names for the unique concoctions tend to reflect the environment in which they were brewed. In NWT’s case, they have the “bug series” of beers. Leading the swarm is their “Bug Repellent IPA.” Considered to be their flagship beer, this brew is unabashedly all about the hops. The website boasts that it goes great with spice, cheese and mosquitoes! At the other end of the spectrum, they have their “Bug Light.” It’s a Session Ale, lower in alcohol and approachable with a citrus finish. All-in-all, with twelve beers on tap, even the staunchest of ‘big beer’ drinkers can find some- thing that will appeal their palette. Despite the challenges associated with brewing beer in a remote northern community, Fletcher is nothing but positive about the future. “Yel- lowknife is currently doing a pretty good job of drinking us out of what we produce in the pub. We are starting to get our products into other bars and restaurants in town… And we have hopes to move major brewing operations to a warehouse space and be more of a distribution-type brewery. That was kind of the goal right off the bat. Start with a brew pub first. The restaurant is important because it has money coming in every day. If we were just a brewery, there would be times in the cycle where we would have money going out, but not coming in. So, the restaurant is an important piece of the plan.” Talking to Fletcher, you can sense his pride in the food and craft beer movement that is gaining
money. The financial reserves were running dry and the doors had to swing open for business as a matter of mere survival. The good news is that they did survive, and in an act of defiance, they brewed an anniversary red beer and called it “Evil Red Tape Ale.” Fletcher explains that the bar and restaurant scene in Yellowknife is actually experiencing a modest upswing. “The diamond mines being such a big industry up here, that has given the scene a bit of a push. And the Aurora Borealis. Yellowknife is the best place in the world to view the Northern Lights. We are seeing thousands and thousands of tourists, many from Asia, and the Pacific, all this tourism has really helped out the hospitality industry.” “We used to have the highest liquor tax in Canada… So, we had to pretty much re-write legislation.” Turning to NWT’s beer, Fletcher points out that converting the locals to accepting craft beer as an alternative to macro-brewed big-name beer continues to be an ongoing process. “Nobody was really drinking craft beer here until we started brewing it. So, when we opened with just craft beer on tap, a lot of people had their doubts… But it created that niche.” While the curious were starting to give NWT’s offerings a try, Fletcher points out that, as a prudent business move, he began by brewing styles of beer that would have a wider appeal base. “Currently we have twelve beers on tap. When we opened, we started with three beers, and bumped it up to four right away. We focused on more approachable recipes, like our Belgian style Turbid Wit… by the time we brewed the Ragged Pine Pale Ale, my wife fought to have the recipe changed because she said a lot of people who tried it thought it was too bitter… at the time we opened, this one was a real palette shock for many people.” One of the charming features of the craft beer movement is the nomenclature. The creative
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • APRIL 2019
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