Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Modern Times Beer employs beer geek QA

Some upcoming brewing companies are easier to keep track of than others. Despite the fact the company has yet to even find a facility, Modern Times Beer is firmly cemented on my radar screen. Not surprising when you consider the main guy working to make that business a reality is Jacob McKean. The former social media coordinator for Stone Brewing Company, he knows a thing or two about communicating, and has done a good job of keeping his future patrons informed via messages sent to his email list, which can be signed up for on Modern Times’ official website.

One of McKean’s recent communiqués invited readers to email him back for the chance to come out to a special tasting of the beers he and brewing consultant Michael Tonsmeire (better known in craft beer circles as “The Mad Fermentationist”) are developing for Modern Times. The first ten to respond were given the secret location and the chance to offer their feedback on a small array of prototypes. Not wanting to take an available space, but eager to report on this mode of consumer study, I asked McKean if I could be a fly on the wall. He kindly obliged and, before I knew it, I was on the back patio of Toronado in North Park, watching what, to me, is a very smart pre-open step; one I wish more aspiring brewing company head honchos would employ.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/07/33037/

Upon arrival, I was encouraged to see the friendly faces of a couple of craft beer fans I know from the local scene. It really is a tight-knit community, which is something that I very much enjoy about San Diego’s suds subculture. It was nice to have good people to talk to, but more than that, I know that they are well versed where beer is concerned and uncompromising in their pursuit of good product. These were the exact individuals McKean was looking for, having shared with me beforehand that, when it comes to beer feedback, there’s no faction he trusts more than beer geeks.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/07/33035/

McKean served the group bottles pulled from an iced-down cooler, starting with a 5.5% oatmeal coffee stout. I wondered how vocal the group would be; if they’d really speak their mind or go easy on McKean’s ego. To my great pleasure, they were completely honest, being blunt but not insulting; talking up the good points while making mention of any perceived shortcomings. While an OK beer everybody agreed showed promise, the stout was a bit low in carbonation, and had a short finish.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/07/33036/

A hoppy wheat beer, to which McKean added “a crapload of Citra hops” garnered instantaneous feedback from a particularly outspoken critic (pictured below) who said, “I don’t like it. It’s bitter but like sour bitter. There’s a spike of flavor, but that’s it.” One individual noted an imperial amber had a “numbing nasal quality.” To which a tie-died tee-sporting attendee piped up, “I like that numbing nasal quality.” (Everybody’s familiar with the botanical hops are related to, right?.) Meanwhile, a brettanomyces-stoked IPA scored well with the group, getting high marks for everything except its carbonation. One person deemed it "world class," and several said they would buy it off the shelf right now were it available.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/07/33038/

It should be noted that McKean readily admits the beers he was serving were by no means of the quality they will be at when he makes them available to the public. Everything is small batch right now and prime for critiquing so he can come up with optimal final recipes once he has the full scale brewhouse he's working to get up and running.

These days, it seems like most new brewers are opening up without subjecting themselves to much qualified or useful criticism. Many new brewery owners say they’ve made multiple batches of their beers in order to fine tune them, but typically the only people tasting them are friends, family, or sometimes, just them. Many of the first run beers I’ve had from newly opened operations have fallen short of my most basic expectations. Coincidence? Probably not.

Taking knocks on something one pours their heart into is never easy (believe me, I know first-hand). McKean deserves credit for his bravery, which can only help him as forges forward to make Modern Times Beer a reality. Power to the beer geeks!

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Steven Richter comes up with $1 million for Lincoln Club

Lincoln Club helps Larry Turner, hits Terra Lawson-Remer

Some upcoming brewing companies are easier to keep track of than others. Despite the fact the company has yet to even find a facility, Modern Times Beer is firmly cemented on my radar screen. Not surprising when you consider the main guy working to make that business a reality is Jacob McKean. The former social media coordinator for Stone Brewing Company, he knows a thing or two about communicating, and has done a good job of keeping his future patrons informed via messages sent to his email list, which can be signed up for on Modern Times’ official website.

One of McKean’s recent communiqués invited readers to email him back for the chance to come out to a special tasting of the beers he and brewing consultant Michael Tonsmeire (better known in craft beer circles as “The Mad Fermentationist”) are developing for Modern Times. The first ten to respond were given the secret location and the chance to offer their feedback on a small array of prototypes. Not wanting to take an available space, but eager to report on this mode of consumer study, I asked McKean if I could be a fly on the wall. He kindly obliged and, before I knew it, I was on the back patio of Toronado in North Park, watching what, to me, is a very smart pre-open step; one I wish more aspiring brewing company head honchos would employ.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/07/33037/

Upon arrival, I was encouraged to see the friendly faces of a couple of craft beer fans I know from the local scene. It really is a tight-knit community, which is something that I very much enjoy about San Diego’s suds subculture. It was nice to have good people to talk to, but more than that, I know that they are well versed where beer is concerned and uncompromising in their pursuit of good product. These were the exact individuals McKean was looking for, having shared with me beforehand that, when it comes to beer feedback, there’s no faction he trusts more than beer geeks.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/07/33035/

McKean served the group bottles pulled from an iced-down cooler, starting with a 5.5% oatmeal coffee stout. I wondered how vocal the group would be; if they’d really speak their mind or go easy on McKean’s ego. To my great pleasure, they were completely honest, being blunt but not insulting; talking up the good points while making mention of any perceived shortcomings. While an OK beer everybody agreed showed promise, the stout was a bit low in carbonation, and had a short finish.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/07/33036/

A hoppy wheat beer, to which McKean added “a crapload of Citra hops” garnered instantaneous feedback from a particularly outspoken critic (pictured below) who said, “I don’t like it. It’s bitter but like sour bitter. There’s a spike of flavor, but that’s it.” One individual noted an imperial amber had a “numbing nasal quality.” To which a tie-died tee-sporting attendee piped up, “I like that numbing nasal quality.” (Everybody’s familiar with the botanical hops are related to, right?.) Meanwhile, a brettanomyces-stoked IPA scored well with the group, getting high marks for everything except its carbonation. One person deemed it "world class," and several said they would buy it off the shelf right now were it available.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/oct/07/33038/

It should be noted that McKean readily admits the beers he was serving were by no means of the quality they will be at when he makes them available to the public. Everything is small batch right now and prime for critiquing so he can come up with optimal final recipes once he has the full scale brewhouse he's working to get up and running.

These days, it seems like most new brewers are opening up without subjecting themselves to much qualified or useful criticism. Many new brewery owners say they’ve made multiple batches of their beers in order to fine tune them, but typically the only people tasting them are friends, family, or sometimes, just them. Many of the first run beers I’ve had from newly opened operations have fallen short of my most basic expectations. Coincidence? Probably not.

Taking knocks on something one pours their heart into is never easy (believe me, I know first-hand). McKean deserves credit for his bravery, which can only help him as forges forward to make Modern Times Beer a reality. Power to the beer geeks!

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Comic Fest on Hotel Circle, Day Three: Photo Report

Next Article

Rocker helming new Kearny Mesa brewery

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader