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Podcast: Desert Oracle Radio
Episode:

29 Palms Brewery wins brewing awards with their popular beer
Category: Society & Culture
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2025-07-06 14:50:49
Description:

What’s better on a hot hi-desert day than an ice cold draft beer? How about an ice cold, locally brewed, award-winning draft beer! 

That’s what you’ll find at 29 Palms Beer Co. in Twentynine Palms. The small pub on the east side of town on the highway near Adobe Rd houses big tanks of fresh, one-of-a kind beer. It’s a new business from longtime desert resident Mike Usher and longtime brewmaster Sam Heethuis. 

Speaking with Heethuis on the back patio of the 29 Palms Beer Company, I asked him how long he’s been in the business of beer.

“34 years in the business, and making beer for a good chunk of the second half of that. And there isn’t an aspect of the business I haven’t touched. I design, build, and install draft systems in addition to brewing and also do draft troubleshooting. 

“I love the education side of the beer business. I love educating our staff, getting them knowledge that they are looking for, and then they in turn impart that into customers. Educated  customers become loyal customers. They never forget where they learned something.

“We started building this in May of last year. I signed on,and helped plan and direct what we were going to do in terms of equipment that was needed and we launched on August 18. 

“I like to think we’re kind of brewing with the rhythm of the desert out here. As temperatures ramp up for summer, I’ve lightened the alcohol content of a lot of the beers, and we’re doing lighter styles like German Bavarian Hefeweizen, a very nice wheat beer that’s only 5%.”

On June 25, the team from the 29 Palms Beer Co entered the San Diego County Fair Beer Competition, where they put their beer up against 150 breweries from 75 different countries and came home with some major wins.

“Their fair is one of the toughest competitions in California. We did a collaboration with Ocean Beach Brewing and California Wild Ales down in San Diego. That collaboration beer was a Czech Amber Lager and took third place in its category. 

“We entered our Ocotillo, which is a hazy pale ale. That’s a permanent part of our menu, and that brought home second place

“And then our Batch 29 Russian Imperial Stout, whicA local brewery just won some major awards with their popular beer we tapped Christmas Eve. It was my Christmas gift to the community, a big 11% heavy-hitting Russian stout. That took home gold. and it also took home best in division. We are very proud of what we accomplished. The plan is to brew another batch of the batch 29 Russian Imperial Stout, so that we have it available for the community, I’m guessing early fall. 100-degree temperatures aren’t real conducive to big beers like that, but I can’t wait to make it again. I can’t wait to showcase to the community what we accomplished with that particular beer.”

If you’re keen to try some of these beers, or my personal favorite, the Delly Jonut, a sour named for the donut shop just across Twentynine Palms Highway, you can pop in to the 29 Palms Beer Co. They are open seven days a week, serving breakfast and coffee at 8:00 a.m. with burgers, hot dogs and beer into the late hours. Find them 73565 Twentynine Palms Highway in Twentynine Palms.
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