As far as I am concerned, the two best places for a beer in all of Whistler are Seppo's, a bar with a huge mountain-facing patio at the top of Whistler Mountain, and the Longhorn Saloon, another huge patio at the bottom. Both are phenomenal locations to sit with your gear and watch people go by (unfortunately, last call at Seppo's is 3:30 or so because ski patrol clears the mountain).

I go to Longhorn every  day that  I ride in Whistler. Sometimes I'll go once the day is done, or sometimes I'll go for lunch. Aside from the patio, the food is excellent, and the location can't be beat.

According to Wikipedia, I'm not the only one who feels this way. You know how the new version of Windows is codenamed Longhorn? Check out this little blurb I found on Wikipedia while perusing the "Whistler-Blackcomb" entry:

"The project codename for Windows XP was Whistler, where design retreats were held. The next version of Microsoft Windows is Windows Vista, which was codenamed Longhorn after the Longhorn Saloon, a popular après bar at base of the mountains. The successor to Windows Server 2003 was codenamed Blackcomb but changed to Vienna in January 2006."

Those Microsoft folks have good taste.

Here's a view from the patio, courtesy of Longhorn's site.