5 QUESTIONS Leaving the Nest By Ryan Lamb


Jacob McKean recently left his position as the Communications Specialist with Stone Brewing Co. to start up his own brewery. To receive “timely updates & thrilling announce- ments” on his new venture, you can sign up for the newsletter at moderntimesbeer.com


What is the name of your brewery? The brewery is called Modern Times. It’s named after a 19th Century utopian experiment built on Long Island in New York. All the beers will be named after utopian experiments, mythological places, or real places that are so otherworldly


Jacob McKean, looking ahead


that they seem like they should be fictitious. I’m an idealist, a fan of eclectic history, and an admirer of bizarrely ambitious projects, and “Modern Times” does a pretty good job of embodying that.


What did you learn at Stone that you’ll take with you?


I learned a tremendous amount at Stone, primarily about the business of selling beer, and it was absolutely invaluable. It’s one thing to enjoy drinking craft beer, and entirely an- other to make it and sell it, and working at Stone gave me a behind the scenes look at one of the most successful craft brewery businesses in the country. My role there brought me into contact with every aspect of the business, and hopefully that experience will help me navigate the murky waters of starting this brewery from scratch. I’d also like to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to Greg and Steve who were gracious beyond all reason- able expectations about my leaving to pursue this.


Is there a neighborhood in town that you’re considering for the brewery? It’s impossible to say for sure, but I’m going to start off by looking for a location in the East Village, Barrio Logan, or City Heights. I think those areas are vibrant, fascinating, and diverse, which is exactly how I hope to be able to describe the brewery.


Any particular beer styles you plan on producing? There’s not really any one style or niche we’re going to focus on. I guess somewhat redundantly I’d say we’re going to brew “American-style craft beer,” which I would describe as adventurous, bold, and geeky.


What beers have influenced you? Sign up to learn more at moderntimesbeer.com


I fell in love with craft beer in the Midwest and East Coast, so my main influencers are breweries like Founder’s, Troegs, Bell’s, Captain Lawrence, Three Floyd’s, and many of the other world-class breweries we don’t get to drink out here. I’m also a mega-beer nerd and trade for beer an unhealthy amount, so breweries like Cigar City, Russian River, and Surly have made a huge impression on me. And of course our local brewing scene is an embarrassment of riches, and the innu- merable phenomenal beers brewed here loom large in my personal beer history. Hopefully I can channel all that collec- tive radness into my own beer.


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