The Best Breweries in Tasmania for Your Next Tasting Trail

Tasmania’s wineries tend to take the spotlight, but the island’s breweries deserve their own pilgrimage. From city taprooms to country sheds, heritage names to newer players, there’s a distinctly Tasmanian trail of crisp lagers, seasonal sours and experimental ferments waiting to be discovered. Whether you’re in it for a full tasting trail or simply somewhere with excellent beer and a good atmosphere, these are the best breweries in Tasmania to visit.

Time to find out what’s brewing down south.

Hobart Brewing Co.

Down on the waterfront, inside the big red shed, you’ll find the taproom and central brewing operations of Hobart Brewing Co. This is beer with real hometown credentials, brewed by locals and deeply tied to the community, from support for Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary to the Cygnet Folk Festival. Better still, the beer is genuinely good and refreshingly unfussy. The core range leans towards ales and lagers, with a little IPA and a broader mix of specialty brews across the 16 taps. Settle in with a game of pool or claim a spot by the fire pit. Beyond the waterfront taproom, Hobart Brewing Co. has also taken over the historic Hope & Anchor, Australia’s oldest continually licensed pub.

Sitchu Tip: Alongside its own brews, the pub also pours an excellent, creamy Guinness.

16 Evans Street, Hobart

Moo Brew

Moo Brew may have begun as a tipsy holiday whim from Mona founder David Walsh, but since launching in 2005, it has earned its place among Tasmania’s first wave of craft breweries. The core ‘Icons’ range keeps things classic and clean, with unpasteurised, preservative-free pales, lagers, ales and stouts. Beyond that, the brewery regularly turns out seasonal releases and more adventurous pours, from Flanders red ale and Belgian golden ale to fruity sours in warmer months and the occasional rice lager. Non-drinkers are well looked after too, thanks to Notto Blotto, a zero-alcohol hopped soda.

Sitchu Tip: At Moo Brew’s Salamanca brewpub, Manky Sally’s, you’ll often find small-batch one-offs from the onsite nano-brewery alongside a sharp bar menu with Asian-inspired twists.

Manky Sally’s, Ground Floor, 25 Salamanca Place, Hobart

Brewery, 76a Cove Hill Road, Bridgewater, Hobart

Bruny Island Beer Co

Beer and cheese are a match made in heaven, especially at Nick Haddow’s Bruny Island Cheese Co. Bruny Island Beer Co is brewed with the same artisanal approach, and each drop comes with thoughtful cheese pairing suggestions. These food-minded brews are deeply connected to Tasmanian produce and flavour. The rich Whey Stout uses whey left over from the cheesemaking process, the Honey Pale Ale draws on local island honey, the Lighthouse Ale showcases three Tasmanian hop varieties, and the seasonal Black Pudding Stout is infused with Derwent Valley raspberries.

If you have Bruny Island plans, add the cellar door to your itinerary for an unparalleled cheese-matching experience.

1807 Bruny Island Main Road, Great Bay

Two Metre Tall

Love natural wine? Chances are you’ll enjoy traditional farm ales, too. Home to wild, spontaneous ferments, Two Metre Tall specialises in farm ales, mead and cider. Its farmhouse-style fermentation relies on naturally occurring yeasts in the air, much like sourdough, creating beers that speak clearly to the produce and place they come from. Ingredients are grown on the farm or sourced from like-minded growers nearby, with everything from pumpkins to cherries making their way into the mix. Barrel ageing adds another layer of intrigue. Head to the Farm Bar in Hayes, bring a picnic, and try something a little different.

2862 Lyell Highway, Hayes

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Brewlab

One of the newer additions to Hobart’s beer scene, Brewlab’s ‘beer cafe’ in Derwent Park pairs a slick matte-black-and-timber fit-out with beers brewed entirely onsite. The core range spans lager, brown, pale and Pacific ales, alongside seasonal pours such as winter stout and fruity IPA. For anyone visiting with non-beer drinkers in tow, there’s also a full cocktail list, including a ‘Stoutini’ take on the espresso martini, plus wine. The menu leans hearty, with burgers, loaded potatoes and sides, all made for settling in over a drink or two. Add live music and signature hot sauces, and it is very easy to stay a while.

