Great Bear Brewing Co.

Great Bear is indeed the only game in town, and at a 45 minutes drive from Anchorage, you either have to be a beer person to make the trek, or unfortunately in the Valley for some other reason. Public transport is basically out of the question; you need a car and some patience. It's a nice drive with pleasant mountain views, but nothing you can't get throughout southcentral Alaska.

The atmosphere is a cross between a western bar and a pizza joint: pleasant enough, and with a decent feel, especially since smoking is now allowed only after 9pm. (It used to be pretty tough for non-smokers, since there is no separation between the bar and dining areas.)

The service this afternoon was fine: young, sure, but attentive, and on the ball. I've been to this place about ten times in the last five years, and the service has never been bad. It's not fine dining, sure, but it's the Valley, for crying out loud. Look around you.

Quality of the beer is quite strong for being the northernmost brewpub in the country (would that mean the world, too?) They have at least 12 beers on tap every time I go, and four or five are strong ales, 8% ABV or above. The Big Su Strong is solid, very sweet and malty, with distinct alcohol presence, same with the Beary Strong, appafrently the Big Su with raspberry added. (I liked it enough to order a pint.) Special strong ales are $6 for 12 ounces, but the Big Su, Beary Strong, and a couple of others that are 8% plus are standard $4 for pints. We also enjoyed the Three Bruins Tripel, a sweet interpretation of a tripel, almost like a sweet golden Belgian style. Good stuff. The Arskigger scottish was excellent, if super sweet, and I can't really see paying $6 to drink 12 ounces, it was so strong.

Food has been solid brewpub fare every time I"ve gone; we've vegetarian, and so stick with a solid $8 veggie burger, and excellent $7 cheesy fries. Tasters are slightly pricey, $4 for three four ounce tumblers, but every taster (and every pint) was a full measure, with no skimping. Single sips were happily provided for additional consideration. Appetizers ($7-12) and entrees ($8-25) are a little pricey compared to the lower 48, but not at all out of line for Alaska.

Overall, I keep making the somewhat drab and long drive to Wasilla to go to this place: the combination of solid to excellent beer, and very good food, make it well worth completing on an Anchorage brewpub tour. No, it's not Glacier or the Moose's Tooth, but it competes solidly with Snow Goose (except for Snow Goose's staggeringly beautiful view.)

Pretty decent sizze brewpub in a small Alaskan town. Beer is goo, but the service was the worst ever. The place was majorly understaffed and the joint wasn't even busy. Had to wait 45 minutes for the check. If I didn't have a soft spot for microbrews, I would have just walked out.