2 Brothers

One was working as a bullet-dodging physio in the Bronx, the other as a number-crunching aeronautical engineer in Seattle when the Ong brothers, Dave and Andrew, fell in love with the big flavours of the US craft beer scene. On returning to Australia, they struggled to find beers that satisfied their palates and decided to abandon their former careers and brew their own.

Andrew headed back to the US to gain hands-on craft brewing experience and source the best brewing equipment they could afford, Dave scoured southeast Melbourne in search of a suitable location. Six months later, the brothers purchased a gleaming, copper clad brewhouse from the bankrupt Times Square Brewery and shipped it over from the Big Apple in five 40ft shipping containers.

It now sits as the backdrop to their Moorabbin Beer Hall, one of Bayside's best kept secrets thanks to its location tucked away on an industrial estate. The Beer Hall was closed for a few weeks early in 2016 for a total refit, which included the installation of a 16 tap system to allow the brothers to pour even more beer and cider (with a 17th tap in the shape of a hand pump that's used now and again). There's a "leafy industrial beer garden" too and food trucks are a regular feature.

Their regular lineup of beers features American brown and amber ales, a German style pilsner and delicious rice lager, while they also make a pair of ciders and, since 2016, a trophy winning pale ale. The trophy for Pay Day, one of two they collected at the annual Australian International Beer Awards, was merely the latest in a long line of awards accolades for the brewery.

Melbourne's southeast has become a thriving hub for microbreweries, but it was 2 Brothers who first brought craft beer to the region. And while you can find 2 Brothers beers widely across Victoria, the Beer Hall remains the best place to enjoy them, especially since its refresh.

Name
2 Brothers
Address

4 Joyner St
Moorabbin
VIC 3189

Phone
(03) 9553 1177
Open Hours

Thursday 4pm to 10pm
Fri & Sat: midday to late
Sunday: midday to 6pm

Tours

Free Brewery Tour Thursdays at 6.30pm


This is a directory listing. To find out more, head here

2 Brothers Regulars

2 Brothers Kung Foo (cans)

Published November 12, 2018
There's plenty of local breweries with lagers in their lineups these days, but it wasn't always the case. Moorabbin's 2 Brothers have been playing there for years, however, initially with the Taxi Pilsner before adding Kung Foo, a rice lager, to the lineup in 2012. It's been one of the brewery's best-sellers ever since, picked up a gold medal at the 2018 Australian International Beer Awards and, in the lead-up to summer 2018, became the first of their beers to appear in cans. A bright golden colour… Read more
Style
Rice Lager
ABV
4.6%
Bitterness
18 IBU

2 Brothers Kung Foo

Published January 4, 2012
While there are a multitude of breweries producing summer ales and IPAs for the warmer weather, 2 Brothers are offering their own summer session beer, but it's a little off centre from the norm. Opting for a different summer direction, 2 Brothers have brewed up a rice lager to quench the thirst of Melbourne's south east. The beer itself is a simple solution to the rising mercury: a light, straw coloured lager that's crisp and refreshing all the way down to the bottom of the pint. The nose has some… Read more
Style
Rice Lager
ABV
4.7%

2 Brothers Grizz

Published March 24, 2011
For Grizz, 2 Brothers returned to the land that gave them the inspiration to start their own brewery in the first place: the US of A. The beer that was originally introduced as a seasonal but has become a key figured in the 2 Brothers permanent lineup is an American amber inspired by Mack and Jack's Amber from Redmond, Washington. It delivers a great balance of rich, caramel and toffee malts with piney, earthy, citrusy and slightly spicy US hops, making for one of the best examples of the style… Read more
Style
American Amber Ale
ABV
5.7%
Awards

Gold – Australian International Beer Awards 2017

Taxi Pilsner

The most accessible of the 2 Brothers range, this clean German style pilsner was designed to be a no-brainer. It has a soft malt character and a balanced bitterness, making it a quaffable session beer.… Read more
Style
German Pilsner

2 Brother Growler

Not a reference to the two litre growlers you can fill with fresh beer at the brewery, but a full-flavoured American Brown Ale named after a chainsaw. A mix of American hops, dark fruits and chocolate make up the aroma, while the flavour of this medium-bodied beer is dominated by its biscuity, toasted malt characters.… Read more
Style
American Brown Ale
ABV
4.7%

