Not too long ago, if you wanted to taste the unique beers of Southern California’s Rincon Reservation Road Brewery, you had to stay pretty close to Valley Center.
Owned by the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians and located on the same reservation as Harrah’s Resort Southern California, you could only find the beer at the tasting room, the casino and a nearby convenience store.
In 2020, as the brewery contended with the novel coronavirus pandemic and found ways to keep business going, its popularity rose and its beers found their way into mom and pop liquor stores, grocery store chains and into other Native American casinos. Now, the brewery is looking to expand its reach by opening new tasting room locations.
Native American tribes in recent years have increasingly broken into the craft beer market. Events including the Western Indian Gaming Conference featured exhibitors such as such as Feather Falls Brewing in Oroville showing off products such as pilsners and IPAs.
