Craft Beer Breweries and Ale Houses – Whistler’s Handlebar Cafe and Apres and Squamish’s Back Country Brewing

It had been a while since we’d been up to Whistler, although we spent some time in Squamish this summer and did some craft beer exploring there. At the end of August we finally managed to traverse all the way to the resort and snook a night in, stopping at Squamish’s Back Country Brewing on the way up, checking out Whistler’s Handlebar Cafe and Apres for brews and eats while there, and resting our heads at the Summit Lodge.

Squamish is flush with drinking options, home to many craft breweries, a distillery and lots of great restaurants. We visited many this past summer and have some coverage here. This trip we focused on Back Country Brewing, where we stopped in for an informative tour and tasty lunch. Beers of note were the Rest in Peach Sour and the Widowmaker IPA, their pizzas are excellent and the salads super fresh and full of a wide selection of locally harvested veggies.

Back on the road we arrived in Whistler at the Summit Park Lodge where we were greeted with an ice cream sunday station and a selection of candies for later before checking into our stylish rooms in the center of the village.

Each room comes with a Sock Monster that I had to kidnap and take home (I paid for it, don’t worry!) and a goldfish should you wish one for the night, the spa is one of the best in Whistler and the pools and outdoor lounge worth checking out should you have remembered your swimsuit, have time and the weather cooperates.

After a quick walk up to the Upper Village we were introduced to these two local craft beer lovers who recently opened Handlebar Cafe and Apres. A huge selection of craft beer and cider here, much of it local, pairs with German beer garden inspired food. The menu includes a variety of sausages; soft, hot pretzels with grainy mustard, and currywurst, one of the European nation’s most revered street-food indulgences – hot, crispy fries smothered in curry-spiced tomato sauce and sliced sausage.

I enjoyed several ciders along with pretzels, crispy Brussels sprouts, fried pickles and pork belly. Their happy hour prices are awesome and the outdoor patio was a perfect spot to hang out for a few hours and people watch. They also do breakfast, and rent bikes but I had to give this a miss and get some work done at the hotel in the morning and the weather was a bit too iffy for me that day. I’ve got to rethink my packing strategy next time to include rain gear and that swimsuit I forgot.