SILVER
Best East Coast/Hazy IPA // Widowmaker IPA
BRONZE
Best B.C. Collab (with Changing Colours Brewing Project) // “Zombiemaker”
Ever since winning Rookie Brewery of the Year at the BC Beer Awards back in 2017, Backcountry Brewing has been a community favourite in Squamish and a popular destination for visitors with a reputation for showcasing a wide range of beer styles marketed in creative and innovative ways. The ‘70s ski cabin-inspired tasting room has a variety of spaces where folks can enjoy the beer along with delicious food, including pizzas, salads and snacks.
Famous for beer names that draw on obscure (and not so obscure) pop culture references (currently including “I Carried a Watermelon” and “Asking for a Friend”), the fact is you can always trust that the beer inside that can with the witty name is going to be an excellent representation of its style. And many of the regulars in the core lineup are considered industry standards.
As a prime example, Backcountry’s Widowmaker IPA was one of the early originators of the Hazy IPA style in BC nearly a decade ago, and it still stands out in what has become a very competitive field — as its second place finish this year proves. That beer also took home a silver medal at the 2025 Canada Beer Cup.
And then there’s the Zombiemaker, a triple-dry-hopped IPA that draws inspiration from Widowmaker and Changing Colours’ Astro Zombies. It’s a huge beer bursting with tropical and orchard fruit flavours from a blend of Citra T90 hops along with Mosaic Cryo and Dolcita, all delivered with a smooth, fluffy mouthfeel. Just magnificent.
—Joe Wiebe
