Where do I go if I want to have a variety of craft-beer experiences without having to fling myself all across the Coachella Valley?
In the past, if I had answered that question with “the east valley,” you might’ve thought I was joking. I’ve long considered Indio and Coachella to be wildly under-served when it comes to craft beer—but that is changing quickly.
Indio Brewing is the valley’s newest ventures into craft beer. Like, very new: It just opened in late July. A slick taproom and brewhouse greeted me as I entered.
I wanted to quietly go in and try their early brews, even though I generally like to give a new brewery about six months to settle in, learn the equipment and its idiosyncrasies, and perhaps make a few lagers by which I can truly judge their ability. I sampled their American wheat ale, a mango version of the wheat, a milkshake IPA, and something they called an “American ale,” which I was told was just a cream ale named to limit customer confusion. Everything except the mango wheat represented a solid start for the new place. (The mango flavoring tasted very strange, almost like solvent.) They have a Mexican lager and Oktoberfest beer in the tanks, and I look forward to trying these. Since the owners I interacted with seemed very nice, I wish them success and sincerely hope the beer only improves.
My friend met up with me at Indio Brewing mid-visit, and we moved on to Spotlight 29’s Red Falcon Dispensary and Lounge to have a pint of 29 Brews’ Tipsy Tortoise IPA. He had tried it recently on tap there—and I must say, it’s drinking better than ever. It’s much fruitier and less bitter than I remember, resembling more modern IPAs. It turned out that it was movie night there, and they were showing a film called The Package that is the type of comedy I didn’t think was still made (and I am relieved at least one was made as recently as 2018; from what we saw, it was stupid and fun).
We then moved to Indio Taphouse. While the Taphouse has been open for a while now, I had neglected to go—and when I arrived, I was impressed by how much work had been put into that part of downtown Indio. The Taphouse itself is a decent-sized bar with a spacious side patio and a cool mural painted on the side of the building. The thing I was least impressed by was the tap list. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not bad. There was Firestone’s California IPA, which is like a modernized version of their classic Union Jack IPA; and Super Slap, Brewery X’s double dry-hopped version of their Slap and Tickle IPA. They had one chalkboard at one end of the bar, and the rest of the list wasn’t very impressive. I probably wouldn’t even mention this if they weren’t called Indio Taphouse. This is a full-service bar with some taps, bottles and cans, and overall, it is a great place. We shared a plate of their poké nachos (I am a sucker for wontons in place of tortillas chips as an idea), and they were delicious. I hope they improve their craft-beer game, if they really want to live up to their name.
If I’d had infinite time and resources that night, I might have wandered one block west and around the corner to Rosemary HiFi on Oasis Street. I’ve been there once before and was happy to see a pilsner by Palm Springs’ own Las Palmas Brewing on tap; I have been told that the owner is the brother of Rey Romero, co-owner of Las Palmas. Rosemary HiFi is a cool spot, and even though I’m not a fan of the sound of vinyl (and there’s a lot to unpack there as a musician—I definitely have opinions), the choices of music when I went in—on a night where patrons picked vinyl to play—were interesting and certainly more thoughtful than at your average bar.
I was still hungry, though. This is when I recalled a taco truck on Indio Boulevard called Taqueria Mazatlan that specializes in carne asada. I already knew the food there was excellent, and when I was there previously, I noticed someone being served a baked potato. So this time, I asked for the Papa Loca, a loaded potato topped with carne asada. I got it to go, replete with all the accompaniments I might want, but in the end, I didn’t need them, because the explosion of flavor was more than enough as is. I know there is a whole world of food trucks—even in the desert—and that I’m a relative ignoramus when it comes to them, but I can wholeheartedly give you my recommendation for Taqueria Mazatlan.
I should also mention that Desert Beer Company has been working for two long years on opening a restaurant/taproom in downtown Indio, and that it should be open this year. (I have that on good authority.)
And there you have it. For craft beer, look no further than Indio and Coachella. I mean, do look further, but go and enjoy a night out in a place that is actually trying. I’m elated that there are easier and more varied options for beer than ever before in the eastern Coachella Valley—and that is something to celebrate.