Beer column: Holy smokes look at all these new releases from Backcountry Brewing

It feels like every few months I’m heading back to Squamish for this beer column, but Backcountry Brewing just keeps giving me reasons to do so.

The brewery has been busy of late, with around a dozen new releases over the past month.

As far as I can tell, five of those have been shipped to liquor stores around British Columbia and those are the ones we’ll take a peek at in this week’s column.

It will be a bit of a crapshoot on where to find these beers, as it will depend on what your local liquor store orders, but hopefully you can find at least one or two of them around town!

I Wouldn't Hold Out Much Hope On The Tape Deck... Or The Creedence⁠ Hazy IPA

Coming in at 6.7% ABV (alcohol by volume) and 30 IBU (international bitterness unit), this Hazy IPA is dry hopped with a new crop of 2024 selected Citra hops, along with Centennial and Rakau hops.

“Expect this new Hazy IPA to be citrusy, tropical and dank while remaining quite balanced,” the brewery boasts.

Dale Dug A Hole Hazy Pale Ale

Backcountry describes this hazy pale ale as big, unfiltered and full of possibility.

It’s brewed with 100% Mosaic hops, which are the same hops used in the brewery’s very popular Widowmaker IPA, and they were dry-hopped both during and after fermentation.

This beer registers at 5.5% ABV and 30 IBU.

Pop Quiz, Hotshot Hazy IPA

If you like candy, you’ll probably love this Hazy IPA that is packed full of Citra, El Dorado and Idaho 7 hops.

“This IPA packs a big candy like citrus punch with notes of dank orange and jolly rancher and is fully in the tropical flavour zone,” Backcountry explains.

Similar to the first Hazy IPA we looked at in this column, you can expect an ABV of 6.5% and 30 IBU.

Everything’s Coming Up Milhouse West Coast IPA

If you’re a Simpsons fan, you almost have to buy this one just for the name and label.

Brewed with an “excessive amount” of Citra and Mosaic hops, this bad boy is 6.5% ABV and 45 IBU.

Expect a crisp and clear beer that comes across slightly more bitter, with an easy-drinking, dry finish.

A Little Place Called Ssssquamish⁠ Citra & Strata Pale Ale

This is the only one of these new releases I’ve had the pleasure of trying (so far) and it was tremendously delicious.

Backcountry’s ode to its hometown has a nice soft citrus character and is brewed with Citra and Strata hops.

However, they dialed back the hopping rate on a few seasonal pale ales, including this one, and the result is a much more sessionable beer.

It comes in at 5.5% ABV and 25 IBU.

Josh Duncan is the NowMedia news director and a craft beer lover. Reach him at [email protected]. His beer column appears every Saturday afternoon in this space.