Bangalore and Oxford do not ring a bell of similarity Oxford being a University city and Bangalore being an IT hub but on closer and tangential comparison both these cities have one common linkage and that is the young vibrant population, And where else would you find this more manifested in than in a joint to relax a rejuvenate – a quintessential Pub. In any case pubs in my opinion reflect the mood of a city, and different pubs might be indicative of its various popular sub cultures.
Oxford Pubs
The history of Oxford pubs is truly unique. During the seventeenth century, drinking water in this area was not of good quality to drink, so students in Oxford were actually encouraged to drink Ale. People uses barley to create Ale by soaking barley in water for several days and then carefully germinating it to create malt. After drying malt, brewer adds malt to hot water for fermentation. The thing that sets Ale apart from beers is that, it is a technically alive drink.
One of my favourite walking tour itinerary is the pub crawl where the guide with tactful histrionics takes you through the history of pub and drinking, glorifying every bit of the sordid details. Oxford has a fine selection of watering holes and we were taken through a couple of epic ally proportioned routes that combined with the typical British sense of humor made the night turn out to be truly amazing. These were too many but the ones that stuck in my memory are King’s Arms – oldest pub in Oxford (c. 1607), real ale, great food, The Eagle and Child – famous meeting place for the Inklings, The Bear Inn – one of the oldest pubs in Oxford, The Rose & Crown – real ale, quirky proprietor, popular local student crowd.
Bangalore Pubs
I was left thinking to myself as to why not have pub crawls in our cities. Bangalore can be one such city to start with. Some of the truly amazing and friendly bars I have seen are in this city. A traveller, who does not know the place and is instead just doing trial and error, can have a true flavour of the city on a pub crawl. Some of my hot favourites in Bangalore are Mojos where retro music rules the roost. The food, here is excellent and the place is especially made for the hard core beer lovers. Styx Pub, A small square place, surrounded by fancy looking fish filled aquariums, draws the heavy metal enthusiasts. Alibi Pub,with its comfortable, cosy feel, is the place to unwind at. Pub World, that named Banglore as the pub city, stands out as one of the leading outlets of that genre, that still reflect a early pub world feel. Tavern Inn,styled along the lines of an English pub, has a dedicated lot of regulars who like the original concept. Purple Haze, possibly named after Jimi Hendrix’s song of the same name, is dedicated to rock music. Scottish Pub, is home territory of the city’s motor sport enthusiasts, and is all about pitcher drinkers of cold beer and solid beats of rock music. Therefore pub crawls is something we should have, to discover and belong, getting a walk and gaining spirits, as you go. I agree we have distances but then be innovative, take smaller groups, hire a large car and there you go.
In my recent visit to Bangalore, I discovered a second best option of the pub crawl…hit it off with a local. For this, if you have no friends a homestay with a friendly host will give you a peak into the local night life. one of my favorite sites to book my homestays is The Other Home.
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