SIZE MATTERS: Gemini Hotel barmaid Elana Jasmin is pouring an increasing number of schooners for patrons as the humble middy slowly loses popularity at the watering hole.
THE humble middy might be slowly disappearing from local bars, but reports of its imminent death are a tad premature, the city's publicans say.
The once-ubiquitous 285ml glass is being permanently shelved in some Sydney pubs, with a thirst for the larger schooner and a shift in drinking culture among the younger crowd blamed for its demise.
While some of the more "old-school" Griffith pubs and clubs are still pouring plenty of middies, other licensed venues are seeing a dramatic change in drinking habits.
"The younger ones do prefer schooners and I've noticed a real shift in the past few years," Gemini Hotel licensee Michael Catanzariti said.
"I've noticed with a lot of pubs in the city, when you ask for a beer, you automatically get a schooner now, but we still ask the question."
Over at the main Exies Club, the migration from middy to schooner is happening at a much slower rate.
"It's much the same as it's always been, it hasn't changed that much," Exies operations manager Garry Tucker said.
"We're not a nightclub though and we're more focused on servicing our members.
"I have noticed a big change in the young ones moving away from beer to RTDs (ready to drinks) though."
Griffith Hotel licensee Tim Olivero said the middy-schooner divide was very much connected to age.
"The younger ones do tend to drink schooners whereas the older regulars prefer a middy," Mr Olivero said.
"I've only noticed a small change but it may well be that the poor old middy is slowly being phased out."
