Fostering community spirit in the Yukon
“Heads” and “Tails” unite to fill our hearts.
Bob Baxter and Alan Hansen opened their Whitehorse brewery in 1997 after coming up with the idea during a Yukon canoe trip. Without knowing the Yukon, one might wonder what they were burning around the campfire. Why in the frigid north would they decide to start a brewery? But when you walk down Main Street, it’s easy to see why two Ontario boys wanted to bring their families to the North and establish the Yukon Brewery. The city is clean, bright, and welcoming, and the surrounding area is nothing short of a pristine utopia. And in the summer, with long sunny days, there is extra daylight to work up a thirst.
The Yukon has an appreciation for beer, and the brewery is well known for its range of “beer worth freezin’ for.” Eight core beers are always in stock. Variety matters in a community where people constantly ask, “What’s next?” To meet this demand, the brewery offers an extra 20 seasonal beers under the Yukon Brewing Unplugged series, keeping customers engaged as new releases launch and popular past options return. In return, the brewery shows gratitude to the community through sponsorships.
“I remember someone asking me, in the early days, Is there anything you guys don't support?” says Bob. “It was nice to hear that we have that reputation. We currently have a program where we support members of Sport Yukon, supplying products at a significant discount if they are doing a fundraiser or volunteer appreciation event. Our point of view is that our participation and support for all Yukon groups make it a better place to live.”
(Credit: Yukon Brewery)
With a loyal community base established, the brewery's ambitions began to expand. By 2009, they bought a still and applied their beer knowledge to making small-batch whisky. Called Two Brewers, these award-winning releases swiftly earned praise, with many eyes mistaking their glowing trophy rack for the Northern Lights.
It’s here that a new Canadian style of whisky emerged, with Two Brewers playing a pivotal role nationally to prove that you do not need a Scottish kilt to make single malt whisky. They’re producing single malts that, while not Scotch, are just as enjoyable — using mainly Canadian grains, Canadian workers, Canadian water, Canadian ambiance, and Canadian terroir.
Host Nathan Coleman (left) pictured with Bob Baxter, President at Yukon Brewing Company. (The Weather Network)
Of course, operating in the Yukon means encountering unique challenges. The Yukon’s weather occasionally rears its ugly head. “We have a quieter store when it is very cold outside,” says Bob about Yukon winters, but he quickly notes that the weather rarely disrupts operations. “From time to time, we have highway closures due to cold, snow, or flooding, but those are relatively infrequent and short, so they generally cause minor scheduling adjustments due to grain not showing up.”
Yet, the distillery has discovered a gold mine in Mother Nature’s severe northern mood swings. Bob believes that broad shifts in relative humidity, with dry winters and moist summers, drive barrel flavour influences on the whisky. Their whiskies bear a common thread from batch to batch, with a wide range of upbeat and deep flavours, rich malty tones, and beautiful oak accents, capped by tropical banana notes.
(Credit: The Weather Network)
In 2025, their community went bananas when Yukon Brewing raised $79,000 for the Yukon Humane Society through a contest where pet owners nominated their animals to appear on a beer can. Since bears don’t own cameras, most submissions were of dogs, with the winning pet becoming a star. As a result of this partnership, one of the brewery’s staff members became an active foster parent for dogs, easing pressure on the shelter while permanent homes were sought. Given the Yukon’s love for beer, if any of the entered dogs ever got lost, they could find their way back more easily by following the scent of a cold one.
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