Brewing on the Edge of the World: Canada's Arctic - Part I

[Yooper]

Wow- what an interesting article. Thank you- I loved it!

 

[jmpreiks]

Great read! Thanks for sharing!

 

[drainbamage]

Great read. Really makes me realize how much I take for granted the ease with which I can pick up my brewing supplies (or much of anything, really).

 

[plmrgn88]

good stuff Jonah, looking forward to part ii

 

[ITV]

Too bad the community doesn't have a program to teach responsible drinking.

 

[Venari]

@screwybrewer if I were to make some heavy beers, they'd disappear even faster!

 

[Venari]

Shucks, I realized I forgot to include this link in this Part I article, and the small writeup on how it affects people's orders.
Anyhow, here's the link to the Nunavut Liquor Control Act:
http://www.canlii.org/en/nu/laws/stat/rsnwt-nu-1988-c-l-9/latest/rsnwt-nu-1988-c-l-9.html

 

[brew_darrymore]

Hello from a fellow homebrewer in Toronto!
What a great article! Probably one of the few here not directly related to homebrewing.
I hope we manage to get you back to Ottawa soon!

 

[Curtis2010]

Good read. Ive lived and brewed in remote areas in the Tropics for many years. Some similar issues, just much warmer.
Like the Inuit, the indigenous of Central America dont deal well with alcohol either. Related genetic stock I assume. Possibly all their ancestors came over the same migratory path.

 

[IronBall]

Wow! You had me hanging on every word, very fascinating. Thanks for sharing, best of luck to you.

 

[judanero]

That was a great read mate! We have 'dry communities' up North and in the centre where alcohol is completely banned.
There seems a lot of similarities in indigenous communities (worldwide) where alcohol hasn't traditionally been part of their life.
Aboriginal Australians in remote communities have the same problems as your area by the sounds, when you add in to the mix high rates of domestic and community violence, higher incarceration (and repeat incarceration) rates, and substantially lower life expectancy.. It's actually pretty sad.
Looking forward to part two!

 

[unionrdr]

An unbelievable situation indeed! I can't imagine what a 5 gallon batch costs you way up there?! Can't afford to stay, can't afford to leave. It just seems that governmental greed & the personal beliefs of those in power are complicating things? From my perspective anyway. The drinking problems sound like those of the Apache side of the family. Tiswin is a corn ale the men get buzzed on. The women are said to be quite hacked about it. And stealing your beer & wine? Wow...

 

[TimBrewz]

Fun, informative read. Thanks for sharing a totally different world with us!

 

[drumuglyknuckles]

thanks for sharing!

 

[Goont]

Thanks for that !
Right now, i will never complained how it's difficult to be a homebrewer in france... i promise !

 

[wstock]

Thanks for the article. To be honest, due to all the liquor controls in Nunavut I never even thought for a second that homebrewing would be allowed(legal). I have never lived in Igloolik, but have worked for one of the larger airlines in the region for 15 years and have spent lots of time in the "southern" locale of Rankin Inlet. And have flown in and out of igloolik many many times. All your comments are spot on.
No trees, lots of snow, yet some of the most strikingly beautiful locations I have ever been fortunate to fly in. Something to be said about flying for 2 hours and not seeing one single sign of civilization of any kind. Makes you appreciate the vastness of this planet. The night flying is the best. A starlight sky full of Aurora, and the nearest light bulb is literally 1000miles away.
Now for Part 2.

 

[EthanH]

I was reading an article about Barrow, Alaska and many villages in Alaska with more than X percent "indigenous population" ban the sale of alcohol entirely (though import and possession are still legal).

 

[matc]

@wstock
did you work fort first air or canadian north ? I fly in the arctic with a small company and you pretty much summarized how lucky we are to see this

 

[Jaybird]

With how easy it is to move around the globe these days I have always wondered what the draw was for some people to live in areas like this. I loved the story! Thanks for sharing..
Cheers
Jay

 

[Professor_Brew]

I appreciate insight into your experience! Very interesting and thanks for sharing.

 

[beerman123]

Very interesting stuff, thanks for sharing!

 

[Nanuk-O-Dah-Nort]

I flew into Igloolik with CAlMAir's DC4 back in 1986.
the view of Baffin Island from FL100 is awesome.
Igloolik, not so much, it just looked like flat tundra.
My brother even went up there for several months during the school build.
one thing that facinated me in the northern communities was how fast and free the $100's were brought out when someone asked me to bring up hard liquor. Back then a plastic 60oz was about $40, so one would make $60 per bottle, and when you were just given 15-20 $100's there was a lot of incentive to bring up booze.
the practice was stopped voluntarily when one of our Loadmasters started to carry up drugs. The rest of us had no intention of spending ANY time in Yellowknife for bootlegging!
I'd LOVE to go back north for a tour but many of our stations are closed now, and the chances are sliim to none.
but Canada's archipelago is in Incredible and Awesome place to see! You Literally can see tomorrow from the air!