Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
New pub visits 2024 with Mobyduck
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Blind Jack's, Knaresborough
Knaresborough
HG5 8AG
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about Blind Jack's
My previous visit to Knaresborough was on a weekday afternoon and therefore found this place closed, but coming here to watch Hallam FC's first game of the new season gave me the chance to give it another try. I'm glad I had the opportunity, as it's definitely one of the best pubs in town. It's an ale house on two levels, with the ground floor rooms already full when I arrived at 1:30, though this is not surprising given the size of the rooms, and once I'd got served (there was a bit of a queue at the small bar counter, where there are six hand pumps and a list of all the beers on a blackboard, with one lass on her own doing a good job) I was happy to explore upstairs. While the downstairs had one high table and a few low ones, the upstairs rooms were more traditional in appearance as well as furnishings, with bare floorboards, settles and pews for sitting, and tables with cast iron bases for putting your beer on. The walls are painted a modern greenish-charcoal, which I found tolerable. My pint of Black Sheep Best Bitter was very good.
Date of visit: 30th July 2022
On 5th October 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Blind Jack's
Perhaps a bit contrived with its attempt at cashing in on the historic building but manages to be a serious drinkers' pub anyway, thanks to the beer range. On this visit they had 5 (Yorkshire) ales on draught and 7 wide-ranging craft and foreign on keg. Well worth visiting.
On 13th August 2022
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about Blind Jack's
Another tiny by perfectly formed pub. With a printed menu of whats available on each table - it certainly saved everyones time in this odd moment to be visiting pubs.
GBG 2020 and on the strength of my black sheep, served in one of their new chalices - well deserved.
On 16th October 2020
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1338 recommendations about 1324 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
david hammill left this review about Blind Jack's
Paid this venue after a lengthy break. My wife and I have many happy memories of visits here as a couple and with family. The place was always buzzing. We called in today and were really disappointed. The place was empty there was no atmosphere and the drinks were mediocre
. We had one drink and left feeling deflated.
On 19th March 2017
- rating: 2
[User has posted 96 recommendations about 86 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Blind Jack's
The manageress surprised us when she told us that the pub has only been here for 26 years. Previously, the building housed four small shops. The front bar counter with a curved dog leg was purchased from a reclamation yard in Harrogate.
The pub also has a few resident ghosts present. The manageress told us when they moved in, they rearranged the snug, put the alarms on, went upstairs to bed and then the next morning the snug was arranged back to it's original format. Also plasma orbs can be seen floating around the place.
We found this pub to be very friendly and welcoming. There were 9 ales on handpumps on our visit, so we went for the Bad Brewery Uncomfortably Numb and Brass Castle Cliffhanger.
On 21st June 2015
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3382 recommendations about 3381 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Pub SignMan left this review about Blind Jack's
This small pub in Knaresborough’s market square is home to an onsite micro-brewery (Knaresborough Brewing Company) and also showcases ales from a sister brewery (BAD Company). I was a little disappointed to find none of the in-house beers were available, but this was compensated for somewhat by the presence of three BAD brews – Comfortably Numb, Wild Gravity and Love Over Gold. I tried the latter and thought it was outstanding – one of the best beers from a long weekend in North Yorkshire. Other options on handpull were Small World Spring Bank, Magic Rock Simpleton, Rudgate Ruby Mild, Kirkstall Pale Ale and Brass Castle Northern Blonde. For my money, this is an excellent line up and I was disappointed to have to leave after just the one pint, as I would’ve quite happily worked my way through most of those on the bar.
The pub itself is remarkably small, with entrance into a compact main bar with scuffed floorboards, bare brick walls and an attractive wood panelled bar counter on the rear wall. Pews run around the perimeter of the room, supplemented by numerous low stools and there is a huge Blind Jack’s mirror on the right hand wall, doing its best to create the illusion of extra space. Décor is fairly minimal, with a few seemingly out of date blackboards near the bar (one detailing upcoming brews from the in-house brewery) and a couple of paintings on the left hand side providing the sum total of visual distraction. A door to the right leads into a very compact snug with enough space for four or five small tables, with bench seating around the walls. Stairs here lead up to two similarly sized rooms, each with bare floorboards, basic seating and nice fireplaces, providing vital overspill even on a fairly quiet Saturday afternoon. There was no music playing during my stay and TV screens were conspicuous by their absence. In many ways, the pub could be classified as a micro-pub – meeting most, if not all, of the criteria to be termed as such.
I really liked the feel of this place and found the service to be very friendly and the beer in excellent condition. I imagine the place could potentially get very crowded on popular evenings, but it certainly deserves to do well and was my favourite pub of the six I visited around town, despite some stiff competition.
On 2nd June 2015
- rating: 9
[User has posted 3114 recommendations about 3114 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about Blind Jack's
Small pub on the market square with two tiny rooms downstairs and a further room upstairs with a kitchen which has now been given over to a one barrel brewery. Lots of bare brick and wooden floorboards and real fires in winter. The seating is old pews, hefty wooden tables and chairs and some stools. Lots of handpumps (I forgot to count) and the first 2 beers we had were in excellent condition. I then tried a half of Blind Faith which was brewed upstairs. It was awful, over strength and totally unbalanced. Throwing a mass of hops into a copper and brewing it out to nearly 7% just didn't work. Great pub, but the brewer needs to perfect his art before selling it to the public, especially at the top price charged for it.
On 6th September 2013
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about Blind Jack's
2012
The long awaited brewery is now up and running, Milk Stout, Brew 5 (IPA) and 11 Minute IPA are the beers but not all on together otherwise the same wide offering of high quality beers is still available.
==Sept 2011 update==
Not much has changed but they now have a house beer from Marble and there are four or five decent places to drink in Knaresborough.
GBG listed real ale specialist pub, it has lost none of its quality although it has become a little too popular with rather precious, light drinking members of the middle classes. The place is not as old as it looks but it has the feel of a much loved old pub with two tiny rooms downstairs plus further seating areas upstairs. Low ceilings, beams, wooden panelling and traditional pub furniture combined with old photographs of Knaresborough complete the ancient atmosphere. There are 9 handpulls of very well kept beers from small breweries plus two fine European beers, including the gorgeous Scheinder Weisse on keg, no sign of Fosters or any other UK keg beer. The obligatory beer list on a blackboard by the bar is accompanied by a limited food list of cheese and pate platters and a wine list. Ladies toilets upstairs and Gents facilities in a garden shed out the back. Probably one of two must visit pubs in Knaresborough, the Mitre being the other. April 2010
On 14th July 2012
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3269 recommendations about 2978 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about Blind Jack's
Be aware that this pub doesn't open until 4 or 5 on weekdays depending on the day. We were here at 3 so we couldn't try the place.
On 9th March 2011
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3224 recommendations about 3135 pubs]