The Tallie: An outdated way to drink beer or a homage to simpler times?

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Tallies are the free thing we are getting with our slab at the moment. I know I should be grateful because basically I’m getting free beer with my beer - but I’m not grateful. I’m annoyed. Something seems to go horribly wrong with beer when it’s housed in a vessel this big. You pour it out and no matter how much gravity you employ it still remains flat and without head. And it gets warm.

Also anything to do with tallies makes me want to shuffle into to the nearest TAB, put on my checked slippers, start talking with a slight whistle and curiously have memories of serving in World War II.

Much like Cascade Lager, tallies are a bit of a Poppy’s drink. Although the Poppys probably drank them back in the 60’s and 70’s before they became Poppys and now can only manage half a stubby at a time. In fact I can just see the look of joy on hundreds of time-wearied faces as the brewery suddenly announces they are going to produce 8oz pony-sized stubbies!

So really what I’m saying is that tallies are a bit old fashioned. A drink of the past. You can just imagine the looks you’d get if you turned up to your in-laws for Sunday lunch with two tallies. It’s just not socially acceptable any more. But 30 years ago - clearly before anyone realised that beer was best drunk cold and fizzy - it was common practice to cart at least a dozen tallies round in the back of your Holden ute.

Real men drank beer out of a tallie. Or a glass.

Ah those were the days.

What am I saying? I hate beer out of a tallie! Maybe it’s just the thought of tanking round the countryside in a beat up old car, the sound of 12 tall bottles of beer slowly going flat and warm in the back, am radio blaring tinnily from the shot speakers, and knowing that all your worries were soon to be dissolved by those 12 bottles of lukewarm, dead-flat, shaken-up beer.

Or it could be the fact that it’s 10:39 am and I’m sober and any sort of beer would appeal right now.

Yep. That’s definitely it.