Bars with olde worlde charm and/or character are common in Bristol, but the Highbury Vaults achieves this with aplomb. They will sell you lager but consider it inferior to the locally brewed bitter. Smiles and Youngs beers, which are the usual fare, have strong, old fashioned flavors, while the popularity of the guest beers ensures their freshness.
The food is good too, but it's easy to forget to eat once you've sampled a handful of robust English bitters.