The Oaks is a pub in Neutral Bay that is across the Harbour Bridge north of Sydney. As I walked in it appeared to be a normal Australian pub, which has it’s own description compared to those in the States, but as I continued to the outside patio I realized this pub was something else indeed.
First off, let me go through the Aussie pub. As you walk in the door there are tables and chairs as well as couches sometimes along the walls. The bar itself is the same size as an American one meaning they can vary in size, but it’s usually just a bar with no restaurant attached. The difference is that there are no stools along the bar itself and the usual way of ordering is walking up to the bar buying a beer and returning to your table. No tabs and no servers take care of the bar – only the occasional walkthrough by someone to pick up the empty glasses. Generally speaking I’ve noticed six beers on tap and a few beers available by bottle. Corona is one of the higher priced beers here along with Heineken, but I haven’t seen any American beers, large or small.
Now take that to The Oaks and imagine walking into ‘that bar’ and then outside into a beer garden with two more bars, back inside to another two bars, into the back with another bar, and upstairs with another bar, plus individual rooms you can rent which have billiard tables in them. It took 15 minutes just to walk through the whole establishment. The décor has a lot of wood panels, tiles, and some projection TV’s showing whichever sport happens to be on. The Aussie’s love their sports – Rugby has at least two leagues they follow, Australian Rules Football, Soccer, Cricket, and even golf. Let me repeat that – Australian’s love their sports. This coming Olympics I’d keep a good eye on the Australian team, they are spoken of as being extremely competitive.
Beer. I’m very biased on this topic having the palate of an American. Personally I enjoy darker beers, lighter beers, beers with… Okay, I like most beer styles, but Australian beer is different. Sure you can find an Irish pub and have a Guinness poured, and I’ve seen Corona and Heineken in the bottles, but you can’t walk into just any pub and ask for a pint. First off, they’re called schooners and they’ll remind you that they are called schooners. Secondly, I haven’t even seen Fosters and was pre-warned not to order it, but that wasn’t difficult because I didn’t think much of it in the States. So okay, I’ve tried a few beers and here are my thoughts…
Carlton Draught is probably my favorite so far. It’s a heavier lager, golden color, and a thicker head that American beers – almost like a Guinness. It’s smoother than a Budweiser or Indian Pale Ale, and it’s fairly easy to ‘gulp’ down. There isn’t much to say about it if you like ‘hoppy’ beer. Next up is James Squire Amber Ale, a great beer, but not as easily found. James Squire is similar color to Newcastle Brown Ale but I think tastes better. Compared to Newcastle it’s richer and fuller, and it also has that same creamier head once poured. It sticks along the sides of your glass demonstrating the texture of these beers. Tooheys New is slightly hoppy and more carbonated, but it lacks the bite of something like Sierra Nevada IPA. Now considering the differences of these beers I’ve tried there is one commonality – an Australian flavor. I wouldn’t tell you what it is. It’s not a microbrew flavor common to some American breweries, and they vary in their ingredients so I don’t think it’s the malt or grains from which they are brewed. My guess is a common yeast used producing this unique flavor. Now I say unique, which could be construed as ‘bad’. In a way, yes, I’m saying that, but it’s really just a flavor that I’m not accustomed to. I’d imagine the Aussies don’t import Coors Light for the same reason, but for that matter there’s plenty of bottled water here already.
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