Craft brewers might be focused on making one type of drink, but spend some time in the company of those who work in the industry and conversations can quickly turn to favourite wines, whiskies and gins.
When you're in the business of crafting booze, a passion for exploring new flavours can rarely be contained, and offering further proof of this is Danny Perera. Many Melbourne craft beer drinkers will know Danny as one-half of Two Rupees, alongside Amila Mendis, but chat to the brewery co-owner and he's quick to wax lyrical about his love for spirits.
So, naturally, while Two Rupees continues along its path of making beer in Clayton, Danny's other passion has led him to also strike out on his own with Dutch Rules Distilling in Mitcham.
“I’ve always loved gin; back home in Sri Lanka my go-to drink was always gin and tonic," Danny says, adding with a laugh: “And I drink it when I’m not drinking beer and whisky.”
The distillery officially launched in 2022 when Danny first secured the space and, while gin and vodka bottles have been available for some time, the bar only opened last month. The distillery and bar sits in the heart of Mitcham, the suburb in Melbourne’s east, an area Danny had long felt was ripe for what he wanted to do. He puts this down to the many locals who, like those in Clayton who have embraced Two Rupees, are eager for better drinking experiences closer to home.
Unlike Two Rupees, which is somewhat hidden away in an industrial estate, Dutch Rules sits on the busy Whitehorse Road. The street-facing warehouse has been attracting the attention of locals while Danny has been working on bringing the space to life.
“I was looking at shopfronts along here where it’s a thoroughfare and gets a lot of foot traffic,” Danny says. “There’s a coffee shop next door and a lot of cars going past too, so locals have already been getting to know about us and have been quick to come in since we opened.”
Dutch Rules' opening also creates something of a craft drinks hub with A Point of Difference, an excellent bottleshop which sits below The Foragers Drop craft beer bar. Beer drinkers are well looked after in Dutch Rules too, with six beer taps; they're not solely focused on Two Rupees beers, instead pouring a selection from different breweries.
“I’m planning to keep a really good variety in there so that locals from the area can try new stuff,” Danny says.
The space itself is a harmonious blend between a cocktail bar and production site, with the 300-litre still sitting towards the back, covered in natural light thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the warehouse. The light colour palette and holiday-style portraits spread throughout the venue ensure that stepping off busy Whitehorse Road feels like you're transported to the coast, while the bar itself looks like it’s been plucked out of an old-school Melbourne pub; the warm hum of vinyl further adds to the relaxed glow. That relaxed nature runs through the branding too, which is the work of Pocketbeagles.
“The vibe we went for was Dutch Rules being an escape – and that runs through the branding and the venue,” Danny says.
Alongside gin tastings and beer, their food menu features a selection of small plates, while the cocktails are all decidedly modern twists on classics, like the What The Dr Ordered: a negroni that includes wattleseed and vanilla.
“We tweak all the classics," Danny says. "Our whole approach is a modern take on the old world.”
That includes the gins themselves, which are created by distiller Brad Dickman. As for the name, it stems from the drink's history and origins in The Netherlands as genever. It also ties into the long-established trade routes between Europe and Asia, as does the approach of working with ingredients from across the world.
Their flagship New World Dry certainly takes you on a journey: alongside the essential juniper you'll find pink peppercorn, coriander seed, jasmine, macadamia and green tea. A Thai gin was inspired by a particularly good curry Brad enjoyed from the Thai restaurant next door.
“It has these really intense Thai flavours of lemongrass, chilli and makrut lime leaves,” Danny says.
As for the future, they've left space to install a kitchen to broaden the food menu and they plan to build a mezzanine area inside the bar. And, of course, some darker spirits could be set to follow, but for now, Danny says they're just having fun exploring new flavours.
“There’s very lenient rules as a country and culture [in The Netherlands] and it's something we tap into with the distillery, it's about being relaxed and having a good time.
Will Ziebell is a history graduate who knows more about The Wire than he does about beer. He was awarded the AIBA Best Media trophy for 2018; HBO have told him to please send his fan mail elsewhere. He can be found on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer:
Spending time living in the UK (and backpacking across Europe) when I was 21 certainly gave me a better understanding of the beer and different styles of the world. But I'd say it was a holiday to the High Country a little while later when lunch and a tasting paddle at Bridge Road Brewers created an obsession with Australian breweries and locally made beer.
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
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Boatrocker's Miss Pinky: It's a raspberry-packed Berliner Weisse that neither looks or tastes the way many people conceive of beer.
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Bad Shepherd Hazelnut Brown: A luscious mix of chocolate and hazelnut that can appeal to the sweet tooth within us all.
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Stone & Wood Pacific Ale: As the father of my oldest friend once said to me: "It's the perfect refreshing pint that smells like they've loaded it with the God's herb."
The last beer you enjoyed:
Garage Project's DFA while sitting at the bar at Miss Moses as the sounds of The Rolling Stone drifting in the background.
Three things that represent you:
- Bruce Springsteen
- Ken Burns
- The State Library of Victoria
