Using downtown Monterey as a map of where bartenders drink.

The rules are simple: I ask the bartender for his or her favorite after-work spot for a drink. I go to that spot and drink what they drink. Then I ask that barkeep for their go-to watering hole, and repeat.

Call it cocktail telephone.

Since this is a beer issue, I started with Josh Perry at Restaurant 1833 because I figured the Oregon native and artisan brew lover would send me somewhere with a good pint. (Little did I know he would set me off what would become a beer crawl in downtown Monterey.)

Just as importantly, he has a magnetic new craft cocktail menu that had me soon sipping the remnants of poblano-Tabasco simple syrup in my Buffalo Trace bourbon and Sombra mezcal-based Smokey and the Bandit. And a Cana Brava Reserva rum-based hummingbird cocktail that was shaken up with an intense lavender tincture. (Go to the food blog, www.mcweekly.com/edible, for photos and his complete new menu.)

Sure enough, Perry goes for something simpler but equally well-crafted after he clocks out: He sends me down the street to Alvarado Street Brewery for their Lighthouse Kolsch.

“You can take us to the beach now. Share with your friends… or don’t!”

I make my way to the brewery’s new beer garden to meet up with Jameson Mohammadi, the garden manager. He stands behind the beer garden’s bar, handing people freshly canned beer. (Yes, canned local craft beer.) Here’s how it works: He rinses out any residual detergent from a 22-ounce aluminum container, or “crowler,” then pours beer from the corresponding tap, places it under their canning contraption, or crowler maker, which forces down a fitted lid, pull tab and all. Mohammadi tells me the result is a portable way to enjoy their brews anywhere. “You can take us to the beach now. Share with your friends… or don’t!” (In fact, Monterey officials are considering illegalizing beach drinking.)

The brewery’s popular kölsch style beer is sold-out at the moment but he pours me their Das Pilsner! in an ice-cold metal pint glass. It presents a good alternative, with a bubbly mouthfeel and smooth flavor profile that makes for clean and easy sipping.

Mohammadi’s post-shift cravings lead me to another craft-beer stomping ground: Peter B’s BrewPub for their Golden Tides Mosaic IPA. I meet with bartender Robert Macias in the pub’s barrel room, where he brings over a glass of the amber-hued beauty. It proves a quality IPA raised to the next level by way of elevated and complex bitterness, which Macias says comes from the use of the Mosaic, a sought-after type of hops that lends a slight tropical fruitiness to the IPA.

Macias says he’s covering for someone today, so he’s working a longer shift. Extra hours on his feet mean extra hours to keep up the smile and a collected demeanor. He tells me after extended shifts like these, he likes a cold glass of Deschutes’ Fresh Squeezed IPA at Turn 12. Macias turns to a metaphor to explain: “I crave it because it’s bittersweet, like the end of my days. I love making people happy, but it’s tough work mixing cocktails and pouring beer.”

With the Golden Tides washing around in my belly, I am starting to feel full, but manage to swerve to Turn 12, where manager Matt Fisher greets me at the bar.

He pours me a Fresh Squeezed IPA. It hits with a citrusy sweet style, with a hint of bitterness at the end. I feel a little more in-tune with Macias’ attitude after working extra hours, but it may have been because this was my second glass of IPA in 40 minutes and my fifth drink in two hours.

As I settle deeper into my drink, Fisher tells me the most challenging part of his job isn’t keeping the customers happy but keeping up the morale of his employees. As a manger, his days are spent making sure employees aren’t overworked and get time off when they request it. A happy team is a hardworking team.

When his day of juggling schedules is over, his post-shift drink desires are classic Californian: live reggae and a 22-ounce Lagunitas IPA at The Bull and Bear Whiskey Bar and Taphouse.

It was the last stop on the post-shift telephone pub crawl. When I arrived, Sean Coyle was eager to say hello, despite having to stay a few extra minutes for his relief to clock in. Coyle has a lot of regulars and, in between pouring my glass of Lagunitas and talking to two familiar customers, says it’s a fun and lively place to be. The steady growth of laughter and the soundcheck resonating from the outdoor patio proved Coyle’s point.

First half of the Lagunitas done, I find myself sitting with the remainder on the patio listening to the Sunday reggae musings of Tony Miles. I spot Fisher in the crowd, holding a massive Lagunitas. He looks relaxed, listening to the music and hopping from one conversation to another. He’s in his element and later points out this is a popular place for service workers. “Over there’s the Peter B’s crew, and behind there, you got the 1833 crew,” he says.

It doesn’t matter that they work at different institutions. They’re coming together around the fire pits and weathered picnic tables in a joyous mass. The lesson here: Bartenders keep it simple, keep it within walking distance and keep up with good company.