Year 2: Predictions & Speculation

As a follow-up to my Year 1: In Review post, I’d like to offer a preview of what might be in the cards for year 2 at Modern Times.

But first, let me bring you up to date on a couple of recent items:

August 8th: We tapped Universal Friend saison, a full-scale batch of the Pilot Pinot Saison we had on-tap in the tasting room. It’s made with a relatively large portion of Pinot Grigio grape must, and the results are deliciously snappy, crisp, and complex. Perfect for warm weather. After this batch is kicked, we’ll do Pinot Noir & Chardonnay versions.

August 15th: Three new 120bbl tanks arrived (two fermenters and a brite tank), along with two more brewhouse vessels. When all of this shiny stainless is up and running, it’ll increase our production capacity by 50%. In the near term, that’ll allow us to do a lot more special release stuff, and in the medium term, it’ll allow us to start exploring the possibility of expanding our distribution footprint. The most likely destinations are the Central Coast and Northern California.

ALRIGHT, now on to the future. ALL DATES ARE APPROXIMATE/ARBITRARY. Obviously, the farther out we get, the more speculative the dates:

August 28th: Single Origin Kenya Nyeri Othaya Peaberry coffee release! Bags, cold press on-tap, growler fills, and a rad pilot brown ale dosed with these beans will be available at the Lomaland Fermentorium. This coffee is AMAZING: loads of dark fruit, cinnamon, and citrus make this a remarkably complex bean.

September 8th: Our new canning line should be arriving! It’ll take us from our current 13 cans a minute to at least 40 cans per minute. This should increase our production capacity even further, and will—hopefully—spell the end of any seam issues. So, higher quality cans, made faster. Win, win.

September 17th: The highly sought-after Modern Times tulip glasses should be back in stock! If all goes as planned, we'll be receiving over a thousand of these beauties. They’ll be available at both tasting rooms.

September 23rd: Rye Barrel-Aged Sumatra Mandheling coffee release!

September 30th: 4 barrel-aged versions of Monsters’ Park get released: Rye, Tennessee Whiskey, Bourbon, and Rye with Coffee. Bottles will be limited; stay tuned for release details.

October 2nd: We pour tasty ass beer in Denver at the Great American Beer Festival!

October 3rd: Aurora, a new red rye IPA brewed with Equinox hops, will be released in 22oz bottles & on-draft all over SoCal.

October 16th: Our first sour bottle release! Bottles of News From Nowhere (our red wine barrel-aged Flanders Red) & Empty Hats (our red wine barrel-aged Oud Bruin) will go on-sale. Limited, stay tuned for details.

October 30th: Halloween pumpkin carving party & special Halloween beer tapping (current plans: multi-strain 100% Brett Biere de Mars)!

November 17th: Large-scale SoCal release of (non-barrel-aged) Monsters’ Park in 22oz bottles.

November 26th: Fruited sours bottle release! Oracle of the Bottle (Flanders Red w/ Cabernet grapes), Rampart Junction (Oud Bruin w/ peaches), and Palace of Cracked Heads (Oud Bruin w/ nectarines) go on-sale. Very limited, stay tuned for details.

November 28th: Black House Black Friday Extravaganza! 12 variations on Black House on-tap. Last year was a blast; this year we’ll make it even radder.

December 11th: Rum Barrel-Aged Rwanda Karongi Gitesi coffee release! This is a gorgeous coffee, sporting loads of mandarin orange, vanilla, and honey, which should be beautifully complimented by the dark Nicaraguan rum character in these barrels. 

December 18th: Shalomaland Hannukah Party! Menorah lighting, singing, and raising money for the awesome work being done by Jewish Family Service.

December 23rd: Christmas Fiesta! A bunch of fun beers on-tap, loads of arts & crafts, and a Christmas sweater contest.

December 31st: Qaanaaq New Year’s Party! We have extended hours now, so this will actually go past midnight!

January 8th: TBD Port Barrel-Aged coffee release.

January 15th: Large-scale SoCal release of Black House with Toasted Coconut & Cacao Nibs in 22oz bottles! A tasting room favorite in bottles for the first time!

February 6th: TBD Madeira Barrel-Aged coffee release.

February 25th: Mega Black House draft & bottle release across SoCal! Yup, it’s the winter of stouts. Probably some variations too.

March 1st: Oneida returns as we debut our seasonal program! Not sure if this’ll be in cans or 22oz bottles, but Oneida will be brewed in a big way from March through May.

March 12th: Another round of Barrel-Aged Monsters’ Park releases, including a rum barrel-aged edition.

April 1st: Hopefully our new coffee roaster arrives (maybe even a couple months earlier than this)! We’re upgrading in a big way with a gorgeous 15 kilo roaster from Germany. This should allow us to start sending kegs of cold press and bags of beans all over SoCal!

April 20th: Modern Times Smoketastic Voyage! A celebration of rauchbiers featuring up to 12 different smoked beers on-tap.

June 1st: Our summer seasonal lands! Not sure what it’ll be yet, but rest assured, it’ll be the best thing ever.

July 11th & 12th: Our 2nd Anniversary Party!