surprised I’ve found 2 gems in the city now, firstly with Wellington and now with Post Office Vaults. I believe the owner of the Wellington is a financial backer for the Post Office Vaults.
So, Post Office Vaults — This place is heaven for a beer lover! They have 350+ beers which consist of Belgium, Dutch and German + Bavarian beers. The staff are very friendly and very knowledgeable of all the beers in stock. They don’t serve food but do allow you to take in your own food in. One thing to also mention is, they have a bottle of Shackleton whisky which is rare to find in pubs/​bars.

WOW! This place is hard to find but it is well worth the search! It reminded me a bit of an old Al Capone movie, a small door with steps leading down into a basement. I was a bit apprehensive (there was a train home to catch!) but my friends convinced me to take a risk and I am glad I did!
We had spotted the Vaults’ store room under Fletchers Way and Google Mapped our way to the bar. There are dried hopes hanging from every possible hanging spot AND a bar billiards table! I haven’t seen bar billards in a long time!
I was a bit overwhelmed by the beer selection (they have a beer bible with 300 beers in it) but I spotted a beer I had tried before and loved. I asked the barman for a beer similar to that one and after a brief discussion with the barlady, they agreed that I should try a Trappistes Rochefort 8. What followed was the sheer joy that only a beer lover can understand as I savoured a new favourite.
I am looking forward to a second visit as soon as possible!

People who know me know I’m a bit of a beer lover. and I saw the Post Office Vault’s display in Fletchers walk and pretty much swooned! So, my friends and I set off immediately to find the bar (it was an appropriate time of day); found the entrance, which is a rather inconspicuous door (adding to the suspense!). Down the stairs and the signs were looking good — a wide range of beer memorabilia on the walls and dried hops hanging from the ceiling.
The beer collection is extensive — the beer catalog behind the bar is organised by country, which helps! The staff were really helpful — my friends asked for suggestions based on what they liked and were not disappointed. I had a bottle of Viven IPA, possibly my favorite beer (at the moment) and so rare, I only know one other bar in the UK who sells it and they’ve never had it in stock when I’ve been.
The bar is small and quiet but it is the range of beer that sells it for me. Their website proclaims ‘339 different beers’ from around the world, so if you’re a beer lover this is a rare find. I have a new favorite bar in Birmingham, thank you Post Office Vaults for your dedication to beer!

As you might gather from previous reviews, I like beer. D’ya know what I like even more? Good beer… Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the vaults!
With a speakeasy, secret doorway off New Street, this bar has an intimate feel. Space is limited, but if you can grab a table — it’s worth a battle.
This place converted me to Cider (I previously wasn’t a believer) and has introduced me to wonderful beers from all over the world. The beers are kept to perfection by people who know their beers, it’s the reason they have such a devoted and varied fan base.
The bar is underground, so is pretty cool in the summer and nice and cosy during the winter — a perfect escape from the Christmas markets! With the large amount of oak, pictures and shiny brass beer taps, it feels like a time vortex hidden away in a vastly modern Birmingham.
It doesn’t do food, but you can take your own in. I believe they provide plates and cutlery on request, so you can grab something tasty for takeaway and enjoy at your own pace with a nice pint of craft beer or Cider.
It’s right by the station and off the main shopping arcade. If you only have time for one beer in Birmingham, make it worth it. Pay this place a visit…

Located beneath ground level off new street. Its got a great range of ale and cider. Its quite small and very popular.

Décor is nice, but I don’t like the selection of drinks, lack of music and the general clientele. The location is nice though. Right on New Street. Quite hidden away, but somewhere different to go if you’re sick of Spoons pubs.

Was squiffy by the time we stumbled down here for the first time so treat my recollections with a pinch of salt. As mentioned he beer choice is prolific, it is amazing that they can cram the stock into such a small venue. Lateish on a Saturday afternoon we found seats and oggled Bar Billiards, it was so cool to see a traditional bar game in a city centre which always seems completely void of table football or pool. Typically stale atmosphere of an ale pub but who cares when you can bring your own food!

The outside draws you in with its signage and if you’re a real ale or cider lover then you are in for a treat but its super tiny, so you can only go if there are a couple of you. The interior doesn’t quite live up to the promise of the outside. Quaint and pokey, lots of ales to chose from, best for a quick one… once you’ve decided.
I nipped in with a large group after hearing how great it was but due to its small size and lack of tables we were stood in the walkway between the seats, the stairs and the toilets. I’m sure we were creating a fire safety hazard. A large pool table sits against a wall acting as a giant waste of good table space. I know that the signs tell me they have the biggest range of bottled beers but I couldn’t get to the bar to tell you, passing strange descriptive requests to friends standing at the bar to place the orders instead. This led to some awful tasting beers acquired as they overruled the advice of the barman by advocating for the interesting names instead.
Upon walking in it honestly felt like the pub scene from American Werewolf in London, only go if you or a friend is an ale/​beer fanatic.