Point Loma / North Park / Encinitas · Best Breweries in San Diego
Modern Times Beer Review
Last updatedRanked #4 of 8 in Best Breweries in San Diego
Hip, creative, and consistently excellent. Modern Times is the best brewery for experimental styles and a younger crowd.
Score breakdown
- Beer Quality92/100
- Taproom Experience88/100
- Food82/100
- Innovation92/100
- Value84/100
The verdict on Modern Times Beer
Ranked #4 of 8 — 89/100 in our Best Breweries in San Diego coverage
Modern Times brings a playful, creative energy to San Diego brewing. The Fortunate Islands hoppy wheat is a perfect gateway beer, and the Black House stout is one of the best coffee stouts in the city. The Point Loma location is the most impressive, with a coffee roastery, restaurant, and outdoor space. The North Park and Encinitas spots are smaller but equally energetic. The brand is distinctive and the beer is consistently well-made. It is the best brewery for visitors who want to see the current generation of San Diego craft beer.
What to drink at Modern Times Beer
Across our coverage the recommendation is consistent: Fortunate Islands hoppy wheat or Black House stout.
Is Modern Times Beer worth the price?
Modern Times Beer sits at $7–10/pint — the budget band for this category. We scored 2 other $7–10/pint options on the same list, and Modern Times Beer outscores 1 of them. The bracket leader is North Park Beer Co. at 89/100, so compare the two before you commit.
Modern Times Beer FAQ
Is Modern Times Beer expensive?
Modern Times Beer is priced at $7–10/pint, which puts it in the budget band for this category. We scored 2 other $7–10/pint options on the same list for a direct comparison.
Is Modern Times Beer worth it?
It scores 89/100, 1.2 points above the 87.8 average for its list. That's a solid recommendation within the category.
What should I get at Modern Times Beer?
We recommend the Fortunate Islands hoppy wheat or Black House stout.
What works
- Strong beer quality — scored 92/100 in our ranking
- Strong innovation — scored 92/100 in our ranking
- Strong taproom experience — scored 88/100 in our ranking
Know before you go
The full review
Modern Times brings a playful, creative energy to San Diego brewing. The Fortunate Islands hoppy wheat is a perfect gateway beer, and the Black House stout is one of the best coffee stouts in the city. The Point Loma location is the most impressive, with a coffee roastery, restaurant, and outdoor space. The North Park and Encinitas spots are smaller but equally energetic. The brand is distinctive and the beer is consistently well-made. It is the best brewery for visitors who want to see the current generation of San Diego craft beer.
On our weighted scale it earns 89/100 — good for #4 of 8 places we evaluated for best breweries in san diego. We drink at the places we rank, pay our own tab, and re-score when a bar changes hands, moves or reworks its list.
What to drink at Modern Times Beer
Fortunate Islands hoppy wheat or Black House stout
Typical spend: $7–10/pint
How we scored Modern Times Beer
Every score on this page comes from the same editorial rubric we apply to the whole category: beer quality, taproom experience, food, innovation, value. The criteria are weighted toward what matters most in the category, compared against every other place we ranked in the same list rather than against an abstract ideal. We drink at the places we rank, pay our own tab, and re-score when a bar changes hands, moves or reworks its list. Scores are editorial judgments rather than aggregated user ratings.