Desert Beer Company

7 Breweries to Try in the Coachella Valley

If you want to drink local, here's where to go for a fresh-brewed craft beer.

Emily Chavous Foster Restaurants

Desert Beer Company

A golden pint from Desert Beer Company.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BREWERIES

BABE’S BAR-B-QUE & BREWERY

The Coachella Valley’s first brewhouse — really, a beloved barbecue joint with a microbrewery attached — opened in 2002 in Rancho Mirage and was founded by Donald Callender of the Marie Callender’s chain. You’ll find an award-winning selection of ales, lagers, and IPAs, all brewed on premises and also available at other restaurants and retailers in Greater Palm Springs and the High Desert. 

LAS PALMAS BREWING

This Palm Springs brewery is so micro, you can only sample their suds here. In addition to seasonally influenced farmhouse ales, fresh unfiltered IPAs, and European-style lagers crafted in a two-barrel system, the bar also serves small-batch wines, kombucha, and a variety of non-alcoholic sips. There is no kitchen, but you can bring your own food. 

LUCHADOR BREWING COMPANY

Conceptualized in Chino Hills, Luchador Brewing Company recently expanded with a second location in downtown Cathedral City, where an on-site brew system is capable of producing about 500 barrels per year. Though you will certainly find Mexican lagers on tap, the brewery offers a diverse assortment of styles. An indoor food truck serving modern Mexican bites pairs well with the luchador theme. 

Las Palmas BrewingLuchador Brewing Company
Top: Las Palmas Brewing in Palm Springs. Above: Luchador Brewing Company in Cathedral City.
COACHELLA VALLEY BREWING CO.

Highlighting local ingredients (citrus, herbs, honey, spices), Coachella Valley Brewing Co. opened its 17-barrel brewhouse in Thousand Palms in 2013. Taps rotate regularly, and live entertainment promises a cool atmosphere all week long. While the taproom has no kitchen, food vendors serve tasty eats on Fridays and Saturdays. 

La Quinta Brewing Company
The Haboob Juicy IPA at La Quinta Brewing Co.
LA QUINTA BREWING CO.

Open since 2013, this award-winning brewery maintains three taprooms in the Coachella Valley — in Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and La Quinta. A 15-barrel system at the company’s headquarters in Palm Desert produces approximately 10,000 barrels per year; the familiar label can be found at more than 175 restaurants and retailers throughout the desert. 

TAPROOM 29

Located at Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella, the property operated by the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians of California, this five-barrel brewhouse plays up its numerical name by keeping a rotating selection of 29 beers on tap (including third-party labels) that stay cooled to a perfectly icy 29 degrees thanks to a wraparound cold-plate bar. 

DESERT BEER COMPANY

Before Devon Sanchez launched his own craft brewery in 2019, the desert native honed his skills as both a winemaker and brewer around the world, including a stint with Coachella Valley Brewing Co. (a company he still collaborates with from time to time today). His Palm Desert spot features 15 rotating taps and regular food pop-ups. Later this year, Sanchez will open a second location with a pizza kitchen in downtown Indio.