The annual festival, held between April 20 and 22, follows the main hop harvesting in Tasmania between March and April.
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Saint John Craft Beer worker Jesse Campling said it was a quick turn around for beer brewers as they could only bring beer crafted from the 2018 harvest.
It took two to three weeks at a minimum for brewers to harvest the hops, ferment and brew them into beer, Mr Campling said.
The festival was unique as it featured beers crafted from fresh hops instead of dried hops pellets, he said.
Entering its fourth year, the Fresh Hop Beer Festival started out as an in-house festival featuring 14 beers on tap at Saint John Craft Beer Bar.
It has since expanded into its backyard and onto Vincent Street.
The number of beers on tap have nearly doubled since the first festival.
The festival aimed to showcase the quality Tasmanian craft beers on offer.
He estimated about 95 per cent of the beer on tap at the festival was from brewers around the state.
The festival limits tickets available to 750 per day.
Green hops fresh from the vine tasted more raw and had a more mellow hop flavour, Mr Campling said.
More than a thousand people were expected to attend the event. There were a few hundred people for the first festival, he said.
The festival enabled brewers to mingle and let their hair down after a busy harvesting season, he said.
While fresh hop beer was the focus of the grassroots festival, Mr Campling said there was music, food for sharing and wine available too. “Everyone is in high spirits.”
Sundaze and The Embers will headline the all-Tasmanian music line-up.
Mr Campling said the festival organisers had not ruled out expanding the festival in the future.
Starting on Friday, people can tap in between 4pm and 11pm. On Saturday, the festival opens at midday and runs until 11pm, while the Sunday event will be a shorter day, starting at 11am and finishing by 5pm.
Children under 18 are able to attend the festival, but identification will be checked on the gate and they will be given wristbands.