In a matchmaking story for the ages, one of Tasmania’s most beloved independent breweries has taken on the lease at Australia’s oldest pub (or so it says).

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Ask AI for its take on Australian pub culture, and it will start by summarising the quintessential pub as a “versatile social hub for community, dining, and entertainment”, before quickly moving on to the institution’s historical roots, the most important factor of which appears to be its genesis is the early 19th century.

It’s almost as if any pub is only as good as the longevity it can claim.

For Hobart Brewing Co. (HBC), history was certainly a big drawcard when it came to taking on the lease at the Hope & Anchor, ostensibly Australia's oldest continuously licenced pub. While that title remains under hot - but largely tongue-in-cheek - contention (The Bush Inn, just half an hour west in New Norfolk and opened in 1815, claims the accolade, too, on technicalities), only the Hope & Anchor can point to the “1807” painted above its doorway as “proof” that its very early 19th-century establishment makes it the country’s oldest surviving pub.

“Regardless of what others are saying, the number on our door is lower,” laughs HBC Marketing Manager Nick Devereux. “The resources available to verify anybody’s claims are so Wikipedia-based that nobody can really know the truth, and what’s the point of knowing the truth anyway when it could ruin a good story? We’re all for keeping the banter up between us and the guys at The Bush Inn.”

Having recently added Hope & Anchor Licensee to his job description, Nick knows his fair share about the venue’s history, much of which has been retained and highlighted in a modest renovation of the space since HBC stepped in. He and his team have worked closely with Heritage Tasmania to restore the pub to its former glory, while contemporising the interiors for a 2020s crowd.

“Our vision was to make the Hope & Anchor the most deliberate version of itself that it can be,” Nick says. “We’re repainting the exterior in a heritage cream with sooty black highlights to recreate its original aesthetic, and we’ve curated a selection of genuine historical items throughout the venue to highlight the story of the space over the last two centuries.”

It’s a vision brought to life by a mix of high bar and dining seating, warm textiles, cosy corners, and glowing fireplaces, each playing a side part to the venue’s central bar. From behind it, the friendly Hope & Anchor team pours local beers and cider from 10 rotating taps, alongside a tight list of close-to-exclusively-Tasmanian wines, and a selection of spirits, including local favourites Forty Spotted gin and Hartshorn vodka.

As HBC’s latest project, it’s only natural that their beers should feature heavily in the rotation - and, being Tassie’s second largest craft brewer, that’s not a bad thing. Since 2015, HBC has called Evans Street’s Red Shed home, brewing and serving its core and limited release collections from Hobart’s waterfront. As conversation around a stadium development on the site continues, the opportunity to take on the lease at the Hope & Anchor was timely.

“Our original HBC venue is where you go for the most authentically Tasmanian experience you can have - standing around a giant fire pit wearing a puffer jacket and not caring about the elements in winter, or sharing an outdoor beer garden with 300 other punters in summer,” Nick says. “We’re still looking for the next brewery premises for HBC, but being able to bring a bit of what we do and love to the Hope & Anchor, while honouring its DNA, has been a step in the right direction.”

From the kitchen, a line-up of pub stalwarts - think chicken parmis, beer battered fish, and fried calamari - is complemented by plates that are as surprisingly sophisticated as they are in keeping with the pub’s atmosphere of casual generosity. Top picks include a beef cheek Wellington served on mash with carrots, broccolini and jus, and an eastern-inspired daily market fish with sweet potato curry and edamame.

“We’ve set out to make the menu appropriate for everyone,” Nick says. “The classics are there, but we’ve also made sure to include vegetarian and gluten-free options, as well as a menu for the kids.”

The resulting demographic is varied and inclusive, from office knock-offs and early family dinners to late-night sessions, and everything in between. Under HBC’s custodianship, the Hope & Anchor ends up looking and feeling a lot like the place that AI describes - just the way an Aussie pub should.

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