We’re now in a new year—and a quarter of the way through the century!—so this calls for a look back at craft beer in 2025, in the context of the 24 years that came before it. Perhaps we can divine something about the future of craft in this way—and maybe even come across a solution or two to some problems, if we’re fortunate.
Nationally, craft beer seems to have slipped a bit last year. According to the Brewers Association, “While full 2025 production numbers will not be finalized until the Beer Industry Production Survey in (the first quarter of) 2026, scan data for Q3 (of) 2025 suggests a continued weakening in the back half of 2025.”
Brewery closures outmatched openings for the second straight year (but only by a small percentage of total breweries, if we’re looking for silver linings—which we definitely are). While this trend has not played out locally, La Quinta Brewing Co. did close their Old Town La Quinta taproom (which was one of the better spots in the valley for a beer and scenery). Ultimately, though, LQBC is still going strong at their Palm Desert brewery and Palm Springs taproom locations; Desert Beer Company opened a satellite taproom in downtown Indio; and Indio Brewing Company opened its doors. The desert helped to offset those Brewers Association numbers by one, which is nice.
Let’s talk about more positives in the area. Besides LQBC’s recent improvement, the beer at 29 Brews at Spotlight 29 Casino is still at a high quality. I recently tried their Tipsy Tortoise IPA again—and I recommend it. I covered both 29 Palms Beer Co. (not to be confused with 29 Brews) and its sister restaurant and bar, Grnd Sqrl, last year, and both are worth a short trip up to the high desert. Grnd Sqrl has the best tap list, by far, anywhere nearby. Las Palmas Brewing is still cranking out great beer in Palm Springs, as I am wont to mention to anyone who asks. I’m especially fond of them because of their saison, which is frequently on tap.
Now, here’s an attempt at a dispassionate look at the negatives.
Craft beer selection in the desert is bad. The previous sentence may make it seem like I’m immediately contradicting the one before it, but it’s extremely difficult locally to find a decent selection of craft beer. I am not just talking taps around the valley, mind you; I am talking about the beer you’ll find on retail shelves, too. As I’ve stated innumerable times: When buying cans or bottles, always check dates. I’ve found shockingly old beers on shelves; on one occasion, I found beer from a brewery that went out of business two years prior.
You might be thinking, “So if there’s all this beer spoiling on warm shelves, then maybe there isn’t a market for it.” The problem is not so black and white; there is plenty of blame to go around between the distributors, the breweries and the stores. Breweries are hungry to expand their work with distributors; those distributors mostly do not seem to care if customers get fresh craft beer; and retailers can sometimes be easily impressed by a distributor’s spiel. The result: Shelves and shelves of craft beer—and yet not a drop to drink.
Old IPAs suck. A lot. Almost any beer sucks when it’s old. So my suggestion to you is to either stick with three- to six-month-old lagers, stouts and Belgians, or strike out and visit some of the places I mention in my columns outside of our area. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Let’s try to give the business to the places that produce or carry good products.
In summary, the state of the local craft beer scene is mixed. There is definitely still promise, and there are indeed possibilities, but it’s difficult to predict which way the wind will blow in this space.
It takes a combined, concerted effort to get a thriving craft community up and running—lots of people who care deeply and are willing to go the extra mile in order to overcome the inertia of the current scene. You have to know what’s good, and sometimes form special relationships, and perhaps drive a little farther in order to get the best of the best. What’s more: Just because it’s local doesn’t mean local business need to carry it. A word of advice to local decision-makers at stores and bars: If a brewery’s beers do not pass muster, just don’t carry them despite what your distributor-rep says. The stink will rub off on you. There are enough moderately good-to-great beers to fill your beer lines, and—who knows?—you may even attract beer-drinkers who seek the best of the best to sit at your bar and bug you about what else is good in craft beer.
In short: We can do better than we are currently. I fervently hope that we do.