Gypsy Cider

Not a beer, but a pear cider, this has proved a winner for the 2 Brothers brewery, quickly cropping up on taps across Victoria. Light-bodied with a fragrant semi-sweet aroma with hints of vanilla in addition to the pear, it has a soft, dry finish, making it a crisp summer refresher.… Read more
Style
Pear cider

2 Brothers Pay Day Pale

It took 2 Brothers far longer than pretty much every other brewery in Australia to add a pale ale to its lineup and, when Pay Day did finally arrive, it was after much trialling, testing and tweaking. And it paid off soon enough too, with the beer taking out the trophy for Best Australian Pale Ale at the 2017 Australian International Beer Awards. Australian style pale ales are typically more reserved than their punchy American inspired counterparts and that's the case here. Pay Day pours very pale… Read more
Style
Australian Pale Ale
ABV
4.5%
Awards

Best Australian Pale Ale – AIBA 2017

2 Brothers Specials

2 Brothers Springfield IPA

Published October 30, 2021
More often than not when a beer arrives bearing pop culture references, it's thanks to a pun or an attempt to grab a bit of reflected glory. With 2 Brothers' Springfield IPA, however, The Simpsons-aping label comes with good reason: brewer Dan Barbieri hails from the town and this is the first time he's been let loose on recipe design. It's also the brewery's first ever hazy IPA – typical of 2 Brothers and their desire to do what suits them rather than chasing trends – so not one you'd want to… Read more
Style
Hazy IPA
ABV
7.0%

2 Brothers Clifford & ChocTop Peppermint

Published July 6, 2021
It’s childhood classics and classic cinema that appear to be playing on the minds of the team at 2 Brothers. First up they've rebrewed their popular Clifford: The Big Red Double IPA, which returns at 8 percent ABV and with generous dry-hopping of Mosaic, Simcoe Galaxy and Amarillo. Pouring a deep copper colour, it's really on the chewier end of where a red IPA could sit, with a rich hit of toffee and a soft raisin note combining together before being balanced by Clifford's quite biting bitterness.… Read more
Style
Red IPA & Peppermint Porter
ABV
Both 8.0%

2 Brothers The Guvnor III & Voodoo Queen

Published May 7, 2021
As autumn has progressed, brewers across Australia have been releasing beers to ease drinkers into the colder months – hoppy ambers, red IPAs, even old school ESBs. In the case of 2 Brothers, it seems they've decided to skip the season entirely and plonk themselves in deepest midwinter... With The Guvnor III – 2021 Vintage, which feels a little like the naming convention from a horror movie franchise two decades in, they've revisited the world of barleywine – a world they've celebrated longer… Read more
Style
Barrel-Aged Barleywine & Imperial Baltic Porter
ABV
11.0% & 10.0%

2 Brothers Ode To 86, Imperial Growler, Choc Top Boysenberry & DK

Published August 18, 2020
Back in March, brewers across the country who weren't already putting most of their beers into cans or bottles began scrambling to do so as venues closed. As the pandemic settled in, more ramped up their limited release schedules as the unique nature of our current situation saw more drinkers than before – which is saying something – chasing new, new, new. It's a situation that's seen one of Melbourne's elder statesmen change their approach, temporarily at least. With their busy Beerhall closed… Read more
Style
NZ IPA, Imperial Brown & Dessert Beers
ABV
7.5% & 8.0% & 7.0% & 7.0%

2 Brothers Baltic Porter & Eleven

Published June 30, 2019
For winter 2019, 2 Brothers have released two dark beers in darkly clad cans. The lighter of those (which still sits at 7 percent ABV) is a familiar face, one the brewery has been releasing for the better part of a decade: Voodoo Baltic Porter. What pours from the can is also a familiar mix of flavours, with roasted coffee and chocolate, plus some liquorice, all delivered with a clean finish. The second dark tinnie from the Moorabbin brewery is their GABS 2019 beer – a far denser affair that comes… Read more
Style
Baltic Porter & Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
ABV
7.0% & 11.0%

