Backcountry Brewing acknowledges the land on which we gather as the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), andSel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Hello friends! We thought it was high time for an update from each department. We have some very exciting news from the tasting room and we also decided to share our beer release calendar for each season well in advance, see below. Check out our new menu items from the Backcountry Kitchen as well as the interview with Head Chef James Buchanan, and Brewer Paul McLachlan gives us his top 5 beer picks for spring.
Tasting Room Expansion!
After some long, strange years, it is with great excitement that we get to announce some good news out of the taproom. We are planning to expand our seating areas inside and out! Construction on the new front patio and the Barrel Room additions should start early summer if all goes to plan. These undertakings will effectively double our current seating capacity for the taproom just in time for us to celebrate our 5 year Anniversary!
Furthermore, the BC government has loosened COVID restrictions! This means there are no longer table seating limits in the taproom. Dancing is also once again permitted! We hope to make up for lost time with some on-site events this summer with live music and DJs on the patio. Keep an eye on our social media for the latest updates.
Fun With The Marketing Team
Back in the fall, we held a beer-naming contest where we put it to our Instagram followers to name a Backcountry brew. The feedback was overwhelming with 2800+ submissions that we then narrowed down to 7 finalists for the public to vote on. A well-deserved congratulations to @rhiannon.brunker for her winning submission: ‘I Put My Crocs In Sports Mode For This’. You can also expect to see two more crowdsourced beer names coming up for release this : ‘I Love Inside Jokes I Hope to be Part of One Someday’ submitted by @bikenate & ‘That’s What I Do, I Drink and I Know Things’ submitted by @daboded. These names should make for some fun content!
Speaking of content, we recently updated our website to include our where you can easily access all of our original videos. Our latest work for the Daffy Twister Spread Pale Ale features former Olympians Tami Bradley and Ryan Johnson, as well as resident marketing coordinator and jack-of-all-Backcountry-trades Stefan Hebert. Well worth the watch if you haven’t already tuned in You can also find our promo videos screening prior to feature films at the Rio Theater in Vancouver.
Owner operators Ben & Marc were also recently the featured guests on Where U At Buds? podcast, discussing everything from the origins of the brewery, our marketing efforts and all sorts of shenanigans in between. Where U At Buds? Is available on Spotify , Apple Music or wherever you get your podcasts!
Daffy Twister Spread video
Backcountry Brewing YouTube Channel
Where U at Buds? Podcast
Backcountry Kitchen New Menu
As head chef James has settled into his role at Backcountry, the quality of our ingredients have improved as he continually hones his pizza game. As any true Backcountry fan can attest, all of our pizzas use fresh ingredients, and our dough is house made and hand tossed. Where applicable, our ingredients are now also authentically Italian, DOP. DOP stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta (Protected Designation of Origin) and is a guarantee that the food was produced by local farmers and artisans using traditional methods. We use Canadian cheese and fresh BC produce wherever possible. Been a while since you’ve savored something delicious from the Backcountry kitchen? Check out these new additions to our menu.
Dios Mio Spicy Italian Pizza!
Featuring a house-made buffalo base, spicy capicola, genoa salami, bacon, banana peppers, mozzarella, and feta!
Spicy Korean Wings
Spicy house-made Korean chimaek style wings. Sauce is made in-house and the wings are garnished with green onion. Pairs perfectly with Ridgerunner Pilsner, if we do say so.
Salt & Pepper Wings
Our house-battered wings served as classic salt & pepper dry wings. Try them with a side of our fresh ranch sauce, made from scratch of course, or our beer infused Backcountry Hot Sauce!
Widowmaker Mac & Cheese
A twist on a classic! Oven baked pasta with three kinds of cheese: Oaxaca, white cheddar and Danish gruyere. Serpentini noodles and a smoked bacon crust! The dish is then finished with a cheese sauce expertly crafted with cheddar cheese infused with Widowmaker IPA. Finally, this comforting dish is dusted with house made ketchup powder. Check out a video of this dish being prepared by Head Chef James Bucanan here !
Les Habitants // Pepperoni Deluxe (limited-time feature)
Our house-made dough, San Marzano tomato sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, green peppers & mushrooms. This French-Canadian-inspired pizza was created by sous-chef extraordinaire Tony, who hails from Montreal, one of the multiple brilliant French-Canadians in the Backcountry family. The pizza layers differently than our traditional pizzas, resulting in a notably different flavour profile with cheese that stretches as you pull out each slice.
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Q&A with Head Chef James Buchanan
Q: Is it true that chefs don’t cook at home?
A: God no, that’s not true. A chef that tells you they don’t cook at home is lying or not a Chef.
Q: You don’t seem to have too big of an ego, how is that possible?
A: Well for starters they made a movie where a rat can do my job…
Q: How did you get into cooking?
A: You know that’s a funny story. When I was 18, I made dinner for my girlfriend and gave her food poisoning. She was a chef and told me that I needed to learn how to cook. So I went and got a job as a dishwasher at PJ Burgers and Sons on 4th ave in Kitsilano. That’s how it all started. It was years later that I got promoted to the line and actually learned how to cook.
Cooking has always been a fun job. It’s got everything. Fire, knives, excitement, teamwork and comradery. But there’s a difference between cooking and being a chef. Anyone can learn to cook, it wasn’t until I was really taught that I learned what the difference was between the two.
