Snuffy Jack's - The Bristol Micropub

Snuffy Jack's - The Bristol Micropub

Posted on: 04 Jul 2017

Even as far back as 2002 - when I used to escape the horrors of working for a large financial institution on the harbourside by dashing most lunchtimes to the nearby solace of the Bag o' Nails - I knew I was a man way ahead of my time. That widely esteemed Emporium was, and still remains, one of the most important real ale venues in the city, albeit these days you'll find rather a few more moggies scampering through the bar and cosying up against you and your pint of Cornish Knocker. 

Snuffy Jack's Micropub - A true Bristol treat

Back then, I and my beer-quaffing buddies felt as though we were privy to something special, our own ale-swigging cabal that was something kind of unique and mysterious, away from the prying eyes and the consumerist masses who preferred their chemical-saturated lagers and bottles of suspiciously luminous multicoloured pop. 

 

Nowadays when I meet up with my old ale-favouring workmates we occasionally, wryly acknowledge, with a kind of cool, smug satisfaction, that we were prognosticators of a more interesting, varied and (if you want to put it this way, and I do) full bodied respect for a drink for the finer, more appreciatively discerning palate. 

 

Skip forward 14 years and you can barely walk through Bristol without brushing past the bristling facial fuzz of some chilled and groovy hipster, generally mentally and physically carrying the usual contemporary cultural baggage of a predilection for plaid shirts, pulled pork and burgers and a pint of craft ale in some trendy, buzzy joint du jour. 

Colourful artwork adorns the walls

The proliferation of real, craft ale has certainly been noticeable in the city over the past few years, with savvy, trendy young brewers cashing in on the craze to near-nauseatingly cliched saturation point. Some of them even charge the best part of a fiver for a third of a pint. What madness. How the old landlord of the Bag o' Nails- and probably the new one too - would most likely shudder at such a needlessly rapacious attitude and foolishly ambitious costing strategy. 

 

But I digress somewhat. The real reason for me tapping fingers to keyboard is to announce the arrival of the really rather fantastic Snuffy Jack's, the latest - third, actually - micropub to set up shop in Bristol. Located on the site of former stationers on Fishponds Road, Snuffy Jack's follows in the footsteps of The Drapers Arms on Gloucester Road and Chums on Chandos Road in Redland. 

 

Two important points to mention here. Firstly, carved out the same micropub mould as those previously mentioned incumbents, it eschews mobile phone usage, electronic entertainment and music in favour in the good ol' fashioned virtues of excellent drink and good conversation. Secondly, it's literally a 30-second walk from my front door to the bar; a 'local' in the most literal sense of the word and possibly too temptingly good to be true. Time will tell.

 

Set up by Johnny Fallon and Dave Sibley - two chaps who met on their first day of Navy training and have remained friends ever since - Snuffy Jack's takes its monikered inspiration from a well-known local 19th-century character and Miller whose smock was always mired in snuff. Some time ago, Arbor Ales even brewed a name dedicated to the snuff-fond fellow himself and there are rumours they might even get that malt, hops and mash tun going for a fresh batch made especially for this new micropub. 

The happy people of Bristol loving Snuffy Jacks

My friends and I popped in twice the other week, first on a Friday night and then the following Saturday afternoon, and on both occasions the place was heaving with happy, chatting, drinking people and business was obviously very good. Sure, it's a new place and people's curiosity will be piqued to check it out in the first few weeks, but I get the distinct feeling this is going to be one of the area's focal point, get-together local pubs, and the excitement and buzz were palpable and infectious. 

 

The bar is made from reclaimed wood, pallets and scaffolding planks and there are a few shelves dotted around made of the same materials while exposed filament bulbs on strings dangle from the ceiling. There's a smattering of tables and chairs, a selection of old Bristol photographs adorning the walls and old pump clips on display. 

 

But to the most important element here - the drink. There are eight gravity-fed cask ales served from the stillage (a small sample of each is kept in Kilner jars so you can see their colour), while fans of the fermented apple juice will really get a kick out of the selection of real, proper ciders served from the box, and there are also a few gins, wines and soft drinks available. All pints cost £3.50 (halves £1.80) which, when you consider that fact that many city centre pubs have now crossed the exorbitant four quid mark for a pint, is a very pocket-friendly and reasonable price indeed. 

 

On both occasions my pints of Ashridge Dry (three on Friday, three on Saturday - I'm nothing if not thorough and conscientious in my research) clocked in at a reassuringly heady 6.5% and was the epitome of a fine, rustic flagon of the beverage's finest. Dry but not excessively so and still yielding a hint of sweetness combined with a delicious, pungent aftertaste aligned with a suitably appley, almost smokey mellow finish, every sip was a dream and every gulp a delight.

 

Each days' imbibing triptych was a cider swigger's Nirvana and, immersed in the vibrant, high-spirited company of my pals and fellow drinkers, I left both times with a lovely warm, rosy glow and the sense that this could indeed be - to pilfer a line from the timeless Casablanca - the start of a beautiful friendship. And with a few basic snacks on offer, on Saturday afternoon I couldn't resist indulging in a pickled egg (£1), as far removed from the lofty foodie pretensions of a gastropub as you can get, yet each bite was as marvellous and satisfying as any fine cuisine. Yep, I'm seriously old school. 

 

Snuffy Jack's is a more than welcome addition to the Fishponds pub scene; a small but perfectly formed venue that's snug and cosy and brimming with intimate, unpretentious charm and fronted by convivial, knowledgeable barmen in the form of Johnny and Dave. With them at the helm and pouring pints as fine as this in this sensational new micropub, I genuinely hope they do well and are around for a long time to come. 


Article by:

Jamie Caddick

Jamie is a writer, blogger, journalist, critic, film fan, soundtrack nerd and all-round Bristolian good egg.  He loves the music of Philip Glass, the art of Salvador Dali, the writings of Charles Bukowksi and Hunter S Thompson, the irreverence of Harry Hill, and the timeless, straw-chomping exuberance of The Wurzels.  You can sometimes find him railing against a surging tide of passing cyclists, or gorging himself senseless on the Oriental delights of a Cosmos all-you-can-eat buffet.