Hop to it at these top Hobartian craft breweries.

It seems you can barely walk a block in Hobart/Nipaluna without finding yourself inside one of its breweries. Our southern city has a penchant for hoppy beverages and here you’ll find a proliferation of tap houses and beer gardens where you can spend a leisurely afternoon sipping the handiwork of dedicated brewers. From the historic Cascade Brewery to relative newcomers, such as Deep South Brewing Co, there’s an effervescence of innovation and diversity when it comes to Hobartian pints. You’d best bookmark this article for return trips to the city, as even the most ardent lager-lover won’t get to try them all in a single visit.

1. Cascade Brewery

An obvious place to start in a round-up of Hobart’s best breweries is with the longest-lived in the state, and indeed, the country. Cascade Brewery is the oldest operating brewery in Australia, which certainly imbues this brand with a magnitude of cred.

Established in 1824 by settler Peter Degraves, who had a penchant for financial impropriety and spent time in a Hobart jail, where he had an epiphany about using the pristine water on his property to make beer. Cascade continues to inhabit its original and iconic digs.

You can visit the SoHo (South Hobart) brewery today to sample 200 years of hoppy history, take a tour, or just enjoy a beer and a robust meal. Its stunning locale at the foothills of Kunyanyi/Mount Wellington makes it an incredible outing even for non-beer-lovers.

Address: 104 Cascade Road, South Hobart

2. Hobart Brewing Co.

If you have a few hours in Hobart on a sunny afternoon, they’d be well-spent in the city’s biggest beer garden, which can be found at the local Hobart Brewing Co.. In 2014, a couple of mates, Brendan and Scott, got to talking about creating a local Hobartian beer, then they got to making it.  Their first brew, Harbour Master can be found all over Tassie and you can taste it and 12 of their other creations every day of the week at their waterfront brewery housed in a big red shed. If drinking pints makes you peckish, be sure to time your visit with the arrival of the food trucks, which sling dinner from Thursday to Sunday and lunch on the weekends. 

Address: 16 Evans Street, Hobart

3. Fox Friday Hobart

This Tassie-born brewery wants you to live every day like it’s Friday. It’s certainly an appealing concept and easily done when visiting our southernmost city for a spell.

Hop into the Fox Friday tap room and sip on some effervescence with a tasting paddle or go straight in for a pint of their hop-forward brews, such as their American brown ale ‘Paydirt’ and their hazy pale ale ‘Shorts Weather’.

With a menu that includes a Nashville hot fried chicken burger, a Chilli dog and a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, you can be assured fortification while you enjoy a few rounds. You can leave with some takeaway cans, and if you’re finding it difficult to farewell this good times brewery, take heart in the fact there are outposts in Melbourne and Perth.

Address: 105 Murray Street, Hobart

4. T-Bone Brewing Co.

This NoHo brewpub opened in 2016 and quickly became a city stalwart. So much so that in 2022, T-Bone opened a second venue in Huntingfield, just 20 minutes south. At the original, you can taste up to 16 of their brews on tap, including the Czech Please Pilsner, Peanut Butter Porter and the Choc-Milk Stout.

For the not-a-big-beer-drinker set, T-Bone also makes a refreshing cider and ginger beer. Sit and savour or simply grab a tinnie or two to takeaway. If you’re settling in for a session, you can order food at the bar from next door’s Italian restaurant, Amici, which will be conveniently delivered right to your table. 

Address: 308 Elizabeth Street, North Hobart

5. Deep South Brewing Co.

A newish comer to the Tassie craft beer scene, Deep South Brewing Co. tapped their first keg three years ago, but since doing so, the cool, warehouse-style brewery has become a destination for innovative beers such as the Sharksjaw IPA, the easy-drinking Lion Rock Session and the German-ish Breaksea Draft.

Food here is also worth the visit with a creative pizza menu and small dishes of Tassie beef tataki, hiramasa kingfish ceviche and buttermilk fried chicken wings.

