Beer News: Modern Times Leisuretown Closes / Beer Mile Gets Canned

American Craft Beer|November 4th, 2022|

(Courtesy Modern Times Beer)

Reverberations from Modern Times Beer’s recent sale to Maui Brewing continue. We’ve that, an important rule change at the Beer Mile World Classic, and more.

Modern Times Closes Its Audacious Leisuretown Venue (Anaheim, CA) – Born at time when the growth of American craft beer seemed unlimited, Modern Times’ Leisuretown venture, which was described as a “a garden of earthly delights” in downtown Anaheim,” always stuck us ambitious to a fault.

And now that its merger with Maui Brewing has been finalized Modern Times Leisuretown has closed for good.

Designed by LAB (the urban development group behind the Anaheim Packing District) the sprawling 31,927 square ft. complex included a foeder-lined funky/sour brewing facility housed in a spectacular wooden warehouse, a designer café & restaurant lodged in an historic craftsman home, and a SWIMMING POOL complete with a poolside bar, inflatable toys and a movie screen!

“It is with the most heartfelt regret that we announce that Leisuretown will be closing its doors for good,” an official from Modern Times Beer wrote on its social media platform last week. “It has been an incredible, joyous, heartbreaking, life-affirming journey, and — even though we are deeply saddened to see it end — we cannot thank you enough for being part of it. This is a hard day, but we’re not done. Not by a long shot. More to come.”

Words To Drink By (Milton, DE) – “There’s a bloodbath coming.” Sam Calagione – Dogfish Head on craft beer’s possible future.

Beer Mile World Classic Moves From Bottles To Cans (Leuven, Belgium) – In the vast world of extreme sports, there exists a sub-culture known as “digestive athletics.” The most celebrated of these underworld sporting events is the Beer Mile.

The foundation of any true beer mile is built upon two things: drinking beer and running a mile. The most common format of the beer mile requires a single participant to drink a full-sized beer, run a quarter mile, then repeat the process three more times.

Up until just recently the beer consumed were in bottles but when the host venue wouldn’t allow glass on its grounds the recent Beer Mile World Classic was forced to move to cans.

“Bottles are known to be quicker to chug and create less foam while chugging,” Beer Mile’s Chief Chug Officer Chris Robertson explained to Food & Wine. “The switch to cans definitely made times slower.”