Travelogues: Blimey....let's go Pub Crawlling

Pub-crawling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pub_crawl) seems to be an inherent part of the British culture. I have definitely done this in the past unknowingly - having a pint of beer in one pub and hopping on to the next one - without knowing that there exists a proper term for this seemingly out-of-place behavior.

To the uninitiated, there would be one definite question - C'mon, why can't one sit in one pub and guzzle as many pints as one wants?

There could be many answers to this, right from the seemingly innocuous reason of sampling different beers / ales in different pubs to the more bizzare reason of experiencing how it feels to have a zombie walk from one pub to the other after mid-night.

You will never have the satisfaction of knowing the answer till you experience one such pub-crawl.

I recently went for a pub-crawl with my colleagues, they obviously are of the "been-there-done-that" variety and know all the good pubs in and around Reading.

Following is a summary of what we did and the various pubs we hit that evening

Pint # 1 -> The Goose

This is my favorite pub in Bracknell
Also, one of our frequent hang-out pubs in town
"Please can I have a pint of Fosters? I ned to catch the 6:42 to Reading"

Pint # 2 -> Pitcher and Piano

This had the right environment and adequate space to catch up on a hard day's work while sipping on your favorite lager or ale.
It also has a cash machine just outside, in case you are ever short of cash while buying your n-th pint at the bar. How people think of conveniences!!!
"A pint of Fosters please and I shall be on my way"

Pint # 3 -> Hobgoblins

Non-descript looking pub from the outside.
I have walked beside this place many times in the past without realising that it would be a pub.
Push the thick double doors into the pub and you are welcomed to the quintessential English Pub.
The wooden floors, wooden walls, old faithfuls along the bar, the typical murmuring going around in groups, is an experience by itself.
There was not an inch of space on the walls that were not covered with bottle labels (see picture).

There were many people standing around 'coz there wasn't enough tables to sit on.
We managed to find a table which could sit only 3 while the others stood around.
"A pint of Budver, please". Budver is Czech original of Budweiser, so I have been told.
I love Budver, it is my regular during my subsequent visits to this nice pub.

Pint # 4 -> Coopers Arms

Encountered a drunk sitting outside, humming something in the cold weather and staring at the moon
Don't remember who ordered drinks, but it was a pint of Fosters again
Re-arranged the couch so that everyone could sit together
Everyone munched away on many bags of crisps
Cheers!!!

Pint # 5 -> Monks Retreat

Very lively place, some hen parties had already started...obviously, many nice hens around
Found a nice cabin where all 6 of us managed to squeeze in
Some topics of our banter that evening was, nice things to do in India post office hours (for the benefit of my colleagues), non-work attractions in office, etc. etc.
And since boys will be boys, we did some hen-spotting as well.
What did I have here? Duh...who cares?

Pint # 6 -> Walkabout

Just across the road from Pint # 5, theme is Australian.
Obviously Fosters is the right choice here.
Music was somewhat loud, it was getting difficult to converse
Finished our pint as soon as possible and got the hell out of there.

Pint # 7 -> Purple Turtle

Found a kebab joint and picked up some donner some dinner
Another colleague joined in at this point, taking the total number of pub-strollers to 8...WOW...
This particular pub had a buzz around it, looked crowded and manned by tough looking blokes.
Heated beer garden at the back, that is where we headed to after getting our pints at the bar.

Don't remember what we bantered about, but it was loads of fun
The loo fairy called in between, wandered high and low, failed to locate the loo and came back sheepishly. During this time, I discovered that they also have a basement seating area as well. (Finally went to the loo after getting proper directions from my colleagues who had been-there-done-that)
By the time we left, it was close to 1:30 AM but we didn't need any jackets.