Great Northern Brewing Company
Encyclopedia
Great Northern Brewing Company is a traditional “gravity flow” brewery located in the northernmost block of downtown Whitefish
, Montana
. The brewery opened in 1995 under the stewardship of Minott Wessinger, the great-great grandson of Henry Weinhard
. It is approximately 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) and has a maximum annual capacity of 8000 barrels. Black Star
, a double-hopped golden lager, is the brewery’s flagship beer.
in 1994. The brewery was built over 6 months, from June to December in 1994 and officially opened its doors in January of 1995.
Minott Wessinger, great-great-grandson of Henry Weinhard
, founder of Blitz-Weinhard Brewing of Portland
, Oregon
, started GNBC. Built with a strong family tradition of brewing, the brewery features a three story brewhouse tower, housing the brewing vessels and copper kettle to allow for a traditional “gravity flow” process.
After 7 years of brewing Black Star
, Wessinger decided to stop brewing at GNBC in order to pursue other projects. In 2002, the brewery was placed under the ownership and management of Dennis Konopatzke and GNBC continued to produce their other beers.
On February 6th, 2010, fifteen years after the Great Northern Brewing Company was first built, Minott Wessinger and GNBC began to produce Black Star beer again.
Whitefish, Montana
Whitefish is a city in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,032 at the 2000 census. It is home to a ski resort on Big Mountain called Whitefish Mountain Resort. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer hails from Whitefish....
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. The brewery opened in 1995 under the stewardship of Minott Wessinger, the great-great grandson of Henry Weinhard
Henry Weinhard
Henry Weinhard was a German-American brewer in the state of Oregon. After immigrating to the United States in 1851, he lived in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and California before settling in the Portland, Oregon, area...
. It is approximately 15000 square feet (1,393.5 m²) and has a maximum annual capacity of 8000 barrels. Black Star
Black Star Beer
Black Star Beer is a double hopped golden lager made with two-row malting barley and a combination of Mittelfruh and Czech Saaz hops. The Great Northern Brewing Company located in Whitefish, Montana is the original producer of Black Star Beer.- Beer :...
, a double-hopped golden lager, is the brewery’s flagship beer.
History
The Great Northern Brewing Company was built by renowned architect Joe EsherickJoseph Esherick
Joseph Esherick was an American architect.Esherick was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1937, Esherick set up practice in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1953 and taught at University of California, Berkeley for many years...
in 1994. The brewery was built over 6 months, from June to December in 1994 and officially opened its doors in January of 1995.
Minott Wessinger, great-great-grandson of Henry Weinhard
Henry Weinhard
Henry Weinhard was a German-American brewer in the state of Oregon. After immigrating to the United States in 1851, he lived in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and California before settling in the Portland, Oregon, area...
, founder of Blitz-Weinhard Brewing of Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, started GNBC. Built with a strong family tradition of brewing, the brewery features a three story brewhouse tower, housing the brewing vessels and copper kettle to allow for a traditional “gravity flow” process.
After 7 years of brewing Black Star
Black Star Beer
Black Star Beer is a double hopped golden lager made with two-row malting barley and a combination of Mittelfruh and Czech Saaz hops. The Great Northern Brewing Company located in Whitefish, Montana is the original producer of Black Star Beer.- Beer :...
, Wessinger decided to stop brewing at GNBC in order to pursue other projects. In 2002, the brewery was placed under the ownership and management of Dennis Konopatzke and GNBC continued to produce their other beers.
On February 6th, 2010, fifteen years after the Great Northern Brewing Company was first built, Minott Wessinger and GNBC began to produce Black Star beer again.