Winner: Snuffy Jack’s Ale House (Fishponds)
Runner-up: The Good Measure (Redland)
Each year the Bristol & District branch of CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) invites local members to nominate the pubs that they think should be considered for the prestigious Pub Of The Year award. Judges then visit the finalists and score them against a range of criteria (including Quality of Beer/Cider/Perry, Style, Décor, Furnishing & Cleanliness, Service, Welcome & Offering, Community Focus & Atmosphere) to decide which is the best pub overall in our branch area.
Bristol & District CAMRA Branch Chair Richard Brooks said “The wider events relating to COVID-19 have made this a rather strange time when it comes to branch Pub Of The Year. Normally a high profile announcement would have been made in March after the conclusion of the judging phase, however as all pubs were closing for the foreseeable future, doing it then seemed a bit of a wasted opportunity for the winners. The lockdown has at least started to ease and fortunately the branch winner and runner-up have at least partly opened for off sales, so we are pleased to now be able to announce the results. The winner of Bristol & District branch Pub Of The Year 2020 is Snuffy Jack’s Ale House (Fishponds) and the runner-up is The Good Measure (Redland). Congratulations to them both on their success in what has unfortunately turned out to be exceptionally difficult days for the pub trade. Please drop by and give them your support when possible! Holding presentation events and other gatherings is not really possible yet, however when the situation does improve sufficiently for them to be allowed the branch will arrange to visit for a beer and to present certificates to both pubs.”
Leanne Jones of Snuffy Jack’s Ale House said “I was absolutely floored by news that Snuffy Jack’s Ale House has been voted Bristol and District’s POTY. We’ll be missing out on our annual beer festival for Snuffy’s third birthday mid-June, so this award gives us something else to celebrate once we may return to the pub! One of the reasons why Snuffy’s is so unique is that no day is ever the same. In addition to the constantly changing beer menu I work really hard to create a welcoming & inclusive atmosphere. You can expect a friendly hello & you’ll probably receive a hug on the way out! It’s true that beer really does bring people together & this is something that we’ve been able to continue even though the pub is temporarily closed through a WhatsApp group for banter & two weekly zoom calls. I grew up in a small town in Shropshire with a population of 1000 people, there were 6 pubs & 2 breweries so it goes without saying that [drinking] beer has always been a passion! Massive thanks to Johnny & Dave for bringing Snuffy’s to BS16 & rekindling that love of beer, taking me on as manager, then presenting the opportunity to buy the business. To receive such an award within 12 months is amazing & I must also extend thanks to the team, especially my secret weapon Liz! This year has presented some challenges, but we’re thrilled to be open once more for a few hours on Thursday evenings for your weekend beer needs. In the coming months we will be making some small changes to seat people more comfortably & works have started to improve the toilet area. Cheers for everyone that voted for us, we look forward to raising a glass with you soon!”
On receiving the news that The Good Measure is branch runner-up, Kelly Sidgwick of Good Chemistry Brewing said “Wow! We’re so excited that The Good Measure has been voted runner-up Pub Of The Year! We worked really hard to open the kind of pub all of us would want to hang out in, and thanks to Will, Martyn and Dave building a great local community, running some brilliant, inclusive and fun events, and of course keeping excellent beer it looks like we’ve achieved that! Thank you to all our customers, we can’t wait to welcome you back as soon as we’re allowed – a pub is nothing without the people inside it. And thank you so much to all the CAMRA members who nominated us in the first place, and then gave us strong scores in the voting round. There are some great pubs in Bristol, just look at the finalists, so to be amongst them in only our first year of pouring pints is a real achievement, and testament to the great work our experienced team put in to make The Good Measure what it is. Thanks again and we look forward to being able to celebrate properly soon!”
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For more information, contact Richard Brooks on richard@camrabristol.org