By Trooper Ramsey
In a sea of beer, among the waves of new breweries, along the shore of a tide that flows higher up the beach each time it rolls in….San Diego is home to over 50 breweries plus brewpubs. It is not easy to stand out in such a diverse and complex crowd. For me one new brewery has done just that and has washed up in the Coachella valley in a big way: Modern Times Brewery.
The first time I saw the Logo and can art, yes they are all in four packs of 16oz cans, I was taken back a step at the simple yet eye popping style; simple yet it stands out among the many logos along the craft beer aisle. I would say it almost stands alone in its style.
To quote from their webpage “We focus (non-monogamously) on aroma-driven, complex, flavorful, sessionish beers. We often brew hybrid styles, combining the features we like from established categories to create new, Island-Of-Doctor-Moreau-style mash-ups.
Fortunate Islands combines the mildly nutty malt body of a wheat beer with the intensely bright, citrusy hoppiness of a righteous IPA. Black House has the full-body, robust chocolaty flavor, and intense coffee aroma of its imperial counterparts, but packed into a 5.8% ABV package. Blazing World combines the subtly fruity qualities of a dry amber ale with the enormous hop-profile of an über-dank double IPA.
Lomaland, our flagship saison, isn’t so much a hybrid, as a return to origin—a quenching, sessionable, farmhouse libation. Sporting a mixed grain bill and fermented with a blend of Belgian yeast strains, Lomaland offers the complexity and nuance of the most traditional examples of the style. We like to think that it’s so traditional, it’s avant-garde.”
Well I agree with all of that. The Amber is for sure a new constant in my fridge. It has won me over with its high fruit base flavor and hoppy back note. It is for sure a Dank brew.
So take time to search them out, I find my selections at Total Wine in Palm Desert or Sprouts in La Quinta.
Modern Times Brewery are definitely a brewery to watch. I for one will keep my eye on them and future releases. I see an Episode on Beer Culture webshow for sure.
