Backcountry Brewing

Following some research, the decision to locate to Squamish was easy. The owners quickly found a connection with the population of Squamish – active, environmentally conscious, fun-loving young adults. New to the neighborhood with a love for the outdoors and young families, Squamish offered a dynamic and growing population. Not to mention the millions of people travelling the Sea to Sky Highway each year.

Opening on April 1, Backcountry Brewing was no April fools. The locals of Squamish were really accepting and welcomed the business with open arms. Initial projections had Backcountry Brewing serving 300 pizzas and 14 kegs a week. But within their first week, the owners quickly realized that the targets had been widely underestimated, both in terms of sales and recognition. Backcountry is on target to increase production to 2,500 hectolitres, resulting in new purchase of tanks. Less than a year into operations, Backcountry Brewing has already been recognized with the following:

• BC Best New Craft Brewery (Rookie Brewery of the Year), BC Beer Awards
• 1st place for Trailbreaker Pale Ale, BC Beer Awards
• 2nd place honours for Ridgerunner Pilsner and Widowmaker IPA, BC Beer Awards
• Best Micro Brewery, Best Beer, best Social Media and Best New Business from the Squamish Chief’s Readers’ Choice

The owners credit a lot of their success to the support of local Squamish residents, especially in the first few months of being open. Squamish residents love to support local businesses and have influenced Backcountry to in turn support many other local businesses that specialize in juices, beef jerky, keefer water, produce and spirits, to name a few. As the business keeps growing, the transportation infrastructure of Squamish offers huge growth potential with easy distribution into Vancouver, Vancouver Island, the rest of BC and beyond.