Two Rupees Brewing

Two Rupees Brewing Co might be located in a quiet industrial lot in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, but to write those words doesn’t quite capture the warmth that permeates through the brewery. There’s certainly a lot of it, and it's due to the friendly faces behind the brewery, Danny Perera and Amila Mendis.

Having grown up in Sri Lanka, it was soon after arriving in Melbourne that Danny and Amila quickly fell for their new city’s nascent beer scene. For Danny, his love for craft beer was born during his time working as a cook at Little Creatures’ former home in Brunswick Street while, for Amila, his move to Melbourne fortunately led to him living around the corner from Mountain Goat.

Together they’d visit breweries across the city before getting into homebrewing with a desire to find a space where they could make their beer for others, and welcome beer lovers inside, just as Melbourne’s breweries had welcomed them.

By midway through 2019, that dream was realised when they opened the doors to their own in an industrial unit in Clayton – a short walk from Monash University. Wanting to pay homage to their Sri Lankan roots, Danny and Amila eventually landed on Two Rupees in reference to their home country’s currency.

The old red brick building with high ceilings retains much of its charm as a former warehouse, and at its heart sits the 600 litre Two Rupees brewhouse, always serving as a reminder that manufacturing is still a part of Melbourne’s outer suburbs. Here, however, it's manufacturing combined with friendly, welcoming hospitality, where the taps pour hazy beers beside stouts, and where locals gather to watch a game of footy or cricket while enjoying the goods made on site.

Walk in through the brewery’s roller door and on a weeknight you’re likely to find either university staff or students drinking side by side, while on weekends Clayton locals come in to catch up with Danny and Amila and talk all things beer and, quite often, whisky too.

Originally their entire setup took up a small block with just enough space for their brewhouse, fermenters and taproom, But, a little over a year after opening, the pair took over the adjoining space too. The extra room allowed Two Rupees to install both a canning line and a kitchen in 2020, offering the chance for fans to enjoy their beers at home, and for pipping hot pizza, wings and Sri Lankan pan rolls to be shared across tables.

As for the beers, Danny and Amila retain the love of experimenting that led to them homebrewing in the first place so, rather than a core range, the Two Rupees tap list remains an ever-evolving beast. Head in and you’ll find them pouring a broad range that includes crisp craft lagers, classic IPAs, hazy pales and stouts, while the Starward barrels against the back wall hint at future plans too.

Undeniably, the best way to try them all is over a tasting paddle, with a slice of pizza in hand, enjoying the wonderful welcome that awaits you in this quiet street off a major highway in Clayton.

Will Ziebell

Name
Two Rupees Brewing
Address

69 Renver Road
Clayton South
VIC 3168

Phone
(03) 9548 7396
Open Hours

Thursday: 4pm to 9pm
Fri & Sat: 11am to 1pm
Sunday: 11am to 6pm


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Two Rupees Brewing Regulars

Two Rupees Beer

Published November 18, 2022
BEER! It’s a simple name and while Two Rupees’s lager might be straightforward, there are plenty of details to sink your tastebuds into. The name stems from how beer is such a global drink, enjoyed everywhere and how generally, rather than asking someone if they’d like to grab an imperial sour, we just go, “Let’s grab a beer.” The can comes covered in beer written in different languages from across the globe, including the two most common in brewery founders Danny and Amila’s homeland,… Read more
Style
Lager
ABV
4.8%

Two Rupees Brewing Specials

Two Rupees The Magical Spot & Hidden Frequencies Volume 1

Published April 27, 2023
If you’re a student or staff member at Monash University, there's a good chance your life has become far hoppier since Two Rupees set up around the corner. Their latest fresh IPAs are available further from their Clayton home too with The Magical Spot all about New Zealand hops. The hazy IPA features Nectaron, Rakau and Nelson Sauvin which bring pawpaw, lime, pineapple, mango and peach on a lush backdrop. Hidden Frequencies Volume 1 meanwhile, is a new series from Two Rupees that shines a light… Read more
Style
Hazy IPAs
ABV
Both 6.0%

Two Rupees x Bo Gurks Goodbye Rupee Twosday

Published July 15, 2022
Goodbye, Rupee Twosday Who could hang a name on you? Well, someone certainly could when it comes to a collaborative pastry stout by Melbourne's Two Rupees. That someone was one of Bo Gurk’s regulars, who - and this is just a guess - sounds like they might be a fan of a little-known English rock band called The Rolling Stones. Given both the brewery and the bar tend to be both laid back and particularly community-minded we shouldn't be surprised to see the two outfits collaborated or that they were… Read more
Style
Imperial Pastry Stout
ABV
7.5%

Two Rupees Double B Drop & Samba

Published January 4, 2022
Whenever colourful cans appear from Two Rupees, they often do so in close succession (on a related note: if you aren't up to date, the television show of the same name is an awfully good way to spend COVID-induced isolation). Included in the Melbourne brewery's late 2021 releases was Double B Drop, a sour that lets the two Bs of blueberry and raspberry shine, even if upon seeing the beer you might think it's the latter of those that is doing most of the work, given its pink colour. To taste, while… Read more
Style
Kettle sour & American amber
ABV
4.0% & 5.0%

Two Rupees Hop Coma

Published November 18, 2021
As much as new hops get a lot of the attention when it comes to brewing, sometimes it’s best not to change classic styles too much. That's as much true for a West Coast IPA as it is for a Czech pils made with Saaz, with those beers often designed with earlier hops in mind for a reason. That’s exactly what Two Rupees have done with Hop Coma - a West Coast with the complementary "three Cs" of Centennial, Cascade and Columbus. In fortuitous timing, the beer’s been launched just as the… Read more
Style
West Coast IPA
ABV
7.0%

Two Rupees Not Your Average Pilsner, Red Ale & Directors Cut NEPA

Published September 21, 2021
With a canning line installed and a home city nearing the world record for lockdowns, Two Rupees have been busy getting beer into tins, releasing three at once for September 2021. Not Your Average Pilsner is one that looks to Europe on one hand and closer to home with the other, using yeast from Melbourne-based Bluestone Yeast along with Saaz hops and German pilsner malt. It makes for a beer steeped in tradition, pouring incredibly clear with a fluffy white head, and in which a slight grainy or bready… Read more
Style
Pilsner, Red Ale & NEPA
ABV
5.2% & 5.4% & 5.5%
Stockists

Two Rupees

Independent Melbourne bottleshops

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Two Rupees Brewing Seventh Heaven NEIPA

Published April 8, 2021
The first ever can release from Melbourne’s Two Rupees is one that showcases the brewery founders', Danny Perera and Amila Mendus, love for big, hoppy beers. It’s also one that pays homage to their Sri Lankan roots, with their designer, Pocketbeagles (AKA Clint Weaver) using layered patterns and juxtaposition on the tin to create subtle references and create a can that's about as colourful as they come. As for the beer inside, Seventh Heaven NEIPA, is about as fluffy as they come, with the inclusion… Read more
Style
NEIPA
ABV
6.0%