It’s not hard to find Great Northern Brewing Co.: it’s located inside the tallest building in Whitefish, Montana, rising to a towering three stories above the historic downtown of rustic Old West-style structures. Great Northern Brewing is all glass and steel, hinting at the innovative brewing happening inside. Architecture aside, the food and drink here represents a thorough homage to Montana’s scenery and culture.
Great Northern was founded in 1994 by Minott Wessinger, the great-grandson of Henry Weinhard, a German-born brewer who made a name for himself in the beer industry in Portland. Wessinger picked Whitefish for its proximity to pristine water and for its incredible scenery: the town sits near the opalescent Whitefish Lake, with a backdrop of evergreen-covered mountains. Sitting at the brewery, you can choose to overlook the gravity-fed brewing process or at the mountains, a win-win. On cold days, there’s a fire roaring downstairs and a leather couch to sink into.
There’s a nice range of beers on tap here, all representing the well-balanced approach at Great Northern. Names reflect the region: Going to the Sun IPA, Wild Huckleberry lager (made with handpicked Montana huckleberries), and Guy on a Buffalo coffee stout. This time of year, there’s also the Frog Hop wet hopped pale ale, made with just-picked hops from the Glacier Hops Ranch research project near the brewery. The brewery offers pints and tasters.
The brewery has a nice food menu, too, focusing mostly on sandwiches named after hops varieties. There’s the Mosaic, with prosciutto, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and balsamic; the Chinook, with homemade chicken salad; the Centennial, with ham, capicola pork, salami, pepperoni, red onions, greens, tomatoes, mozzarella, and balsamic; and the Galaxy, the brewery’s take on a Reuben. The brewery sources a variety of local ingredients, including Farm-to-Market pork, bread from Wheat Montana Bakery, coffee from Montana Coffee Traders, and ice cream from Sweet Peaks in Whitefish.
The brewery welcomes children, so the atmosphere is a nice mix of young locals, families, and travelers fresh off a day of hiking in Glacier National Park or skiing nearby Big Mountain. Great Northern offers summer tours Monday through Thursday at 3 p.m. for $5, plus off-season tours by reservation for $10 and private tours by reservation.
