Shropshire's Joule’s Brewery unveils new chapter for Birmingham canalside pub

Independent Shropshire brewer Joule’s Brewery has unveiled plans for the next chapter of its Birmingham canalside pub, announcing that Waterside Tap will become Gas Street Vaults, the brewery’s newest Birmingham Brewery Tap.

Market Drayton-based Joule’s acquired the building after the closure of Bistrot Pierre, recognising the potential of one of Birmingham’s most historic canalside sites, and it is now set to be transformed into Gas Street Vaults - a characterful Joule’s Brewery Taphouse.

The new name pays tribute to the site’s past. Once home to the Birmingham Canal Company, the building stood above the canal where boats carrying coal and goods passed beneath, with tolls collected within the original vaults.

The venue will be repositioned from a former restaurant into a traditional pub, with a central bar in the heart of the building, distinctive rooms inspired by Birmingham’s industrial heritage and Victorian taverns and welcoming spaces.

Alongside Joule’s award-winning beers, it will serve a menu of classic British pub dishes, Sunday roasts and seasonal specials.

The design from Joule’s includes reclaimed materials, historic brewery artefacts and carefully considered details that celebrate Birmingham’s industrial story and Joule’s Shropshire brewing heritage.

Georgia Charlton-Briggs, brand manager, Joule’s Brewery, said: “Seeing Joule’s beers being enjoyed beside Birmingham’s canals over the past year has been incredibly rewarding. It’s one of Birmingham’s great waterside locations and we’re excited to finally give the building its permanent identity as Gas Street Vaults. 

“As a small independent brewery from Shropshire, we’re incredibly proud to be investing in Birmingham. Gas Street Vaults will become our Birmingham Brewery Tap, somewhere that celebrates the city’s remarkable history while staying true to everything we believe makes a proper pub; great beer, honest food, warm hospitality and spaces full of character.”

Vicky Colclough, managing director, Joule’s Brewery, said spending the past year in the building had given the team the confidence to move forward and “create the pub we always believed it could become”.

The new venue will operate as a managed house, allowing Joule’s to build a new team dedicated to bringing the brewery’s vision for the pub to life. Work on Gas Street Vaults is set to begin over the coming months, with the pub expected to open in early 2027.

Recruitment will begin soon while the development is underway, with opportunities across management, kitchen and front-of-house roles.

The announcement of the plans come hot off the back of Joule’s Brewery’s announcement that it plans to invest more than £2 million into The New Inn in Harborne in Birmingham - the biggest expenditure it had ever made into one of its taphouses.

The brewery has also just celebrated the reopening of Victorian pub The Red Lion in the Jewellery Quarter on July 14 following a £500,000 restoration,