When NWT Brewing Company opened its doors on Nov. 6, 2015, it wasn’t long before they ran out of beer. “People drank us out of everything,” said Fletcher Stevens, co-owner and president of Canada’s northernmost brew pub in Yellowknife, N.W.T. “We knew then that the community was behind us.”
Since opening, NWT Brewing has steadily expanded, refining its repertoire of beers while increasing its footprint to 6,400 square feet, including new brewery operations, as well as The Woodyard Brewhouse & Eatery, a 112-seat restaurant. There’s no doubt NWT Brewing is on a roll. Fletcher and his wife, Miranda, are co-owners of the business, which was founded after Miranda gave her husband a homebrew kit for Christmas in 2010. He says he was hooked.
“I’ve always realized there is great opportunity in the North,” said Fletcher, who moved to Yellowknife in Grade 8. “I became a Red Seal journeyman mechanic and met my wife while away at school in Calgary. We moved back and she realized how expensive beer was here. She bought me the brew kit and I made beer for our wedding.”
The wedding brew was well received, and people encouraged the couple to open a brewery. However, Fletcher wanted to do his homework first, entering several homebrew competitions and earning medals along the way. With that affirmation, he quit his job, and in January 2014, the pair began working on the business plan.
While NWT Brewing has always had 12 taps, its beers have been curated over the last eight years. Lighter beer was more popular back in 2015, but there has been a gradual move to hoppier IPA blends, as well as to sours. “We shuffle through seasonal beers, but Kicksled Cream Ale is our best seller,” said Fletcher. Other core brands include Turbid Wit Bier, Ragged Pine Pale Ale, Honey Bucket Nut Brown, and Bug Repellent IPA.
The brewery is in the heart of Yellowknife’s historic Old Town. Fletcher says NWT Brewing is likely the only brewery in the world that relies on trucked-in water. “It’s difficult if you are in the middle of brewing a batch and you run out of water,” he said. That’s why he’s pleased to have acquired another building just down the street, a former plumbing supply shop that is the last Old Town property on city services. It will be used as an additional brewing facility.
Challenge and opportunity
The Stevenses are forging a new path in Yellowknife as owners of the only alcohol manufacturing company in the territory. Fletcher tells Poured Canada that getting NWT Brewing up and running has been an exercise in patience. “There are a lot of government barriers to break through,” he said. “Laws are very outdated, and we have to do a lot of lobbying with [members of the legislative assembly]. It took a while.”
Other challenges to the brewery’s remote location involve staffing and logistics. What a southern brew pub might take for granted is a different story in the N.W.T.
While NWT Brewing has always had 12 taps, its beers have been curated over the last eight years.
“Everyone here is dealing with staffing issues right now and there aren’t as many people to choose from,” said Fletcher. “Also, it’s a 15-hour drive from Yellowknife to Edmonton. I feel like we might be one of the last places to get commodities. For example, we are using CO2 cylinders here and they have to be shipped in. We need to bring four pallets of grain in at a time. If there’s a mechanical breakdown, parts we need may not be in stock here. You could be down for a week.”
The brewery is producing around 125,000 hectolitres per year and heading towards 150,000. Fletcher thinks it’s time to target additional expansion and brand diversification. “Now that we’re at that point of production, I really want to get down to Alberta,” he said. NWT Brewing beers are available only in the Northwest Territories. By this summer, the Stevenses are aiming to have their product available in Alberta, and B.C. “There are some advantages of our brand when we get it there because NWT is brand new,” said Fletcher. “It will be tricky to know how much to send down in the first place.”
Ultimately, Fletcher wants to “put NWT Brewing on the map.” He’d like nothing more than to sell his beers coast to coast across Canada. “There’s not a lot of representation with the territories. There are so many untouched resources here and the cleanest water in the world. By the end of this year, we’ll have a really good game plan for how expansion fits into our overall growth plan.”
He says that NWT Brewing’s business taxes are calculated on certain production limits. For now, the brewery is targeting slow growth to avoid being hit with an unsustainable tax rate. Meanwhile, the Stevenses are appealing the prohibitive tax structure – one that penalizes growth rather than rewarding it. If they are successful, the brewery’s maximum output could be as much as 450,000 hectolitres per year.
Just as they carved a new path when they launched Yellowknife’s first brew pub, NWT Brewing is always looking for ways to innovate. For example, Fletcher plans to introduce a seltzer to the North to see if it takes off. He’s also looking into non-alcoholic beer options. Merchandise has always been popular with NWT Brewing hats, shirts, toques and glassware finding their way to points far and wide. Now they’re even offering dog toys, with everything available in the online store.
Building awareness and connections
Many of NWT Brewing’s customers come to Yellowknife to see the northern lights, which even make an appearance in the company logo. Fletcher feels that if he can send beer south and strike up collaborative partnerships with other breweries, brand awareness will build naturally. “More and more people will venture to Yellowknife and our little brewing outpost,” he said. Indeed, there have already been some notable visitors, including motorcyclists from Huntington Beach, Calif., and Sarnia, Ont. They come for the beer, but stay for The Woodyard’s top-notch menu.
Just as they carved a new path when they launched Yellowknife’s first brew pub, NWT Brewing is always looking for ways to innovate.
Fletcher says it’s been a rewarding journey so far, with the past seven years flying by. He and Miranda are now busy with two children in addition to the brewery. Most of all, he loves connecting with his customers.
“I love to hear the stories of why people come to the brew pub,” he said. “I find connecting with the customers the most rewarding aspect of the job. Sometimes, we are short-staffed, and I have to fill in when needed, but I like getting out there and talking to our patrons. Sometimes they don’t even know I’m the owner.”
