In Australia beer consumption has been falling steadily and dramatically since 1971.

In Tasmanian tourism circles, the boom in beer is referred to as the "sipping sector". ( Supplied: Little Rivers Brewery )

And yet, in the brewing industry something's happening that has seen investment in smaller operations expand dramatically.

Across Tasmania there are now 26 breweries and almost every one of them opened in the past four years.

This new generation of brewers don't just want to sell you their beer — they want to pour it for you and tell you about it, too.

"Having people coming to connect with what we're doing and being able to tell our story is one of the more important factors," says Cornel Ianculovici, head brewer and managing director of Shambles Brewery in North Hobart.

"It's not just about the beer, it's about the people who make it as well."

In warehouses, city shopfronts and small towns, breweries are springing up. In North Hobart alone, within walking distance of Shambles, there are now five.

Mr Ianculovici's story seems typical: a keen home brewer with a background in science decides to find some investors and begin selling beer.

Shambles's Cornel Ianculovici began home brewing while studying at university. ( Supplied: Shamble Brewery )

Following wine industry's footsteps

A 15-minute drive from Hobart, in an industrial-park warehouse in Cambridge, it is brewing day at Last Rites.

Australia's alcohol consumption graph shows despite a mild upswing of late, the nation's taste for beer has waned in favour of other beverages. ( Supplied: ABS )

Former scientist, now head brewer Phil Zakaria prepares to welcome a tour group to taste his wares.

Since opening a few years ago he has been surprised by the growth of the sector — and his own business.

"We opened up three years ago. We don't advertise. We have a Facebook presence," he says.

"We just opened our doors, stuck a sign out. We get 100, 150 people coming down here, simply through word of mouth, to taste our beers."

Mr Zakaria's beers range from more standard pale ales to mercurially titled test brews that challenge the palate and get made in 50-litre batches in case they have to go down the drain.

The brewery has a canning facility in the next warehouse and ships beers to bottle shops interstate.

Mr Zakaria believes changes in consumer behaviour are seeing more people prepared to treat beer like wine, something that can become a discussion point at any good dinner party, and for which brewers can charge a fair premium.

"It's that sharing thing. Like a good wine, I guess," he says.

"You take it to someone's house, share it with someone else, talk about it."

Phil Zakaria conducts a tour at Last Rites Brewing Company, Tasmania. ( Supplied: Last Rites Brewing Company )

Tourism industry representatives say they can see the shoots of a new sector starting to emerge.

"We call it the sipping sector," says Luke Martin, head of Tasmania's Tourism Industry Council.

"When you look at the example set by Tasmanian wine or, say, our cheese makers, there's a model there that they [the brewers] can build across.

"Hopefully, in 20 or 30 years we'll be as renowned for brewing as we are for wine now."

Beer tourism prospect excites

Bushy Park, an hour west of Hobart, produces 50 per cent of Australia's hops.

Hops have been grown there since the mid-1800s but the rise of craft breweries striving for very different types of beer has led to dramatic changes in what they grow.

"We've replanted more than 90 per cent of our entire acreage in the past four years," says Owen Johnston from Hops Products Australia.

"We've added 25 per cent more acreage.

"It's an unprecedented rate of change in an ancient industry."

Johnston points to trends overseas, particularly in North America, as a sign of could happen in Tasmania.

"The city of Portland in Oregon [has] 500,000 people — like the whole population of Tasmania — and they have 60 breweries," he says.

"I'd love to see Tasmania with 60 breweries. And the beer tourism outcomes would be phenomenal."

If the current rate of growth continues, that dream might not be too far away.