SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The NWT Brewing Company may be in the final stretch of construction for its new restaurant but they're not brewing beer any time soon.

Fletcher and Miranda Stevens, co-owners of the NWT Brewing Company, stand in the vestibule of The Woodyard, their new restaurant in Old Town. The vestibule will serve as the company’s growler filling station once the restaurant is open - now expected to occur no earlier than mid next month. - Karen K. Ho/NNSL photo

Co-owners Fletcher and Miranda Stevens tell Yellowknifer opening The Woodyard has become their primary focus after learning their American brewing equipment didn't have the required Canadian certifications.

"Too much time would have been needed to do the legwork needed to retrofit our brew house in order to pass," Fletcher said, adding that it also wasn't cheap to get it resolved either.

Fletcher and Miranda knew their equipment had been in used in Canada before, and was even used to produce the Canadian Brewing Awards-winning commercial beer of the year in 2013 from Vancouver's Powell Street Brewery.

"We just assumed that when we purchased the unit there would be no issues," Miranda said. "It didn't even come across our radar that it wouldn't be approved here until they told us that it needs (Canadian Standards Association) approval."

According to the Stevens, the Portland, Ore., manufacturer of their brew tanks didn't anticipate a problem either.

Fletcher said the discovery was made when the chief inspector of electrical and mechanical inspections for the Department of Public Works and Services inspected the equipment and told them it needed CSA approval before they could operate it. He declined to say exactly the date of the inspection, only that it was recent.

Officials with the department could not be reached for comment by press time.

"It's quite unfortunate that people buy units from the U.S. without inquiring first about Canadian certification," said Lizon Deschamps, a client services representative with the CSA Group.

The equipment may be certified in the United States where it was manufactured; however, Canada has a different set of certification standards.

Getting the brewing equipment CSA certified will not be easy because business owners must pay out of pocket to have an agent inspect their equipment, which would mean bringing in an inspector from Edmonton.

"Unfortunately it's not a free service and that kind of service is an hourly rate," said Deschamps.

For a company that has long branded its restaurant project as a place that would offer its own brews, the couple said relying on other brewers to fill their taps was tough to swallow.

"Now we're opening as a brew pub without our own beer," Fletcher said.

Miranda pointed out that the model is successful in many places down south, with restaurants that are craft beer markets.

And Fletcher added this kind of optimism is now what helps the couple sleep at night.

The company is still hoping they can have their brew house operating before the end of the year.

"It hurts I can't brew right now," Fletcher said.

However, the couple expects to be able to make arrangements after the restaurant starts running to make sure they are able to pass their safety inspection on the first try.

As for when The Woodyard will actually open, Fletcher and Miranda are reluctant to put down any definitive date. They attribute the uncertainty to their long to-do list of items such as final construction, cleaning, hiring and training their new staff and even waiting for the delivery of their point-of-sale systems.

"We're working as fast as we can," Miranda said.

The couple said concern about unexpected hurdles means they won't set a date before a week in advance, with the earliest possibility being mid-October.

However, the deadline for job applications has definitely been set and passed, with Miranda and Fletcher expecting approximately 30 people will eventually be hired.

They're hoping flexible scheduling and the expectation that working at the Woodyard won't be a primary job will attract more staff with previous experience but who can only handle one or two shifts per week.

"We want them to buy into our model," Fletcher said, of The Woodyard's focus on customer service and a team-oriented positive brand primarily aimed at encouraging locals to return.

The Fletchers also think their business will contribute to multiple industries, not just food service, and attract interested staff from other parts of the country.

"People who go to school for brew master certificates, I've heard from some who want to do apprenticeships here for the summer," Fletcher said.

"These are the type of job positions we're creating."

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