Modern Times Beer: A New Era of Brew

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• 3725 Greenwood Street

Construction has barely begun at Modern Times Beer's new Point Loma brewery but founder Jacob McKean already has a crystal clear vision of it will, and won't, be. When he was searching for a location, McKean knew that he wanted to stay in the urban core — south of the 8 and west of the 15; he picked a 12,000+ square foot warehouse in industrial area off of Rosecrans Street (3725 Greenwood Street).

When it came to a concept, and a name, he coined Modern Times Beer after an 1850's utopian town in Long Island. He'll continue the theme by naming his beers after other such developments, real or imagined. For example, their saison, Lomaland, is named for a similar 1900's-era community; it's now Point Loma Nazarene University. For the artwork, he tapped a design firm known for their classic vintage-inspired style.

McKean, a former media specialist at Stone Brewing Co., keeps followers up to date on Modern Times Beer's progress and development through his website and newsletter. A recent post elaborated on the ethos of the brewery, sharing that it won't cater to the bro-centric segment of beer culture, nor will it pander to the notion that women only like fruity beers.
Modern Times Beer's core lineup will be focused on sessionable, food-friendly beers without high octane ABV's. They'll include Fortunate Islands, a hoppy wheat beer, the aforementioned Lomaland saison, an amber IPA and an oatmeal coffee stout.

McKean developed the recipes with Mike Tonsmiere, who runs the popular blog, The Mad Fermentationist. Tonsmiere, who's writing a book on sour beers, will consult on Modern Times Beer's sour program (100 barrels) and perhaps make a transition to San Diego when the brewery opens in early summer.

Modern Times Beer will employ three brewers to share the workload on the 30 barrel system; McKean couldn't yet share specific names, but said that two of the names will be familiar to local beer fans, and one brewer has national recognition.
· Modern Times Beer [Official Site]
· All Beer Coverage on Eater [~ESD~]