An Attic Expedition

From brewing beer in buckets, to their very own tap house, Oli Hurlow and Sam Back are opening Attic Brew Co tomorrow. Pints poured and pens at the ready, we had a pow-wow with Oli about leaving the London advertising industry for a shell of a warehouse on a Stirchley trading estate, the rise of the Birmingham beer scene and making a living out of slingin' cold ones. 

"I was having a sh*tty week at work when Sam asked me if I wanted to open a brewery" says Oli. "I didn't hesitate. Not for a second. We've been brewing together since uni, and this is a chance to make something real for people." And that was it. Oli upped sticks, leaving behind a blossoming career in online advertising in the capital to join Birmingham-based Sam. The only thing Oli is missing is the people he worked with. "Don't get me wrong, it's been stressful," he says, with a chuckle that suggests 'stressful' is an understatement, "but I absolutely love it and we've had so much support to get this thing open".

Take the bar and woodwork: Sam's brother did that. The logo? A designer pal. Oli even has a mate that's an electrician, and his parents helped paint the place, as well as providing the sink-into-me-and-never-leave armchair we get lost in whilst chatting.

Oli waves away the suggestion that Stirchley might be a brewery gamble compared to, say, Brixton, where he lived: "Beer culture in Birmingham is in the ascendency — it's growing but there's still space for us to grow into — exactly where you want to be as a business". Digbeth and the Jewellery Quarter's loss (the other areas the pair looked for premises) is Maryvale Trading Estate's gain, with the ten-tapped unit opening seconds from Bournville Station. "Stirchley Wines & Spirits popped in to see us and we're basically living off Alicia's pizzas. The feeling in Stirchley is more community than competition." And perfectly on cue, Paul from Birmingham Brewing Co walks through the giant plastic strip curtains that mark the entrance to the unit, just to see how things are going and wish the guys all the best.

Sam's basically been home brewing ever since he became acquainted with ale, and converted his attic into a brewery (which, yes campers, does explain the name). Oli's first experience of brewing involved Sam and a bucket — a method the pair will broadly still be using for small-batch beers. But they've also got a load of fancy kit now and are opening with four of their own brews: a saison, a wheat beer, an IPA and a smoked strong ale. At 7.5%, the latter is served as a half but the guys still got through a whole barrel of the stuff on their friends and family night last week — it was the surprise favourite from the night, and very worthy of your order if they have any left by the time you make it down.

Look out also for the team's shortly-landing chocolate milk stout, session IPA, and resident security guards, Frank and Teddy (pictured below), who are almost ever present. Attic Brew Co is dog-friendly and child-friendly, though bear in mind this is a working brewery. Street fooders, Full of Chaat, will be serving from inside the tap room all weekend. Here's their menu and everything

Oli, Sam and their battalion of helpers have achieved insane amounts over the last four months. This is what unit they took on looked like. But they're the first to say, there's still so much they want to do. Attic Brew Co will have an outdoor area with plants, lights and tables plus its own light-festooned entrance from the street. There's talk of casks, bottles and even cans in the future, as well as collaborations with other breweries and all sorts of new brews. Plus all those takeaway pizzas could ultimately be seen as research — the rumours are that Alicia's could be a regular pop-up at the tap house.

But ultimately, their priority is making good beer and people enjoying their brews right where they're made. "People are drinking at home less and moving back to the old ways of drinking in small breweries, and I couldn't be happier about it" says Oli. "I'd love to see our brand on a supermarket shelf one day, but I'm way more excited to hear what people think of our beer". 

Attic Brew Co is open from 4pm on Friday, and from 1pm on Saturday on Maryvale Trading Estate, accessible from Mary Vale Road.

Pictures: Thom Bartley