Great Life Brewing is one of the true gems of our local bar scene, a rustic, down-to-earth, working-class getaway where pretentiousness has no place. Such “true local” places are sadly a dying breed amidst the past few years of voracious gentrification and businesses catering to tourists and the wealthy.
After being perpetually under construction, the brewery celebrated the opening of its new building just weeks ago. Looking for a sustainable-sourced, modestly-sized Christmas tree with energy-efficient LED lighting powered by solar panels? Nah. Great Life is lighting the “Great Keg Tree”, an environmentally-friendly repurposing of beer vessels into a holiday display for which no trees were harmed. How about hundreds of dollars worth of “outdoor fashion” gear with not a speck of the outdoors on them? Nah. Get out your ugliest Christmas sweater, the kind you’d pick up at a Salvation Army for $6. How about a fundraiser for a non-profit that already receives hundreds of thousands of dollars and has little output besides social media posts? Nah, bring an unopened toy or pet care item and receive tickets to a mystery raffle. Just people looking out for other people as opposed to themselves.
Upstate isn’t a fashion, it’s a place where real people work and live. In fact, Great Life keeps it so real, they don’t even have a website you can check for information. If you know, you know.
Join the family! 
