The prestigious competition is judged solely by a panel of trade-only professionals from beer Cicerones, top importers, distributors, retailers and restauranteurs in a blind taste test. The competition, now in its 14th year, awarded 29 Brews with the prestigious title of “California Brewery of the Year” for the second straight year.

The brewery was established in December of 2021 and has already amassed a number of prestigious honors and awards. In addition to California Brewery of the Year, Chairman’s Blonde won the gold medal in the Blonde Ale category for the second consecutive year. The blonde ale uses a single malt and two different hops to create its clean, simple, lightly toasted finish. In addition to Chairman’s Blonde, the Chairman’s Mexican Lager also took home a gold medal. The authentic Mexican style lager creates a crisp, balanced profile with a smooth malt quality and a subtle hop note. These Chairman brands are top sellers at Tribe’s Spotlight 29 and Tortoise Rock Casinos with over 44,000 pints poured last year.

Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians Chairman Darrell Mike says, “I’m really proud of the 29 Brews’ team. They’ve worked very hard to perfect our brands and earned many honors in a few short years.” Chairman Mike added, “With the Chairman’s Mexican Lager also winning a Gold Medal …it just propelled this dedicated team to the next level of craftmanship.”

The hand-crafted beer line, brewed with chemist precision by Brewmaster, Jacob Jimenez, includes 8 distinct categories from bronze medal winner Mad Bison Stout to the newest addition to the brand, Hoppin’ Aussie Hop’, an Australian Pale Ale which began pouring only a year ago and won a Silver Medal. The 29 Brews brands are poured at the two casinos and Red Falcon Lounge, all wholly owned and operated by the 29 Palms Band of Mission Indians. The hand-crafted beers can also be found at the Chairman’s Club inside Acrisure Arena and poured at major sporting events around the Coachella Valley such as the American Express Golf Tournament and BNP Paribas Open.

Total honors awarded to 29 Brews at the 2025 New York International Beer Competition:
California Brewery of the Year
Chairman’s Blonde – Gold Medal
Chairman’s Mexican Lager – Gold Medal
Rez Rage Red – Silver Medal
Hoppin’ Aussie Hops – Silver Medal
Tipsy Tortoise – Silver Medal
Mad Bison Stout – Bronze Medal

About Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians and Business Enterprises
Spotlight 29 Casino, Tortoise Rock Casino, Shelee’s Travel Center, Red Falcon and 29 Brews are wholly owned business operations of the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, a Chemehuevi people whose traditional territory includes parts of California, Utah, Arizona, and Southern Nevada. In 1867, a Clan of Chemehuevi settled at the Oasis of Mara. The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians are their descendants. Today, the Tribe’s lands consist of one Reservation separated by the Joshua Tree National Park over two counties from Coachella, CA to Twentynine Palms, CA. The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians will continue to focus on providing opportunities of growth and prosperity for the Tribe’s future generations. For more information about the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, its culture, heritage, and traditions, visit 29palmstribe.org