22 Gepp Parade, Derwent Park

Spotty Dog Brewery and Taphouse

Brewing since 2016, Spotty Dog is a respected name in Tasmania’s craft beer scene, with a range that runs from the refreshing Portland Pale Ale to bright IPAs, dark Pub Stout and limited releases. The Taphouse sits beside Prince of Wales Bay in Derwent Park, just north of Hobart. While the setting is industrial, floor-to-ceiling glass frames marina views and glimpses of Mount Wellington. Alongside the full beer line-up, there’s a ‘chicken shop’ menu of buttermilk-brined fried chicken, burgers and beer-friendly snacks, plus a few kid-friendly options.

Sitchu Tip: On the last Sunday of each month, the kitchen switches gears for ramen night, with hot, house-made bowls made for cool evenings.

11 Bender Drive, Derwent Park

Cascade Brewery

As southern Tasmania’s original iconic brewery, Cascade’s story begins in 1824. That legacy lives on in one of Australia’s most striking historic brewery buildings, all sandstone grandeur and old-world character. Adults can join a brewery tour, while younger visitors get their own family-friendly introduction to the site’s history. You’ll spot Cascade on taps and in tins across the south, but the more distinctive pours are best discovered at Cascade Bar just across the way. The beer garden stretches wide with lawns, live music and ample room to settle in.

When the weather turns, the indoor spaces are all comfort, best paired with a beer, perhaps a boutique Tasmanian whisky, and something deeply satisfying from the elevated pub menu.

140 Cascade Road, South Hobart

Shambles Brewery

Shambles Brewery has a mischievous streak, a little unruly in the best possible way, with beers that are consistently smart, characterful and genuinely delicious. The bar pours an eclectic range, spanning easy summer ales, hoppy IPAs, sessionable mid-strengths, rich porters, mixed berry sours and boozy ginger beer, so there’s plenty to explore across the taps. The food follows suit, with fried chicken, loaded fries, burgers and parmis alongside lighter wraps and bowls, plus playful bites such as lamb mac and cheese croquettes. With a beer garden for sunny afternoons and table tennis ready for a little competition, this is the sort of brewery that turns one round into several.

222 Elizabeth Street, Hobart

Deep South Brewing Co.

Deep South Brewing Co. has earned its following for two very good reasons: excellent beer and seriously good pizza. In North Hobart, the brewery spills into a vast post-industrial beer hall that has held local-favourite status since opening in 2021, thanks to weekday specials, trivia nights and happy hour. With a former Moo Brew brewer at the helm, the range skews crisp, smooth and beautifully balanced, from a malty draught to the bright Sharksjaw IPA and the more unexpected Black Rice Lager. Settle in with a beer and a game of pool, or share a woodfired pizza while the rotating Uncharted keg keeps things interesting.

220 Argyle Street, North Hobart

James Boag

James Boag is the beer of the north. Established in 1881 by its namesake Scottish brewer, the brewery is synonymous with Launceston, with its lagers, draught and ale proudly poured far beyond the city. The historic brick building sits alongside the modern brewery where James Boag is still made today. A brewery tour takes visitors through the sleek operation and its sustainable technology, before finishing with a guided tasting of three Boag beers. The newly revamped brewhouse features a beer hall, beer garden and museum, making it an excellent pit stop for snacks with a side of history.

39 William Street, Launceston

Willie Smith’s

Not a beer brewery, but the undisputed home of Tasmanian cider, Willie Smith’s is the result of four generations of apple farming. Alongside their dry, traditional and organic varieties, they bottle heritage blends and specialty ciders that feel closer to fine wines. They have even branched out into apple brandies and liqueurs in the tradition of French Calvados. Willie Smith’s Apple Shed is a lovely stop in the heart of the Huon Valley’s orchard country. The seasonal menu is designed to pair with cider, from a bougie ham and cheese toastie to grazing boards layered with terrine and pâté, mains like crackled pork belly, and their famous apple pie for dessert.

Sitchu Tip: There is more to discover than what is in the glass, too, with a cider museum, live music and weekly markets.

2064 Huon Highway, Grove

From Hobart waterfront taprooms to Bruny Island pours, Huon Valley cider stops and Launceston brewing history, Tasmania’s beer scene is far richer than most people realise. Whether you are chasing spontaneous farm ales, a sharp lager with marina views or a brewery lunch that turns into an all-afternoon affair, these are the spots worth building into your next Tassie escape. Then round it out with the island’s best national parks and free things to do.