Beer paddles

The Union Hotel - Newtown

Newtown

This pub on South King Street does all the things a good pub should. There is free pool on Tuesdays, raffles on Fridays, a corker of a bistro and twenty dedicated craft beer taps. Give your old man a crash course in boutique beers from the Eastern seaboard with their beer paddle. They have the full stable from the likes of Young Henry’s, Stone and Wood, Mountain Goat, Murray’s and Bridge Road, just to name a few. Choose five that take your fancy and, since it adds up to a full litre of beer, dad should be feeling no pain by the last sip.

The Local Taphouse

Darlinghurst

There are more craft beers on tap at the Local Taphouse than you can poke an empty schooner glass at, but rather than be paralysed by choice, let the keen beans behind the bar do the leg work. Well versed in the beers du jour, they can recommend you five beers that run the gamut from easy drinking through to acquired tastes. Or you can choose your own adventure, moving from light, hoppy pilsners through to malty stouts. If the weather is fine, head for the lovely open rooftop and order dad the Sunday roast with all the trimmings as an apology for your teenage years. 

East Village Balmain

Balmain

Evidence of this pub's short-lived stint as a Belgian Beer Café can still be found in the pots of mussel son the bistro menu, but its status as a much-loved watering hole near the ferry wharf is unchanged. Pub grub and craft beers are their new focus. For an easy tenner you get to choose four beers from the ten craft taps, or if dad is something of a traditionalist there are three taps pouring your standard brews. Make a day of it and try them all – with a short break to annihilate an osso buco pie or the extra crisp fish and chips, of course.