The Encinitas closure comes after Modern Times initially told customers the North County venue would be taking what it described as a brief "pre-summer sabbatical" on June 8 and 9 for maintenance, calibration, and "the occasional ceremonial tightening of a mysterious bolt." Days later, the company posted that the Far West Lounge would remain closed until further notice due to unspecified "licensing difficulties."
Now, according to Wes Van De Vort, CEO of Wings & Arrow and current owner of Modern Times Beer, the Encinitas closure is permanent.
"The hospitality group that is licensing the Modern Times name has made a decision to walk away from both Far West Lounge and Flavordome in North Park," Van De Vort told SanDiegoVille. "Wings & Arrow has decided to take over the North Park location, but could not come to an agreement to take over Far West. I do not know their plans with that location moving forward."
Many consumers still assume Modern Times is owned and operated as a single company, but the reality has become far more complicated. Wings & Arrow, the beverage company behind Ashland Hard Seltzer and Modern Times Beer, owns the beer business and intellectual property. Meanwhile, the hospitality and coffee operations have been licensed to a separate group led by Duncan Ward through Victorum Corporate Strategies. The arrangement created a fragmented structure in which multiple entities are connected to the Modern Times name but not necessarily the same venues, operations, or future plans.
In a follow-up message to SanDiegoVille, Van De Vort emphasized that the Far West Lounge and other tasting rooms were operated outside Wings & Arrow's direct operational control. He pointed to the company's January 2026 press release, which stated that Wings & Arrow "maintains a licensing agreement with Victorum Corporate Strategies for the Modern Times hospitality and coffee businesses, part of a legacy arrangement stemming from a previous contract with Craft 'Ohana."
Van De Vort described that licensing arrangement as "unique" and said it did not leave Wings & Arrow with much oversight into branding or operations. "Essentially we had very little to do with the existing tasting rooms besides supplying them with beer," he told SanDiegoVille.
"Legally right now I can't allude to why the tasting rooms have closed, but I want to be clear that when they opened, they were entities outside of the Wings & Arrow operational umbrella and the temporary closure of the Far West Lounge has nothing to do with the operations of Wings & Arrow as a whole," Van De Vort said. "I wish we could have had more oversight of their operations."
The North Park Flavor Dome, long one of Modern Times' core San Diego locations, is expected to remain alive in some form under Wings & Arrow's control. Van De Vort said Wings & Arrow has decided to take over that location after the hospitality group elected to walk away. The Far West Lounge in Encinitas, however, appears to be finished as it relates to Modern Times.
"The future is bright for the brand," he told SanDiegoVille. "We are steadily growing, and now with Wings & Arrow running point on all things Modern Times, we are confident in our plans for stability and growth."
For customers, however, the situation remains difficult to follow. Encinitas is closed. North Park appears set to continue under Wings & Arrow. Downtown's Timestead and the proposed Cathedral of Caffeination appear to be tied to a separate hospitality license, and their futures remain unclear.
What is clear is that Modern Times is no longer the unified San Diego brewery empire it once was. It is now a fragmented brand divided between beer, hospitality, coffee, licensing arrangements, contract brewing, and separate operators attempting to salvage different parts of a once-beloved company.
The Far West Lounge was located at 470 South Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas. The North Park Flavor Dome is located at 3000 Upas Street, while Timestead operates, at least for now, at 411 C Street in downtown San Diego. For more information, visit moderntimes.pub.
The closure is a striking reversal for a venue that had only recently been repositioned as part of the Modern Times Pub concept. Earlier this year, the Encinitas location was refreshed with an expanded menu, non-vegan food options, cocktails, and a broader hospitality-driven model meant to move Modern Times beyond its former identity as primarily a craft brewery. Instead, the location has now gone dark.
The split ownership structure also raises new questions about the future of Timestead, the retro-futurist pub that opened in late 2025 inside the former home of The Local Eatery & Drinking Hole and Resident Brewing at Fourth Avenue and C Street. It was billed as a major piece of the new Modern Times hospitality era, featuring beer, coffee, cocktails, sports programming, private event space, and a full food menu.