2 Brothers The Guvnor II: Part 3

Published June 30, 2019
The Guvnor II series is an ongoing celebration of 2 Brothers’ tenth birthday, one that is appearing over time in four separate parts. The strong ale base beer has spent time ageing away in different kinds of barrels: the first was aged in French oak for six months; the second spending time in Starward whisky barrels. For Part 3, bourbon barrels were the weapon of choice and, as a result, the beer shares more in common with its immediate predecessor than version one. It has a rich caramel sweetness,… Read more
Style
Bourbon Barrel-Aged Strong Ale
ABV
10.0%

2 Brothers & Great Northern Hotel Northern Haze Cashmere IPA

Published May 13, 2019
We typically don't trade in exclamation marks here at Crafty Towers, so when one's tasting notes end with: "So much hop depth!" it must mean a brewer has really gone to town on the little green marvels. And that's certainly the case here – and from a brewery you don't always think of first when it comes to punchy, hoppy beers. 2 Brothers' Northern Haze is their take on the West Coast hazy IPAs they encountered in the States on a recent visit, beers that look to combine the haze and heavy-handed… Read more
Style
West Coast Hazy IPA
ABV
6.8%
Bitterness
85 IBU
Stockists

2 Brothers Beerhall

Other VIC stockists to follow

2 Brothers The Guvnor II: Part 2

Published November 12, 2018
Late in 2017, as part of their tenth birthday celebrations, the two brothers behind 2 Brothers and their team launched a new version of one of their trophy-winning beers from the past, The Guvnor strong ale. There was a bit of a twist, however, as they'd split the beer into four parts, ageing them in different ways. Part 1 spent six months on French oak and has been followed by this version, which sat inside barrels obtained from Port Melbourne's Starward Whisky. Thus, while Part 1 was softened by… Read more
Style
Whisky Barrel Aged Strong Ale
ABV
10.0%

2 Brothers & Mean Sardine BLISS

Published August 30, 2018
Over the eight years of The Crafty Pint, we've written about all manner of international collaborations and even played a role in one or two. But in all that time and across all those beers this is the first time we've come across an Aussie brewer getting it on with one from Portugal. It came about through the Man of Mystery behind the Great Northern, Al Carragher, the mutual connection between 2 Brothers in Moorabbin and Mean Sardine in Ericeira. Once connected, the two parties looked to conjure… Read more
Style
Black Imperial Shiraz Saison
ABV
8.1%

2 Brothers Beerhall Series Hop Harvest Ungespundet

Published April 23, 2018
With so many breweries making fresh hop beers, how do you make yours stand out? You could, like 2 Brothers Brewing, consider brewing a lager as most brewers choose to brew harvest ales. Better yet, you could choose to brew an Ungespundet: the kind of beer with which even the more historically minded beer nerds are likely to be unfamiliar. Ungespundet is a type of unfiltered lager historically (and still) brewed using open tanks – the term translates as "unbunged" – in the Upper Franconia… Read more
Style
Unfiltered Fresh Hop Lager
ABV
5.2%

2 Brothers Beerhall Series Grapefruit IPA

Published March 9, 2018
2 Brothers' Beerhall releases are the Moorabbin brewery's single batch brews and tend to head out into the world every two or three months. Doing so as summer ended in 2018 is a Grapefruit IPA that came about, at least in part, due to a serendipitous meeting with an over excited grapefruit tree. Ed Cox, one of the 2 Brothers brewers, was a fan of Ballast Point's Grapefruit Sculpin and came upon said tree carrying an abundance of fruit. So he took some home, developed a recipe on his homebrew kit… Read more
Style
Grapefuit IPA
ABV
6.2%
Bitterness
58 IBU
Stockists

2 Brothers Beerhall

And select Melbourne venues on tap

2 Brothers The Guvnor II: Part 1

Published December 2, 2017
As 2017 comes to a close, another Victorian brewery is turning ten. This time around, it's the turn of Moorabbin's 2 Brothers, founded by brothers Andrew and Dave Ong. As part of their birthday celebrations, they're launching a special beer – one with a past and a future as well as a (birthday) present. The original Guvnor was a 10.3 percent ABV English barley wine released in early 2011 that went on to take out that year's AIBA Premier's Trophy for Best Victorian Beer (much to the teetotal then… Read more
Style
Oak Aged Barley Wine
ABV
10.0%
Bitterness
40 IBU

