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All three communities have blossomed into thriving and vibrant hubs for arts, culture, and culinary excellence. And, more importantly, for craft beer. Vancouver has one of the most vibrant microbrew communities in the country. But don’t forget that the B.C. Ale Trail also snakes up the Sea to Sky. Here’s a six-pack of great craft breweries in Squamish and Whistler.

WE’RE BACK! Introducing the Summer 2020 edition of Mountain Life Coast Mountains, and with it, we’re moving into a new realm of sensory ascendance in the form of a limited edition beer collaboration with our friends at Backcountry Brewing.

Mike McCardell has the last word on a man who builds some of the most important parts of the craft beer experience.

A B.C. brewery’s fundraising effort has more than doubled its goal, raising $11,000 for the BC Cancer Foundation with a reissued batch of its award-winning pale ale. Squamish-based Backcountry Brewing won a gold medal at the BC Beer Awards in 2018 for the brew it called “Suck It Trebek” in homage to the famous SNL Celebrity Jeopardy! sketch.

Squamish’s Backcountry Brewing raised $11,000 to fight cancer with the help of some friends and in collaboration with the estate of beloved Squamish artist Chili Thom, who succumbed to cancer in 2016. The brewery relabelled their previous gold medal winner at the BC Beer Awards “Suck It Trebek” and called it “Suck It Cancer.”

It seems like every week a new brewery, cidery, or distillery opens up in The Sea to Sky region of British Columbia, but one of our favourites has always been Backcountry Brewing. When we heard about their newest release with our late, great friend Chili Thom (who we featured on the cover of our Mountain […]

Halfway between Vancouver and Whistler, Squamish is the perfect place for a quick pit stop, and Backcountry Brewing is the answer to that problem. Creative and bold, the beers from Backcountry tend to be big and juicy, something that is very on trend.

When it comes to labelling their crafty creations, brew masters at Backcountry Brewing are inspired by pop culture and the outdoors. A visit to Squamish, located down the road from Whistler, may take some of the mystery out of the naming process. All Backcountry Brewing employees are encouraged to suggest names from popular culture for its limited-release beers.

“I like to order a pizza to-go from Backcountry Brewery, have a cheeky seasonal while we wait, then grab a couple of tall cans of their Trailbreaker Pale Ale and go sit in the back of the truck with some comfy blankets at Tiampo Park on Spit Road at the Squamish estuary. It’s pretty stunning to be sitting at the foot of all the surrounding mountains of Squamish while enjoying well-made pizza and beer.”

Squamish has changed — what used to be a gas-up point before hitting the mountains is now a nexus for noshing. From vegan-focused breakfast baking and boutique coffee beans to a bustling Saturday farmer’s and maker’s market — not to mention some of some of the best cider poured in the province — there is […]

Squamish has a funny bone and this April Fool’s Day is no exception. Read on for a compilation of all the best jokes shared this April 1, 2019.

Backcountry Brewing has announced the release of a beer created with Counterpart Coffee Roasters especially for an upcoming festival that brings together craft brewers and artisan coffee roasters from British Columbia and beyond.

A brewery in Squamish has tied for first place in the inaugural Speaker’s Choice Craft Beer award. Backcountry Brewing was given the award at the provincial legislature at the end of last month as part of BC Craft Beer Month.

For this edition we headed out to Squamish to check in with the team at Backcountry Brewing (who were “amped” to be involved — so much so that they even staged a cover album-themed photo shoot for this piece) and find out what you can expect to hear blasting from their speakers before, during and […]

Just over two years ago, Ben Reeder moved with his family to Squamish. The co-founder of Backcountry Brewing hasn’t looked back. “I love it here,” he says. “It’s just great because the community is so friendly and people are generally happier here. People smile more and say hello. And everyone out here is actively doing […]

I wasn’t in the best of shape or mood. I’d crashed on my bike when a wheel caught on a wooden bridge on the Squamish Valley Road. I rode into Squamish a wreck and with a very sore rib. I couldn’t laugh and didn’t feel there was much to smile about either. So thank you […]

“Sea to Sky Beer on the BC Ale Trail” on Shaw TV with a short segment about Backcountry Brewing. Producer: Malcolm Yates / Kristy Aleksich Camera/ Editor: Kristy Aleksich www.shawtv.com

Just beyond Vancouver you’ll find two other standout microbreweries worth a visit. Backcountry Brewing is a world-class brewery located a scenic one-hour drive north in Squamish – a town that was once considered just a rest stop en route to Whistler. Cleaning up five medals at the Beer Canada Beer Awards, all within its first 12 months, Backcountry Brewing also makes legendary pizzas.

At Backcountry Brewing, the long and wooden communal tables tucked inside a Squamish business park are packed with young families and their kids, wolfing down thin crust pizza that locals like to say rivals anything on Commercial Drive in Vancouver. “I don’t know if we would have been as successful as we are if we had opened a few years ago,” says co-owner and brewer John Folinsbee.

With almost a decade of events under its belt, Vancouver Craft Beer Week brews up a community.

This podcast contains a craft brewery feature on Backcountry Brewing as well as restaurant closures. There is also a neighborhood feature on Gastown, new restaurants featuring Hey Dumplings, Sopra Sotto, Centro Denman and Yum Sweet Shop and lastly the Taco Challenge.

Along the Sea to Sky Highway in British Columbia is the community of Squamish. Known as the recreational capital of Canada, this small town is home to a brewery that embraces that spirit to heart. I sat down with two of the co-founders Ben Reeder & John Folinsbee of Backcountry Brewing.

Backcountry Brewing Squamish, British Columbia Opened: April 2017 Long perceived as just a rest stop on the drive to Whistler, Squamish has become a popular option for urban expats fleeing the high cost of housing in Vancouver—an even more attractive move now that this town of 20,000 has three breweries. Backcountry, the latest to open, […]

You know what was fun last year? Ranking every brewery in Metro Vancouver. You know what’s more fun? Expanding this silly project to all of southwestern British Columbia. Why? Because there are so many breweries in this part of the world now, and some are great and some are good and some should be avoided, but it’s hard to know which is which unless you have damaged your liver are a seasoned expert, and we’d like to share our expertise with you.

There’s a new kid in the Sea to Sky’s craft-beer scene, and the industry has taken note. Squamish’s Backcountry Brewing was the big winner at last month’s BC Beer Awards, earning five medals in a number of hotly contested categories — despite only opening its doors in April.

Squamish’s Backcountry Brewing was one of the big winners at the B.C. Beer Awards last weekend, which, if you’re familiar with their beer or their story, should come as no surprise. These dudes (and dudettes) have been knocking it out of the park since they opened earlier this year.

This year’s Rookie of the Year Award goes to Backcountry Brewing. Their reward for this prestigious win includes partnering with our Craft Breweries and Distilleries team of lawyers on a complimentary package of legal services and advice for their company.

“Never hit the backcountry alone”. The crew at the soon-to-be-opened Backcountry Brewing is on a mission to have your back on any and all Sea to Sky adventures.

The recent flurry of brewery openings in British Columbia continued this past weekend with the opening of a new brewery and taproom in Squamish. Backcountry Brewing has been established by a group of five partners, including head brewer John Folinsbee (ex-Steamworks), and Ben Reeder, co-owner of Maple Bay Hop Farm where many of the hops used in Backcountry’s beers will be grown.

Squamish’s increasingly younger demographics and fast-growing population is prompting new microbreweries to capture a ripe market. A-Frame Brewing Company opened this past December and Backcountry Brewing is expected to open in March. Alongside the veteran beer makers from Howe Sound Brewing, this will raise the number of microbreweries in town to three.