At day's end, as guards muster convicts below deck and the captain retires to his quarters, a small band of sailors retreat to a dark cargo hold in the creaking barque's belly.

By lamplight, they behold their illicit bounty - barrels and sacks of barley, hops and sugar. Encircling a makeshift fire, they brew a familiar beer: a pale, earthy ale with spicy aromas to magically carry them home to the comforts of England. Most evenings they laugh and sing and enjoy the fruits of their labour. The robust brew sees them through the four-month voyage to Van Diemen's Land...and safely home again.