Modern Times Orderville
Modern Times Brewery started showing up on northern Virginia store shelves late June (maybe early July) and my tastebuds are better for it. The first bottle that I decided to crack open is their Orderville, a 7.2% ABV IPA that packs a solid hoppy punch (75 IBU) into what the label describes as “dank.” And that word is what set me off in buying this beer to begin with — I was in the mood for something dank, resinous. Orderville did not disappoint.
Both the nose and flavor are packed with luscious tropical fruits, but also a solid amount of resinous pine that definitely gives the beer that dank character. Orderville is a beer that isn’t just fruit and nothing else — there’s a solid amount of hop bitterness that grabs the tongue playfully before fading ever so slowing into the long lasting finish. A backbone of supporting malts provide notes of cereal and cracker in an effort to balance the hop-forward flavors.
Orderville served as a great introduction to Modern Times. It not only is a great beer, but also satiated the craving I’ve had for something hoppy, piney and dank. It’s nice to encounter a brew that emphasizes the trend of fruit-forward flavors, as well as the resinous pine that paved the road for every IPA on shelves these days. I will be buying more of this beer the next time we cross paths.