When asked about Timestead and the planned Cathedral of Caffeination coffee concept in North Park, Van De Vort said those operate under a separate license and directed questions to Duncan Ward.
"That's on a separate license," Van De Vort said. "You would need to reach out to Duncan for his plans with Timestead."
SanDiegoVille has reached out for additional clarification regarding the future of Timestead and the Cathedral of Caffeination but has not yet received further information.
The split ownership structure also raises new questions about the future of Timestead, the retro-futurist pub that opened in late 2025 inside the former home of The Local Eatery & Drinking Hole and Resident Brewing at Fourth Avenue and C Street. It was billed as a major piece of the new Modern Times hospitality era, featuring beer, coffee, cocktails, sports programming, private event space, and a full food menu.
When asked about Timestead and the planned Cathedral of Caffeination coffee concept in North Park, Van De Vort said those operate under a separate license and directed questions to Duncan Ward.
"That's on a separate license," Van De Vort said. "You would need to reach out to Duncan for his plans with Timestead."
SanDiegoVille has reached out for additional clarification regarding the future of Timestead and the Cathedral of Caffeination but has not yet received further information.
The apparent shakeup is the latest chapter in one of San Diego craft beer's most dramatic rise-and-fall stories. Founded in 2013 by Jacob McKean, Modern Times quickly became one of the most exciting beer brands in the country, known for bold can art, inventive IPAs, vegan-friendly tasting rooms, coffee roasting, and wildly designed public spaces. At its height, the company operated venues in San Diego, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Oakland, Santa Barbara, and Portland.
That rapid expansion eventually collapsed under the weight of overextension, pandemic-era disruption, and internal controversy. McKean stepped down in 2021 following accusations that he fostered a toxic workplace culture. In 2022, Modern Times entered receivership and was eventually acquired by Maui Brewing Company's parent company, Craft 'Ohana, for $15.3 million. Multiple locations closed, and the company's once-national footprint was reduced dramatically.
That rapid expansion eventually collapsed under the weight of overextension, pandemic-era disruption, and internal controversy. McKean stepped down in 2021 following accusations that he fostered a toxic workplace culture. In 2022, Modern Times entered receivership and was eventually acquired by Maui Brewing Company's parent company, Craft 'Ohana, for $15.3 million. Multiple locations closed, and the company's once-national footprint was reduced dramatically.
In 2024, Modern Times permanently shuttered its original Point Loma brewery, cutting dozens of jobs and ending the physical production hub that had defined the company since its earliest days. Brewing was shifted to AleSmith Brewing in Miramar under a contract model.
Craft 'Ohana later stepped back from day-to-day operations, with Wings & Arrow acquiring the Modern Times beer business and a separate group led by Duncan Ward assuming responsibility for the coffee and hospitality operations. Under Ward, Modern Times pursued an ambitious hospitality expansion that included Timestead, Chronos Hall, and the planned Cathedral of Caffeination coffee headquarters in North Park. Wings & Arrow, meanwhile, focused on rebuilding the beer brand throughout California and Arizona.
For customers, however, the situation remains difficult to follow. Encinitas is closed. North Park appears set to continue under Wings & Arrow. Downtown's Timestead and the proposed Cathedral of Caffeination appear to be tied to a separate hospitality license, and their futures remain unclear.
What is clear is that Modern Times is no longer the unified San Diego brewery empire it once was. It is now a fragmented brand divided between beer, hospitality, coffee, licensing arrangements, contract brewing, and separate operators attempting to salvage different parts of a once-beloved company.
The Far West Lounge was located at 470 South Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas. The North Park Flavor Dome is located at 3000 Upas Street, while Timestead operates, at least for now, at 411 C Street in downtown San Diego. For more information, visit moderntimes.pub.
Originally published on June 20, 2026.
