Petersham's Oxford Tavern Has Just Gained New Owners — and a Focus on Craft Beer

Inner west pub goers will no doubt be familiar with The Oxford Tavern — the Petersham pub is known for its barbecue (sweetly dubbed Black Betty) and sunny courtyard. But it's about to be synonymous with something else: craft beer. As of today — Monday, January 21 — the pub has changed hands, and the new owners are keen to turn it into a beery heaven.

Brothers James and Josh Thorpe — who currently own Darlinghurst beer pub The Taphouse and, more recently, its sour ale and natural wine bar Odd Culture — cite the pub is one of their favourite inner west venues, and they're set to inject it with their passion for local, independent beer. In addition to a sprawling craft brew offering, there are plans to eventually install a brewery on-site and launch a beer label. And they've already made a head-start, teaming up with mates at Capital Brewing Co. to create the mango and turmeric-infused Hi-Vis New England IPA, to mark their latest pub venture. The drop will be launched officially in-house this weekend, on January 26.

The Oxford Tavern bar is set to showcase a hefty rotation of sips from locally owned, independent breweries, with a focus on hyper-local beers made within a five-kilometre radius of the pub — so you can probably expect to see some brews from Batch, Sauce, The Grifter and Wildflower on the taps. Meanwhile, the kitchen's smoked barbecue offering Black Betty won't be going anywhere, but it will be pumping out some different offerings, including a barbecued version of The Taphouse's signature Sunday roast. You're in for plates like smoked pork belly and tender brisket, matched with roast veggies and Yorkshire puddings.

This is not the first time the pub has changed hands in recent years. It was taken over and given a completely new life by the Drink 'n' Dine Group — which, when it was still operational, was run by Jaime Wirth, who just re-did The Duke — back in 2012. It was then sold to (what's now known as) the Australian Venue Co. in 2016, who were reportedly looking for new publicans to run The Oxford Tavern last year. The pub appears to have sold instead.

Find The Oxford Tavern is located at 1 New Canterbury Road, Petersham.

Images one and two: Katje Ford.