Regular Coffee
Carton Brewing Company

 

Story was weird until I tasted this fantastic beer. Color was light like a typical light lager. Head was white and quickly faded. Nose was coffee yet soft like the label describes a creamed, sugar coffee. Taste was smooth and coffee and cream and sugar. Well done!!!

 

12oz can purchased from the fridge as a single for $14.99 plus tax. It's hard to read the canned on date, it looks like 01/01/22. If so, then this is almost 6 1/2 months old.

Look: Pours a very nice light copper color with a thick off-white head that receded slowly. There are a bit of small particle floaties.

Smell: I love the aroma - smells like coffee, caramel, and creme brulee, vanilla pudding, toffee. Secondary cocoa powder
and cinnamon notes along with flaky puff pastry. The nose is clean - there is not much else coming through or interfering. It smells very different compared to a coffee stout, for example, because you don't have the roasted malt notes to compete at all.

Taste: Very boozy (no kidding, it's a 12%ABV imperial cream ale). Considering how high in ABV this is, I would not have guessed that it is 12%. It tastes more like it's 8 to 9%. It's pretty smooth. The finish is boozy and there is a pleasant bitterness from the coffee and hops as well as a sweetness from the residual sugar and malts. As I get into it more, it becomes easier to perceive the pleasant lemon-acidity from the Ethiopian Sidamo on the finish. Very nice. This is really interesting not just because it is tasty but also because it is different.

Feel: Moderately carbonated. Somewhat slick, medium bodied mouthfeel.

Overall: A very interesting beer. It's not really my cup of coffee, but I can certainly appreciate it for what it is and its creativity and uniqueness. The imperial cream ale canvas allows the coffee flavors to shine and it's very difficult to recognize where the cream ale maltiness ends and the coffee flavors begin.

Pillowy two fingers worth or lush creamy light khaki colored froth... Excellent retention... Color is a slightly hazed pale honey amber... Coffee doesn't signal coffee in the traditional sense, but rather loaded with sweet cream and sugar... Some minor earthy and woody character as well... Flavor profile is consistent nose, but the intensity is dialed up ten fold... The coffee was especially intense... Medium bodied, smooth and sleek. Surprising and enjoyable brew that challenges the senses for what a cream beer could be...

 

 

Canned 1/01/22

What the hell kinda brewery are they running? Working on New Year's day??

So this not how I take my coffee, gotta be black. But they clearly accomplished what they set out to do and I'm liking it. The sugary sweetness and rich cream dominate. The roasty coffee notes are there, more subtle than I prefer, but at the intended intensity I'm sure.

Glad I tried it, but give me a coffee showcase of a stout any day.

On draft at the taproom

My first of the series, and the base beer. I got a bunch of variants to go so a quick review for this

Clear gold with a finger of white head, fades to a thin ring and leaves decent lacing

It’s an interesting combo in the nose. I’m picking up on aromas of sweetend coffee, fruity yeast, bready malt, caramel, and light hazelnut. Understated for the abv

More expressive in taste. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting light roast coffee, caramel, biscuity malt, vanilla, and light grassy hops. The swallow brings notes of sweetened coffee, coconut, sweet cream, chewy caramel, light toffee, cocoa powder, and light orange

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a silky beer. Finishes a touch sticky

This is unique stuff. Very good and I’m even more excited for the variants

Canned on 1/1/22; consumed on 1/22/22

Pours a foggy, translucent burnt orange body capped with a finger and a half of fluffy, off-white foam; solid head retention leaves a paper-thin veil of cap, a taut, frothy collar, and thick, webby walls of lacing encircling the entirety of the glass.

Aromas of fresh coffee impart ripe diner brew in waves while sporting touches of cream and subtly enhanced vanillins; prickly coffee roast persists throughout atop a corn fusion delivering amplified sweetness from the base.

Taste highlights a boozy corn base building with soft vanilla and cream leaning into hints of confectionary sugar over the mid-palate; a casual roast persist, while a bright diner coffee sensation remains omnipresent from start to finish.

Mouthfeel brings a medium body with rounded, fluffy, moderate carbonation; taut textures into the mid-palate become a steadily creamy counterbalance to coffee ground grit flowing into the back end with edges of dryness while a subtle warmth builds to the finish.

Gimmick infusion levels of coffee find a natural pace against a fervently understated cream ale backdrop, a clean culmination of authentic vision built from a classic New Jersey flavor profile and a stunningly masked 12% ABV.

 

Pours a dark yellow, light orange from the can, a slight amount of haze, very little visible carbonation; decent coaster of head, minimal lacing. Nose is dry coffee grounds and half and half creamer singles, but the aroma is really subtle. The same holds true for the flavor - dry roasted coffee and sweet room temp cream; the high ABV even helps to simulate that dizzy feeling you get if you down a few Hood creamers at a diner; dry, bitter, nearly harsh finish. Mouthfeel is appropriately full, the carbonation fleeting. I go back and forth with this beer - I like the flavor profile, but want it bit more amped up and complex, particularly when it comes in at 12%. Still, I appreciate the nuance as well as a coffee addition in unexpected places.

 

 

Smooth and strong

Pours a clear orange color. Thin velvety off-white head dissipates pretty quickly leaving no residual head.

Aroma has notes of coffee, light creamy notes and a hint of sugary sweetness.

Taste follows the nose with notes of coffee, a light malty sweetness and a touch of cream. Definitely getting a bit of alcohol warmth on this - and that was the moment I realized it was 12%.

Feel is light, not exactly crisp, but its clean . Semi-dry finish.

Overall, this is a really unique take on the cream ale style in the ABV and use of coffee - but its delicious and is the first cream ale that Ive really liked. Definitely worth trying.