2 Brothers & The Park & Great Northern Kryptonite

Published September 4, 2015
You have to love the generosity often found in the beer world. Late on Wednesday night, we received an email about a new beer from 2 Brothers that was going to be tapped at the brewery's Beerhall two days later. It was to be draught only (at least initially) but we thought we'd ask if there was any chance of getting a sample so we could list it on the website. Sixteen hours later, one of the brewery's reps rocked up at Crafty Towers with a hand capped bottle filled from one of the kegs complete with… Read more
Style
Black IPA
ABV
6.9%
Stockists

2 Brothers Beerhall

Other stockists TBC

2 Brothers HazElla

Published May 28, 2015
While the likes of their Taxi Pilsner, Growler and Grizz do much of the heavy lifting for 2 Brothers, they're probably as widely known around the beer world for some of their bigger, maltier treats. From the big Belgian James Brown to the trophy winning Guv'nor barley wine to a series of highly ranked GABS People's Choice beers with the sweeter toothed in mind, when they've aimed high, they've won fans. For this year's GABS, they did just that again and create HazElla, an imperial brown ale featuring… Read more
Style
Imperial Brown Ale
ABV
7.0%
Stockists

2 Brothers Beerhall

2 Brothers BOOM! XPA

Published September 18, 2014
UPDATE (28/01/15): BOOM! is back for a second adventure in a slightly tweaked format. Andrew says BOOM! 2 saw the brewers "trying some new paraphernalia and a new hop separation technique. Unlike BOOM! 1, this batch is unfiltered, with 21 days of cold conditioning. Hope you like it." THE ORIGINAL LISTING: Just the other day, it occurred to us that we hadn't seen a new beer from 2 Brothers in a fair while. Then: "BOOM!", one appeared. And it was literally: "BOOM!" as… Read more
Style
Extra Pale Ale
ABV
5.1%
Bitterness
35 IBU
Stockists

2 Brothers Beer Hall

Others TBC

2 Brothers Trickster

Published December 5, 2013
2 Brothers, the reigning Champion Small Australian Brewery, has taken a trip down Memory Lane for its latest limited release. The Trickster is a beer that has spent so long in hibernation, it predates The Crafty Pint Pint by 18 months or more. Those with long memories may recall one of their earliest beers; for everyone else it's a Mandarin Witbier (AKA a Belgian witbier brewed with mandarins) that was last brewed five years ago. Back then it was filtered before release, this time around head brewer… Read more
Style
Belgian Witbier
ABV
4.7%
Stockists

2 Brothers

2 Brothers Magic Pudding

Published June 19, 2013
If you were asked to name the most successful brewery in Victoria when it comes to awards, what would your snap answer be? It should be 2 Brothers, as the Moorabbin brewers have steadily and consistently been racking up major trophies at the Australian International Beer Awards for the past few years while packing the punters in at their brewery bar every Thursday and Friday. Having picked up trophies for their beers, this year they collected another - Best European Style Lager for the Taxi Pilsner… Read more
Style
Dessert Beer
ABV
9.1%
Stockists

2 Brothers

Good bottleshops

2 Brothers / Feral Collaborator

Published May 21, 2012
What better way to mark 20 years holding the Australian International Beer Awards than to invite two of the most successful Australian breweries of recent times to make a beer together? For its landmark year, the RASV invited WA's Feral and Victoria's 2 Brothers to brew a beer using all Australian ingredients. The former was subsequently named Champion Large Australian Brewery at the 2012 awards, while 2 Brothers continued its run of form with a shortlisting for Champion Small Australian Brewery.… Read more
Style
Brown Ale
ABV
5.5%
Stockists

2 Brothers

Good bottleshops

2 Brothers Tabooki / Super Rusty

Published November 18, 2011
A beer with an air of mystery surrounding it... Those that attended the last Victorian Microbrewery Showcase may have been intrigued by this African Amber Ale: what constitutes an African Amber Ale? It was suggested it may have been a yeast strain from deep within the Congo, but the truth of the matter could be just as enigmatic as the origins of the mother continent itself. To throw another spanner into the works the packaged version of this beer gives a nod to its little brother (the Rusty Pale… Read more
Style
Strong Belgian Amber Ale
ABV
8.0%

