Matilda Bay Brewery opens The General Assembly

The General Assembly offers the complete range of 10 of Matilda Bay’s beers plus a rotating range of seasonal, one-off brews available on tap for the first time outside the brewery.

Designed by architects Six Degrees and situated on the bank of Melbourne’s Yarra River, close to Matilda Bay’s Port Melbourne brewery, The General Assembly is one of just a handful of Australia venues serving Unpasteurised Carlton Draught direct from the venue’s massive copper duo tanks.

“We get it trucked over fresh and cold direct from the brewing tank at the Carlton and United Brewery in Abbotsford. Being unpasteurised it’s got a smoother, fresher taste,” says general manager, Pierre Van Der Heyde. 

Complementing the wide selection of beers and wines is a menu focused on produce-driven shared plates from head chef Darren Mercaldi (Matteo’s, Circa, Nobu, Middle Brighton Baths, Ladro). Mercaldi’s open-plan kitchen revolves around The General Assembly’s specialty JOSPER charcoal grill and oven.

Located inside the heritage goods shed at South Wharf The General Assembly features a variety of indoor and outdoor areas, which can cater for functions for up to 600 people.

Says Six Degrees director, Mark Healy: “After initial discussions with the owners and the crew from Matilda Bay, it was clear they needed a church of beer.

“The old goods shed really lent itself to that concept. The shed has really tall spaces so it was about trying to make modern, intimate hospitality within these big volumes.

“The existing aesthetic of the shed - with its old fencing wire and timber batten walls - was something we tried to respect and elevate.”

The General Assembly is open from 11am until late seven days a week.

Source The Shout  Suzan Ryan, October 20th, 2014