Caesar Cervisia: A Check-In With Palm Springs’ Las Palmas Brewing—the Valley’s Best Craft Brewer

It has been 4 1/2 years since I interviewed Sam Gill via email (thanks, COVID-19 lockdowns) to feature Las Palmas Brewing Co. in this column. In the intervening years, I’ve chatted with him briefly when I’ve seen him at the taproom, and I’ve vociferously recommended the beer produced his and co-owner Rey Romero’s brewery to anyone who would listen.

I’m beyond overdue to check in with them—and this time, I drove to downtown Palm Springs to sit face to face with Gill and have a nice long chat—as well as a pour or two of Las Palmas’ delicious beer.

When I arrived, I was greeted at the bar by Gill’s wife, Judy, while Romero was moving a few kegs out the door—presumably to go to the handful of local tap handles where you can find Las Palmas’ beer. Sam was in the brewhouse area cleaning (as any good brewer does often); Judy was just finishing cleaning the beer lines and poured me a raspberry version of their beautiful saison called, Fifty-Four. Fifty-Four is one of my favorite beers they make, and I will forever be grateful there is a local brewery that often has a saison on tap in a world where seemingly every other brewery has forgotten they exist. It reminded me of a saison I brewed years ago with raspberry and rose petals, but importantly, it still resembled the delicious ale that lies underneath.

Sam emerged after a short wait and poured himself a beer before we sat down at one of the two booths in the taproom. We did some catching up and talked a lot of nerdy beer talk before I began peppering him with questions. I asked if he had any plans to re-brew a beer he did as a tribute to Anchor Brewing Co., named Common. (The style that Anchor Brewing’s Steam ale essentially “created” is referred to as a California Common.) Miraculously, he has one in the works that will be called Hill, which should be ready sometime this summer. Things like this are a big reason I adore Las Palmas.

When I asked what else was new with Las Palmas, Sam informed me that the taproom is now officially welcoming to all ages.

“We were getting tired of sending parents away with strollers, and wanted to allow them to stop in, potentially cool off, and have a beer,” Sam said.

This does mean that they no longer carry bottled natural wines, but there is one hard seltzer on tap (blackberry lemon when I visited), a TV on which a World Cup match was playing, and a well-curated selection of non-alcoholic beers and beverages in their fridge. I’m no businessman, but that seems like a wise move with all of the foot traffic on the strip, and the Thompson Palm Springs right across the street.

By then, my glass had somehow emptied. (This keeps happening to me when I’m there.) Sam kindly got up and poured me some of the Mexican-style lager called Desierto and a sample of the above-mentioned seltzer. The lager features flaked maize and Motueka hops, and it was so fresh, hoppy and delicious that I wanted to drop all my plans for the day and drink that while watching soccer.

The seltzer was dry and tasty and is a little bit of a departure from the lemon/lime one he’s been brewing.

“I was using lemons and limes, because my brother has some prolific trees, but we wanted to mix it up a bit recently,” Sam said. Look for more flavors in the future if seltzers are your jam.

We talked quite a bit about our beer histories. I told him how I found my way to craft beer many years ago, and about my history of brewing the stuff at home. He recounted his history of brewing, which started from hanging around Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Ore. (which is still rocking, despite us not getting any of their bottles anymore), and proceeded from there—which I wrote about in my previous column on Las Palmas.

After a small pour of another of my favorite beers that they do—the gorgeous, rich, English porter-like dark ale they call Moonlight—Sam told me he had to pick up his kids from summer camp.

This is the type of brewery that the desert deserves; humbly serving excellent beer while representing the Coachella Valley proudly. Whenever I’m asked for a recommendation for local beer, they are who I recommend first.

Las Palmas is what they are, with no pretense, no social media slickness, and no plans to expand uncontrollably and ruin what they have built (<cough> Modern Times Brewing <cough>). If you’re nearby, stop in. If you see their beer on tap at one of the select local spots where they self-distribute (such as Rosemary Hi-Fi in downtown Indio), ask for a pint. They are all about the community—and they know exactly who they are.

Las Palmas Brewing is located at 461 N. Palm Canyon Drive, in Palm Springs. Learn more at www.laspalmasbrewing.com.