2 O'Clock Tasting: 
Modern Times Beer (Part 2)

Updated on May 20, 2016

Founded in the early summer of 2013, Modern Times Beer is a San Diego-based brewery that, while definitely still growing, already has a sweet selection to offer. With a focus mainly on session-style IPAs, the Modern Times lineup also includes an array of hybrid styles from the brewers' experiments with mixing and matching hops, fruits, yeasts, and barrels. Their newest development is an innovative new line of sours, the result of a recent pilot batch.

Unique to Modern Times is their Point Loma “Lomaland Fermatorium” and North Park “Flavordome” tasting rooms. Because we couldn’t get off work for a trip across the country, we decided to bring Modern Times Beer to us for a 2 O’Clock Tasting. We tried two IPAs - one seasonal can and one year-round bottle -  to really unearth the subtleties in Modern Times’ selection. Here’s what we found.

1. Orderville

   7.2% ABV

   At first sight, Orderville had a bright visual simplicity, with a clear, golden-yellow hue. A sudsy, thin foam cascaded over the top of the beer, with a color just shy of pure white. On the nose and palate, Orderville blasted our senses with a wave of various fruity flavors. Like a Dakeyi Pineapple hard candy, this brew matched its sweet caramel notes with a citrusy tang, a perfect balance of fructose and sour. Under all that, though, Overville was clean and super dry. Hoppiness dominated every sip, but there was no overwhelming bitterness - the blend of Mosaic and Simcoe hops added a deliciously fruity blend without the harsher hop flavors. We'd recommend pairing Orderville with a lime-soaked chicken quesadilla for a perfect summer treat.

2. Booming Rollers

   6.8% ABV

   Unlike Orderville (which is one of their bottled year-round brews), Booming Rollers is part of Modern Times' seasonal can lineup. Looking at this beauty reminded us a lot of Orderville, but rolling on from there, we found that this beer was more bitter, with a bright grapefruit flavor. The color was a hazy gold with an overwhelming pineapple aroma. Even with the sweetness of the pineapple, the bitterness of this beer was front and center, a result of the juicy hop blend of Citra, Motueka, and Centennial. As a seasonal brew, Booming Rollers is an excellent example, its tropical flavors of this beer mentally preparing us to set sail on our next vacation cruise.

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