Q: Speaking about chefs, who was your biggest influence?
A: Melissa Craig from Barefoot Bistro taught me that my job is bigger than the plate. We’re entertainers at the end of the day and we put on a show. Food can really tell a story and the right meal can make or break your day, night, or week!
Q: What do you do for breakfast?
A: Breakfast to me is the most important meal of the day. What I make depends on one very important question, how hungover am I? The more hungover I am, the more likely I am to make eggs benny. I’ll have a pilsner or a sour with breakfast…Pool Shower Fruit Punch Sour is great for that. IPA’s are not a breakfast beer.
Q: Who makes the best fast food?
I never go into a fast food place, always use the drive through…they’re too bright and cheery. It’s too much. I went to an In & Out Burger in California and that was the best drive through fast food I’ve ever had in my life. It was unbelievable. But in Canada Mcdonald’s wins, it’s all about the hash brown game and yes I LIKE THE FILET O-FISH. I don’t care what anyone says.
Q: What are your hobbies and outlets outside of cooking?
Origami and motorbikes.
Q: What’s your favorite movie?
I wanna say Apocalypse Now. But it’s probably Pretty Woman. It’s got everything.
Q: What’s up with the music in the kitchen?
A: The musical taste in the kitchen is very diverse. I have a communal kitchen mix. It’s 19 hours long. Britney Spears, disco, metal, we cover the gambit. At shift crossover it’s always Britney. Nobody can get mad with Britney cranking.
Breaking Brew News
For the spring edition of our newsletter, we sat down with brewer Paul. He picked 5 beers he thought you should know a little more about. A complete* list of upcoming releases follows!
Paul’s Picks
30 CM Rule Kolsch
I’m a big fan of our Kolsch and I got to brew it this time… exciting! We put Huell Melon hops in the whirlpool and used straight up pilsner malt… That’ll be really nice. The name has been changed from 20cm rule to 30cm rule due to staffing shortages, ha!
Tangerine Widowmaker
That’s a Monday morning beer right there. Or if you want to class up a fancy dinner you can put it in a champagne flute. Done.
Throw Me A Frickin Bone Pale Ale
Dogs and beer go hand in paw. You can play fetch with your pup and then you can go fetch yourself a beer. I tried to teach my dog Kane to open the fridge and get me a beer, but he was afraid of the motor in the fridge. It was a close one. Either way this beer is a winner with partial proceeds supporting the SPCA with the help of Sea To Sky Veterinary Clinic.
Might As Well Go For A Soda Cherry Cola Sour
This one will bring you back to your youth… a little plastic bag full of candies from your favorite corner store. I just searched up 80’s trends and apparently Hacky Sack was all the rage. I remember you’d have to drive over your new hacky sack to flatten it out a bit, make it easier to break in. That would pair well with this beer.
Mine Goes To Eleven Mango Coconut Lime Sour
My acting career is going to take off in no time. This pairs well with watching me as Rob Reiner in Spinal Tap on our socials… Just smell it, smell it! I am told we are shooting another video for this release, so stay tuned for part 2.
Upcoming Beer Releases
*Subject to change*
March
- 30cm Rule – Kolsch
- Might As Well Go For A Soda – Cherry Cola Sour
- I Think We’re Alone Now – Strata, Galaxy, Sabro IPA
- You Know, I’m Something Of A Scientist Myself – Mosaic Pale Ale
- I’ll Take You To The Candy Shop – Peach Gummy Sour
- I Put My Crocs In Sports Mode For This? – Helles Lager
- Off The Top Ropes – DIPA
- My Name Is Inigo Montoya, You Killed My Father Prepare To Die – Simcoe West Coast IPA
April
- Big Gulps Huh, Welp See Ya Later – Blue Raspberry Lemonade Sour
- I Love Inside Jokes I Hope To Be A Part Of One Someday – TBD
- I Ain’t Got Time To Bleed – Dry Hopped Lager
- Tangerine Widowmaker – Tangerine IPA
- That’s What I Do I Drink And I Know Things – Simcoe West Coast IPA
- I’m Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today – Orange Creamsicle Sour
May
- Do You Bite Your Thumb At Us, Sir? – Vienna Lager
- Throw Me A Frickin Bone Here – Pale Ale
- TBD – DIPA
- Go Get Yourself Some Cheap Sunglasses – NE IPA
- Mine Goes To Eleven – Mango Coconut Lime Sour
- TBD – Czech Pilsner
- TBD – West Coast IPA
- TBD – Fruited IPA
Please note, we have discontinued our beer preorder online storefront. You can view our current can selection on the Our Beers section of our website. Additionally, we have a Where To Buy page where you can find retailers of our beers by geographic location. Our online store remains available for all of your Backcountry merchandise needs, shipping out weekly, province wide!
Jobs Jobs Jobs!
We are hiring kitchen staff! We are looking for a skilled and enthusiastic cook with a passion for beer & food to join our kitchen team at Backcountry Brewing. Our goal is to provide our guests with excellent food and an unforgettable dining experience while having fun as a team.
Backcountry Brewing is an inclusive workplace, and we encourage all genders, races, ethnicities, orientations, and abilities to apply.
Full job description, including responsibilities and required experience can be found on our Facebook jobs page, as well as here.
Thanks for reading this far! Be sure to follow us on Instagram @backcountrybrewing for the latest updates, cheers!
The Backcountry Brewing Team