There may be tears, but they likely won't be in Molson or Labatt beers in the territory.

Lager, ale and stout choices could be limited in close to a month, thanks to a strike by workers at Brewers Distributors Ltd. in B.C.

The company distributes Molson and Labatt products to the Yukon.

Molson and Labatt sell their beer to Brewers Distributors, a company owned by the two beer moguls. Brewers Distributors in New Westminster, B.C. then sells it to the Yukon Liquor Corp. and similar organizations.

'Molson and Labatt don't distribute their beer themselves,' Bruce Demchuck, the corporation's acting vice-president, said in an interview this morning.

Demchuck estimated there's about a three-week supply of Molson and Labatt products in the territory.

'Some brands may last longer,' he said of the various beers produced by the two companies, including Canadian, Blue, Kokanee and a Labatt-brewed Guinness.

Demchuck also pointed out the territory will continue to receive non-Labatt and Molson beers. They include products from the local Chilkoot brewery, Alberta's Big Rock and Ontario's Sleeman, among others.

Imported beers, including Corona, Becks and the Guinness brewed in Ireland, will continue to come into the territory as well.

The distributor strike began last Saturday. While Demchuck hopes it won't last too long, he noted it can often be hard to tell how long a labour dispute will drag on.

'We're keeping an eye on it,' he said.

The liquor corporation is working with Labatt and Molson to see about having the beer distributed to the Yukon from Calgary or Edmonton in Alberta, or possibly Prince George, B.C.

From April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2003, Yukoners spent $10,804,000 on beer.

That accounted for over half of the liquor sales in the territory at 54 per cent. Hard liquor made up 32 per cent of sales and 14 per cent of the sales were wine.

This is the first time in Demchuck's time with the liquor corporation that the territory has been faced with a possible beer shortage due to a labour dispute.

Other liquor corporation workers he's spoken to at the office also can't remember there being any similar situation.

While he wasn't working at the liquor corporation at the time, Demchuck recalled during a summer in the late 1970s when he was going to university there was a strike which resulted in a beer shortage to the territory.

The liquor corporation dealt with it by ordering in a beer from Uncle Ben's brewery in B.C. as well as the Alaskan Prinzbrau brand.

'It was quite a poor substitute,' he said, noting there is a lot more variety in the liquor stores now.

Molson and Labatt representatives could not be reached for comment this morning.