Address: 220 Argyle Street, North Hobart

6. Manky Sally’s

Rather than a person with questionable hygiene, Sally and her unflattering nickname are derived from the bar’s location in Salamanca Place. Such a play on words makes perfect nonsense when you know that Manky Sally’s is the tap house for local Hobartian beer Moo Brew, which was started by the man behind Mona, David Walsh.

Ergo, one can expect things to be on the weird side of artsy here at this dive bar and tap house, where you can enjoy a pot to a pint of Moo Brew’s core and seasonal ranges and nibble on the venison-heavy menu, which includes a pulled venison pancake, a venison cheeseburger and wild venison tataki.

There are other things, if you’re not a fan of beer or deer, such as wine from Walsh’s Moorilla Estate and spirits, and nibbles of karaage fish, wallaby steaks and kangaroo salami. 

Address: Ground floor, 25 Salamanca Place, Battery Point

7. Shambles Brewery

Shambles is the result of science teacher Cornel Ianculovici’s obsession with home-brewing. Quitting the classroom, he buddied up with some mates to form Shambles in an old butchery in the heart of Hobart. The space is now a brewery, bar, beer hall and beer garden that’s pulling brews from Wednesday to Sunday.

Come for a game of table tennis and a tasting paddle and work your way through the collection of carefully crafted beers, such as a hazy IPA, amber ale and Tasmanian blackberry sour. There’s an extensive menu designed to be consumed in tandem with beer drinking, ranging from baos to fried chicken, burgers and loaded fries and Thursday night is trivia night, so grab some willing mates and settle in for a good time.

Address: 222 Elizabeth Street, Hobart

8. Spotty Dog Brewers

From this spot overlooking the water you can refresh with an ale while listening to the halyards clinking in the Prince of Wales Bay.

The Spotty Dog tap house is tucked into an industrial area en route to Mona and showcases the commercial brewery’s easy-drinking beers, from pale ales to IPAs and sours.

There’s also a chicken shop onsite, frying and flinging delicious burgers and wings (vegan and vego options, too) with plenty of sides to give your beer-tasting the longevity it deserves.

Address: 11 Bender Drive, Derwent Park, Hobart

9. The Albert Brewery

You can’t miss this bright-blue brewery and tap room set in the midst of the industrial-cool vibe of Moonah. On tap you’ll find The Albert Brewery’s core range of lagers and a rotation of their limited release lagers, as well as their craft range, cider and some Tassie wines on the pour. If the sun is a shining, grab a table outside under an umbrella to work your way through the selection complemented by bites from the Euro-inspired onsite kitchen, such as Italian meatballs, currywurst, goulash and Jagerschnitzel. The 30-hectolitre brewery is worth a look, too, with the cold war-era-looking equipment formerly used by a Dutch brewery for testing and development before being transported to Hobart. 

Address: 73–75 Albert Road, Moonah

10. Brewlab

If you can’t manage to visit as many of Tassie’s breweries as you’d like, head to this cafe and brewery, where you can sample a selection of locally made beers. Let the staff select for you or choose your own five beers to try on a tasting paddle.

Brewlab also have their own craft brewery onsite, which ferments for the cafe, but even if you’re not into hops, you can enjoy a visit here sipping on wines, cocktails or that other type of brew, coffee.

Sit inside or by the fire pit outside and tuck into a beer-friendly burger.

Address: 22 Gepp Parade, Derwent Park

11. Overland Brewers and Distillers

As obsessive as Tasmanians may be about their beer, they’re equally renowned for making beautiful whiskies. At Overland Brewers and Distillers, you don’t have to choose between the two, instead, you can sample both types of amber-coloured liquids without judgement.

On the beer side, there are flavour-packed and sessionable ales in the core range, such as an IPA, XPA and draught, as well as limited edition brews from sours to stouts.

On the distilling side, you can savour house-made rye and single malt whiskies made from Tasmanian and Australian grains. You’re wholeheartedly encouraged to try both in tandem at this dog- and kid-friendly venue, where you can also enjoy a good burger and a Bavarian-style pretzel with your beverage.

Address: 284 Argyle Street, North Hobart

For more tried and tested Hobart recommendations, read our travel guide to the Tassie city.