October 14, 2009
A bit outside the busy part of town the Great Lost Bear will probably be a little detour for the tourist visiting the heart of Portland. But there are many hotels nearby so it may not be such a detour for you. The place is rather large and not my kind of atmosphere. Yet another American beer bar with that kind of large country bar feel to it, plenty of beer related memorabilia and neon signs here and there. Annoying fm-radio style of pop music. The number of taps on the other hand is quite impressive. Something like 60 tap lines + 4 casks. Mostly American micros, maybe 5 or 6 imports. About half are Maine micros and the other half are the standard American micros likes of Rogue, Dogfish, etc. With about 30 Maine micro tap lines there’s plenty of crap to be had. You won’t find unusual beer here (go to Novare Res for that). I went there late at night and the crowd was a mix bag of locals of all ages, from the 21 year old party animal to the quiet drunk fifty something. I didn’t eat there. I had a pint of Allagash Burham Road (a pleasant surprise, they still don’t bottle that one) and left. My hotel was in that neighbourhood so for me it was worth a visit because it wasn’t much of a detour. But I wouldn’t do a detour to visit that place. All in all, despite the very large number of taps this place is not a must-go. You’re better off hanging around downtown at Novare Res, Gritty McDuff, etc.

August 27, 2009
Very friendly staff, and good food. I was amazed at how many beers they had on tap with a couple of cask versions as well. Will definitely drop in next time I’m in town.

April 4, 2009
great beer selection, amazing food. great service, good people. remember to order the bucket if your down there. you wont be disappointed

February 13, 2009
If you cannot find a beer you like here, you should stick to water

January 11, 2009
Went on the end of December 08.It is very casual,nice enough though.Sat in the back to watch football and get some beer and wings.The wings were giant and tasted absolutely awesome.Our server(Emily) was great,very personable and knew her stuff.I got a sampler which included Allagash Black and Allagash Curuiex on cask-Nice.I really enjoyed this place and if you are in the area you should stop by and give it a try!

September 1, 2008
While this place didn’t completely knock my socks off, it was cozy, and had some nice local beers on tap and cask. The waitresses were cute and friendly, the wings I ordered weren’t that good. It was all and all a good experience.

August 4, 2008
Awesome from What I recall being there a couple summers back.

July 3, 2008 [ Updated September 5, 2008 ]
Definitely a must in Portland, a great selection of American beer, a good number of them are local. What’s particularly nice about this place is that you can try a selection of samplers, which definitely makes for more tastings. The service there was very good, possibly could have been quicker, but our waitress was very friendly. The food is also fairly good in there, nothing out of this world (well I say that, what I had was not out of this world). A really good beer bar that I would heartily recommend to anyone visiting Portland.

June 18, 2008
Dark, characterful place conducive to friendly conversation and beer geekery. Nice emphasis on Maine micros and locals. Not all the draught pours were spot-on but they trysome cask options are available and it might help to ask how fresh they are. The ability to sample makes the experience a lot of fun. A must-visit if spending time in the Portland area if for no other reason than to get a whack of experience drinking standard session ales from this gorgeous state.

June 16, 2008
The Great Lost Bear is a big bar with a gloomy, dark athmosphere, a little light from the outside wouldn’t hurt. They have a lot of taps available, mostly Maine micro-brews, I had Allagash Curieux on tap there, which was a nice experience, but aside Allagash, Maine micro-brews are average and most of the beer menu was the same than my first visit three years ago. The service was ok. The place is ok, but I’ve seen a lot of better beer bars than this one.