The Greyfriar, Reading

Corner pub near the station and in the current Good Beer Guide. Reconfigured at some stage, but there are still two distinct seating areas facing the bar counter along the back wall. The refurbishment is a slightly odd mix of traditional and modern, and the furniture is fairly sparse (as were other customers mid-afternoon on a Friday). That aside, there was quite an interesting selection of four real ales - including the Storms Pass from Good Chemistry (£4.50) - and a cider from five of the seven handpumps on my visit.

Visited on a quiet late afternoon. On the day I found 2 hand pumps for cider and 4 for ale, plus a font offering about 8 quality craft keg. There was no food. I grabbed a couple of pints of cask (Vocation being one of them); both perfectly fine. while I've no idea about later, it served a relaxing purpose between trains (though it's fair to say I could have caught an earlier connection). Not a bad option if you're prepared to walk a few minutes from the station (quite possibly in the rain)

Modern light pine fix, a few real ales, quite trendy in beardy kind of way