Whitehorse micro-brewery production grows 10-fold since opening

Yukon's Winterlong Brewing Co.is expanding again the third time in two-and-a-half years.

The Whitehorse-based micro-brewery opened in April, 2015, when it was equipped to brew 300 litres of beer a week.

Multiply that by ten. The brewery can now pump out just over 3,000 litres of beer weekly thanks tothree new fermentation tanks, delivered this week all the way from Portland, Oregon.

Co-owner MarkoMarjanovic is hoping that's enough to meet the demands.

"Every time we expand, we think we're getting ahead of the demand curve," he says.

"It feels like it's going to be a lot of beer with this expansion, but only time will tell."

Choosing the location of the brewery tucked away in Mt. Sima, just outside of downtown Whitehorse was also oncea gamble forMarjanovic.

"We weren't sure if people would come out this far," says Marjanovic.

But when the ski hill openedup in the winter, the place was buzzing.

"Tourists along the Alaska Highway sometimes don't even go into Whitehorse, but they will pop in here because it's right along the highway," says Marjanovic.

"So it seemed like a risk, but it now seems like it was a good decision."

The shortage

The company is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its tasting room this month where people can come in and enjoy drinks in a cozy, modestly-sized sitting area.

There are 12 beers on tap and theglass-doorfridge is now fully stocked with one-litre bottles of west-coast style pale ales and more.

But earlier this summer at the height of tourist season,there were only three beers on tap, and hardly any bottles for sale.

• RELATED |Goodbye 'Moon Man': Whitehorse'sWinterlongBrewing to lose logo in trademark muddle

The shortage was due in part by its second expansion, and because the demand had tripled,says Marjanovic.

"Even though we were doubling our capacity our demand exceeded us for the summer," he says.

It's been six months since Winterlong supplied Whitehorserestaurants andliquor stores with beer.

With their most recent addition, the brewery now hasfour large tanks and four small tanks. The owners hope it will allow them to make enough beer to stock everyone again.

But Marjanovic says the struggleto meet demand is a good problem to have.

"It's fun," says Marjanovic, who started home brewing about 12 years ago.

"It became a passion, then it turned into an obsession."

• Beer keg thieves showed no preference for Yukon vs. N.W.T. brews