For a number of years, the number of breweries and brewing companies in Tasmania remained pretty constant. Then, from 2014/15 on, things started going a little bananas. Indeed, through late 2015 and early 2016, in Hobart and surrounds alone, it seemed like we were hearing about a new brewery opening every week.Among those to open its doors for the first time in 2016 was the Hobart Brewing Company. However, while March was the first time people ventured through the doors of its Red Shed to sample beers onsite, its beers had been pouring around the city – and occasionally further afield – for 18 months beforehand. Indeed, the very first pours of its debut drop, the Harbour Master Tasmanian Ale, took place in rather colourful circumstances, as brewery founder Brendan Parnell and his brewer Scott Overdorf took to the water of Hobart's harbour with the first barrels to highlight that they planned to celebrate the city's maritime past with their venture.