2 Brothers James Brown (2011)

Published September 9, 2011
The funk is back in town. One of 2 Brothers most eye-catching beers of 2010 is back for another run. The James Brown is their take on big Belgian browns, featuring a truckload of candi sugar and described last year as "bananas coated in Nutella" by one appreciative bar manager. As for this latest version, brewer Andrew Ong tells us they've deliberately reined in the estery notes this time around. They're "still there but better balanced" he says. It's already on at the 2 Brothers… Read more
Style
Belgian Strong Ale
ABV
8.8%

2 Brothers Terminator

Published August 4, 2011
Ideally, we'd like to work the phrase "I'll be back" into this review, but as it's the first time 2 Brothers have released the beer, we might just have to wait until they make another batch next year. Instead, we'll have to console ourselves by telling you all about it, it being a German style doppelbock. According to brewer Andrew Ong: "We followed the traditional German naming convention of doppelbocks always end in the letters 'â?¦ator'" while the brew itself was apparently… Read more
Style
Doppelbock
ABV
7.7%
Stockists

Young & Jackson's

Dan O'Connell (Carlton)

Gertrude's Brown Couch (Fitzroy)

Dexter's (Clifton Hill)

Biero

Mrs Parma's

Baden Powell

Prince Albert (Williamstow

More stockists...

2 Brothers Chief

Published March 7, 2011
This 2 Brothers seasonal release has previously only been available in draught form - and, being based on the Oktoberfest beer style, usually timed to hit taps around October. Given the Oktoberfest beers were spawned from the German Mí¤rzen style - a strong lager brewed in March to last through the summer when hotter temperatures could affect brewing conditions back in the Middle Ages - it makes perfect sense to release some in March too. So here comes The Chief in bottled form (plus a few kegs).… Read more
Style
Oktoberfest / Märzen
ABV
6.0%
Stockists

2 Brothers

Slowbeer

Purvis Beer

Blackhearts & Sparrows

[Valley Cellar Door](/beer/bottleshop/valley-cellar-do

More stockists...

2 Brothers The Guvnor

Published February 10, 2011
ON TAP TWO NIGHTS ONLY!!! We like it when the brothers go big. First there was the Voodoo Porter, weighing in around 7% and so good it won a medal at last year's Australian International Beer Awards. Then came the funk: James Brown, the big Belgian armed with 1000kg of candi sugar that won an army of fans and was described by Biero's beer man as "bananas coated in Nutella - awesome!". And now they're back with their biggest beer yet: The Guvnor. An English barley wine packing a whopping… Read more
Style
English Barley Wine
ABV
10.3%

2 Brothers James Brown

Published September 17, 2010
The Moorabbin bros have got the funk. Having gone all voodoo on us with their last limited release, this time they're getting up like a sex machine with James Brown, a rather large Belgian strong ale tipping the scales at 8.8%. Crafty's not had the chance to have a tipple yet, but 1 Brother tells us it's "brewed with 50% extra funk. Estery nose, with chocolate and peach up front, followed by rum, raisin and vanilla back palate. Over a thousand bucks of Belgian candi sugar went into the mix."… Read more

Voodoo Porter

Published April 30, 2010
The brewery's finest moment to date, this Autumn seasonal picked up the Premier's Trophy for Best Victorian Beer as well as a Gold Medal at the 2010 Australian International Beer Awards. And with good reason. It's an incredibly smooth, velvety take on Baltic Porter style of dark lager. Fall under its spell and discover liquorice, coffee and espresso notes aligned with rich chocolate, dark cherry and a touch of alcohol warmth.… Read more
Style
Baltic Porter
ABV
approx. 7%
Awards

Premier's Trophy for Best Victorian Beer 2010

2 Brothers Rusty – RETIRED

While the Pale Ales on offer from most Australian breweries tend to take their inspiration from the UK or America, 2 Brothers took a different route and decided to create a Belgian variant. That means you'll find all manner of fruity aromas - perhaps even a touch of vanilla - in a beer that mingles malt with dark fruits on the tongue too.… Read more
Style
Belgian Pale Ale
ABV
4.7%