Modern Times Beer Production Transitions to AleSmith Brewing

(Courtesy Modern Times Beer / LinkedIn)

It’s been quite a journey for Modern Times, a San Diego-brewery that expanded wildly during craft beer’s boom years. It has now been sold to Craft ‘Ohana, and moving towards a  more reasonable business model.

In its first few years in operation Modern Times was wildly ambitious, planning playful brewing locations like Leisuretown,  a sprawling 31,927 square ft. complex with a designer café & restaurant lodged in an historic craftsman home and even a swimming pool. That operation, which Modern Times described as a “garden of earthly delights” in downtown Anaheim, fell to earth and was closed in 2022.

“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 at the time. “It has been an incredible, joyous, heartbreaking, life-affirming journey, and — even though we are deeply saddened to see it end”

Modern Times also ran a brewing operation in Portland, Oregon,  as well as locations in Oakland, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, California, and all of those are now closed.

Mounting debt led to an eventual court-ordered sale, and in August of 2022 was purchased by a  new corporate entity known as Craft ‘Ohana spearheaded by Maui founder Garrett Marrero which will now oversee Maui Brewing and Modern Times Beer as two separate brands.

And in a move to further streamline its operations, Craft ‘Ohana announced in September that it would be shutting down Modern Times’ remaining production facility and shifting production to AleSmith’s state-of-the-art brewery also located in San Diego.

“When we set out to find a brewing partner, two things were non-negotiable — our commitment to quality and brewing Modern Times where the brand started and is the strongest — San Diego, said Garrett W. Marrero, Co-founder and CEO of Craft ‘Ohana. AleSmith delivers on both of those for us.”

Brandon Richards, President of AleSmith, shared his excitement about the partnership with Craft ‘Ohana. “Our deep-rooted relationship with Craft ‘Ohana makes this collaboration particularly special,” added Brandon Richards, President of AleSmith. “We’re honored to brew for the renowned Modern Times brand, and this aligns seamlessly with our goal of expanding our production to support other notable brands.”