Look: slightly hazy gold, fat creamy head on the pour that mostly subsides.
Smell: sweetish coffee with hints of vanilla, honey. Unique, great nose on this one.
Taste: much like the nose, even crazier. Getting some chocolate and butterscotch in the mix.

 

nailed the regular coffee taste. great creamy mouthfeel, coffee taste isn't overpowering, slight alcohol warming, sweetness from lactose? great winter sipper

it's very good, but not to the level of the other reviews
L: not overly attractive. clearish brown, sort of between apple juice & cider. weak head that dies quickly.
S: regular coffee.
T: ok, it's pretty good and it does taste very much like alcoholic regular coffee. a distinct bitterness from the coffee with sweetness from the cream ale. at first i'm a bit dubious on the taste but it grows on me with time. ok, i kind of like it. but the sweetness makes it tough to think about a 2nd one. given the abv, that may not be all bad.
F: smooth and rich.
ok, it's pretty good, although more than 1 may be a struggle.

 

 

 

 

Classic cream ale look, with a foamy white head sitting atop a golden body that is nearly clear. Coffee is front and center on the nose and the taste, but it’s the sweetness from the malts that elevates this.

Maybe the best coffee beer I’ve had. Yes, I typed that. And Carton is world class (as if that needs saying ).

 

It is always a great thing when beers instantly sound really intriguing right from the description and Carton always nails that.

A- Mostly clear medium golden yellow pour from the can into a snifter with a two finger creamy white cap. The head has fairly good retention and sheets of lacing form right away and continue all down the glass.

S- Coffee, plain and straight up. A well rounded roast comes out covering the nutty to the cocoa spectrum. Fresh nutty coffee beans, cocoa powder, toffee, slight caramel and suggestions of vanilla sweets.

T- High ABV coffee with a moderate level of sweetness and slight malt hints. Nutty desserts and cocoa nibs with dark roast coffee beans, vanilla sweets, caramel, toffee, toast and booze. Simple flavor profile overall but it nails the idea.

MF- Light-medium bodied with a slickness from the ABV and a crisp, foamy texture with just a hint of frothy cream. Ends very warm with a coffee bitterness.

Regular coffee it is. A 12% cream ale with a ton of coffee flavor and a moderate sweetness. Somehow Carton makes it work, really well. Almost like a coffee liqueur.

Pours a medium-dark orange with glass transparency, and a finger of rocky, white foam on top. Head retention is good. Aroma is coffee, even when the nose is 12"+ from the lip of the glass. Aside from a mildly fleshy, fruity coffee, lactose and caramely, bready, toasty malts build out the rest of the aroma. It smells like a well-roasted, well-brewed cup of coffee with a splash of milk and hints of barley and grains. Flavor profile is medium-roast, full-bodied coffee with caramely, bready, toasty, nutty malts coming on stronger as the coffee fades. Coffee opens up with malts closing it out, forming a beautiful, dynamic yin-yang from start to finish. There is just a splash of lactose milk right at the conclusion. Alcohol heat is not discernible at the onset, but comes on a little stronger at the finish, especially as the beer warms. Mouth feel is smooth, but not quite 'still' thanks to a light effervescent graininess in the center. It has a medium-thick consistency. Overall, robust and dynamic without being over powering. Coffee is big here, which should be noted for those who dislike coffee. The blend works well here, forming a very coffee forward, dangerously drinkable 12% ABV cream ale.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 12oz can.

I thoroughly enjoyed every sip of the 4-pack I had of this. It's a big beer but it's so nicely executed with perfect balance of flavors that the experience is fantastic. The coffee is fabulous, it smells and tastes sweet and delicious. The finish is long and lingering. This is a beer you sip and enjoy over a period of time. One of my favorites. yb

Can from City Swiggers on th UES.
Pours a murky brownish gold with creamy white head and good lacing, smells like coffee grounds, chocolate, caramel, toffee, taste is boozy sweetness, vanilla, coffee with a caramel/ toffee finish, this beer is full bodied and velvety smooth. A boozy coffee treat.

 

 

Appearance: Pours honey colored with a two finger head of foam; decent stickage and lacing

Smell: Earthy coffee tones with sweetened cream tones

Taste: Grainy tones forward with the coffee aspect building; the sweetened tones of corn in the grist, caramel, vanilla and honey created the "regular coffee" impact; a bit boozy in the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body, somewhat creamy; moderate carbonation

Overall: A bit gimmicky and the gimmick works; fun to try once but not something I would seek out on a regular basis as it has a bit of a malt liquor taste to me

Cloudy rust red brown body, offwhite head that falls fast and leaves a thin and delicate lacing on the glass. Creamy coffee nose, a bit of toast, salted toffee. Taste follows, coffee, sugar, cream, caramel booze, but not cloyingly sweet and somehow the 12% is masked a bit. This is what a coffee cream ale should be. This is so good.

From can 02/15/19 at home. This has jumped into my top 5. Haven't had a cream ale in years & this has me wondering why. It hits all the right spots without over doing any one. Flavorful, refreshing & kick-ass.

I read somewhere the idea was to create a brew with the features of what in NJ is a "regular coffee" (read w/milk & sugar).

Give it a 12% kick & I'm all in. Probably keep it in the PM hours, but the temptation for earlier is strong.

I see there's a variety with cinnamon & vanilla as well called the' churro'. Got to get out the pith helmet & open up new territory.

 

Pours orange. Foamy, medium white head that is short lived.

Smells coffee, grainy, light vanilla, bready and lightly roasted

Tastes sweet coffee, grainy, vanilla, bready and hint of marshmallow. Finish is sweet with coffee, grain and light alcohol linger. Lighter body and smooth lower carbonation.