We visit the tiny Bristol pub that pours ‘perfect’ pints and invites customers to choose the beers on offer

If you’d turned up at number 800 Fishponds Road before 2017, you may have picked up a stapler and a few envelopes but you certainly wouldn’t have been faced with a choice between a pint of Wicked Wolf golden ale or glass of Dogs Window ‘It’s OK, He’s Friendly’ lager.

Those were two of the options chalked up on the board behind the bar at Snuffy Jack’s, a micropub in a former stationery shop next to a Barnado’s charity shop opposite Fishponds Park.

In the six years since it opened, Snuffy Jack’s has quickly become one of the best supported of Bristol’s micropubs.

Named after a head miller at nearby Snuff Mills, this compact, one-room bar prides itself on being everything the bland brand chain pubs aren’t.

There’s no music, just a plenty of conversation, and the ales are chosen by the owners with plenty of help from the customers, who can write their suggestions for forthcoming beers on a sheet pinned to the wall.

Another wall is plastered with an impressive gallery of old pump clips, from Cheddar Ales Totty Pot to Bristol Beer Factory’s Dove From Above - it’s a real treat for beer-spotters.

All ales are served directly from the casks in full view of the customers, their descriptions, ABVs and prices clearly marked on the boards.

On St Patrick’s Day, the bestseller seemed to be the green-hued Stonehenge Sign of Spring bitter, but I went for the Exmoor Ales Wicked Wolf, a golden ale with a hint of juniper spiciness.

Pulled with care, the pint was crystal clear and with barely half a centimetre of foamy head. It was simply a perfect pour and a far cry from some of the murky, vinegary pints I’ve sent back in lesser Bristol pubs. And at £4.50, it was a palatable price, too.

Also on offer was a tangy red ale called Fallen Acorn Lady Marmalade, the Magic Rock Saucery session IPA and, in lieu of Guinness, Bath-based Electric Bear brewery’s rich and inky Shenanigans Irish Coffee Stout.

Over on the cider board, there were three choices: the cloudy Bristol Cider Sixer and Bristol Cider Steam, and the ‘medium, fizzy’ North Street cider, all at £4.50.

Food is limited to crisps, nuts and ‘snacks’ for £1/£1.50. There are ‘posh’ crisps like Pipers but also Scampi Fries and Bacon Fries for connoisseurs of ‘proper’ pub snacks.

But this friendly bar is far more than just a place to enjoy perfectly-kept beers in the company of like-minded souls, it’s also at the heart of the Fishponds community.

It runs a regular quiz but also a clothes swap, vintage jumble sale and offers local artists and crafters a space to sell their wares.

As I supped my pint, I flicked through some of the books on the shelf next to me. They included several copies of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, which features Snuffy Jack’s as one of Bristol’s well deserved entries.

A former winner of the CAMRA Pub of the Year Award for Bristol & District, the recipe for its success is obvious. It sticks to the simple business of serving damn good local beer at a decent price in a friendly environment where conversation is encouraged. If only every part of Bristol had a Snuffy Jack’s.

Snuffy Jack’s, 800 Fishponds Road, Bristol, BS16 3TE.