Preachers may be a haven for beer aficionados with its rotating list of local and exotic brews, but with its local wines, easy-going food and fun vibe, there’s much to like for everyone.
You hear Preachers before you see it – animated conversation, laughter and good tunes spill from the beer garden onto the street, signalling you’ve come to the right place as you approach. Once there, you’ll want to settle in, and you have choices. Inside this former sailmaker’s cottage built in 1849, the original layout makes for various rooms and nooks to hunker down in, while the beer garden, with its lush foliage and umbrella-shaded picnic tables, is the pick on a nice day.
With Salamanca Place – Hobart’s main tourist strip – on its doorstep, Preachers could have easily become a cookie-cutter venue, but instead it’s a bar with character, a welcoming ambience, great playlists, and food that’s the ideal match to the brews celebrated here.
There’s an instant sense of familiarity here. The rooms, scattered with Chesterfields and chess boards, armchairs and artworks, have the vibe of a visit to a friend’s place. Out in the beer garden, alongside the picnic tables, a Tasmanian Metro bus has been repurposed as an all-weather seating option. While the original linoleum flooring and hanging hand grips remain, the interior has had a slight rejig, with the seats repositioned and tables added to create booth-style seating. It’s a fun bit of upcycling that may be a gimmick, but it works. Wherever you land, Preachers has an ever-present sense of fun that’s irresistible.
Beer is the main game here. The rotating range sees top-notch brews sourced from Australia and around the world, while frequent tap takeovers see the likes of One Drop Brewing Co from New South Wales and Brisbane’s Range Brewing making guest appearances with kegs in tow.
Cocktails are skewed to the classic, hewing to the likes of Negroni, Amaretto Sour and Espresso Martini. Spritz fans will welcome the standard number made with Italy’s Aperol, while the bar also stocks Bizzarro, an all-natural local take on the bittersweet liqueur made by Delinquente Wine Co from South Australia's Riverland. Wines, meanwhile, are almost exclusively Tasmanian, with occasional blow-ins such as Silent Noise drops and Delinquente’s Pretty Boy rosé.
The main action, though, is focused on the beer. Preachers trots the globe to source interesting brews, such as sour fruit ales from Sweden’s Brewski and Duck Pond Brewing, and Grimekeep in Norway. Local craft beers on offer might include Pineapple Imperial Slushy Sour by One Drop Brewing Co, and lager or saisons from Victoria’s Molly Rose Brewing on the rotating list. No thirst will go unquenched here.
The American-style food is a natural partner to all those brews. The truck-stop burger packs beef, double cheese, a potato cake, dim sim and chicken salt. As Preachers says, “It’s dirty, it’s delicious.” Loaded fries might come smothered in maple bacon, cheese sauce, sour cream and spring onion, while cheeseburger spring rolls make cameo appearances.
Meat naysayers are catered for with the eggplant katsu burger, the crumbed slab of eggplant sharing the bun with Japan’s tonkatsu sauce, pickled ginger, lettuce, tomato and onion. For a less exotic snack, the chip butty hits the spot.
Like the beer list, the food offering changes often. We’re keeping our eyes open for the return of mac and cheese and jalapeño chilli croquettes.
If you’re a sucker for a good special, Preachers has you covered. Any burger with a pint of house beer or cider will cost you $25 between midday and 3:00pm on weekdays, while on Meat-Free Mondays, $25 gets you a veggie burger and beer or cider. Bookings are available so you can secure a spot if you’re coming with a crowd.
The vibe at Preachers is casual and inviting – ideal for knock-off drinks, dinner with friends or even a first date. There are plenty of talking points, so lulls in conversations should be kept to a minimum. Kids are welcome, and they get as much of a kick out of the bus as the adults do. In short, it’s a “come one, come all” affair.
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