Birmingham Beer Week is returning, from July 20-29, promoting beer culture in the city and exploring where it can intersect with the worlds of music, art, history and food.

Birmingham has a rich brewing history that is evolving into a forward-thinking craft beer haven, and the event aims to bring together the city’s finest breweries, pubs, bars, bottle shops and restaurants.

The first Beer Week, held last summer, comprised more than 35 events across 20 venues around Birmingham, showcasing the best of what this city’s beer scene has to offer.

Birmingham Beer WeekThere are now 13 independently operated breweries within Birmingham and another half-dozen in the surrounding areas. They are the heart of the Birmingham beer scene and they are beginning to be noticed further afield.

There is also a rapidly growing bar scene, all serving great beer, with new venues opening regularly. There are also two of the best bottled beer shops in the country, according to the users of Ratebeer.

Birmingham has one of the best food scenes in the UK, with four Michelin star restaurants, independent eateries, restaurants, cafés and a renowned street food scene that is seeing unparalleled growth. Many of these places are looking towards beer as a part of their offering.

Beer Week director, Krishan Rajput, said: “The opportunity to bring beer and food together is immense and, as of yet, is almost untapped. Birmingham Beer Week sees this as an opportunity to access this market and reach a larger audience.

“We believe that Birmingham is ready to expand its beer presence in the UK and that this is the perfect time for Birmingham Beer Week to help celebrate what is a rapidly growing market in this city and the surrounding Midlands. It’s also the perfect opportunity for our partners to develop in a rapidly growing market and access a new audience.”

• Birmingham Beer Week is a not-for-profit venture established in late 2015 by the team involved with Birmingham Beer Bash. The idea was to create an umbrella for a week of events and promotions across the city celebrating the beer scene in all its forms, by creating a common branding to promote venues and the events they create.