Beach
Carton Brewing Company

 

A: hazy; deep gold in color; 1 finger off white head that receded to a wispy cap; OK lacing;

S; not especially aromatic; what's there is pineapple, orange, and grapefruit;

T: very little flavor as well; what's there follows the nose; mild to moderate bitterness at the end;

M: medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: OK, but not memorable;

Appearance - cloudy orange/yellow color with white head

Smell - citrus, orange peel, grapefruit

Taste - much like the smell, orange peel, grapefruit

Mouthfeel - medium bodied, heavy carbonation, citrus upfront, hoppy on the backend

Overall - decent pale ale, drinkable, but not all that memorable

 

Pale in color with hints of almost lemonade yellow, cloudy, initial head sticks around them settles to a thin layer of white with some islands of bigger bubbles here and there. Minimal lacing but it is present.

Little bit of an overripe dank like note which I attribute to the mosaic, a bright orange citrus note that is more rind like than juice like; and a nice hint of some light pale malts and almost something oat like.

The taste at first leans into the overripe fruit then right into zesty refreshing citrus. Same as the nose nice light malt presence.

Very easy to drink this beer, light body, crisp and snappy bright bitterness on the finish and very dry and clean.

About as good a hoppy session as boat but I still prefer boat to all.

 

Slightly thin body with about medium carbonation.
Aroma was a nice mix of citrus fruit and peel some grass,hay,malt,and floral hops.
For the most part the flavor didn't deviate far from the aroma.
Overall a pleasant session beer

(16 oz can, no dates/codes; purchased cold 4-pack from the brewery... poured into my Belhaven pub pint)

L: moderately-hazy, jade-yellow liquid (quite yellow); tight, moon-scaped foam pad, builds and sticks momentarily... thin, misty cap sort of keeps; little lacing

S: pellet-centric hop-forwardness; green, herbaceous, dried orange peel, dried pineapple... as the hop edge softens, the herbaceous note lends an almost rosemary accent to the late-arriving, crackery grain aroma

T: green grass, lightly tart fresh-squeezed navel orange, subtly-sourdough bready undertone in the finish... fresh, raw, floral (petals and stems) angle to the blaring hop noise, pithy citrus mid-thread... malt and fruit flavors develop a roundness as it goes... crackery malt and a pungent, lip-smackingly bitter hop

F: dynamic, almost singeing burr from them hops; feathery light-bodied, delicately silty-curvy viscosity... while the roof of my palate is humming, the floor feels little residue from the ghostly caress of them plant juices

O: bold, brash, bracing... has hazy-style top accents, but with a mellow, smooth, perhaps keller lager underbelly... hardly sweet or fruit-juicy, it has a toe in the hazy game, but the leaf load is high - sucking on trees here... that bite is right in my wheelhouse; gonna savor the remaining cans, maybe get some more, mmm hmm (1799)

DATE: June 26, 2021... OCCASION: a night of The Office with the family, in between vacation days... GLASSWARE: HopDevil nonick... pours a yellow, peach-tinted, hazy body that sports a half-finger of sudsy white head that settles to a smear... robust orange peel, grassy herbs, cracker malts, and hints of vanilla, resin and citrus... at such a low ABV, it suggests a singular effect with some varies elements.... this drinks tartly, smooth and easy as the label pleasant at the teeth, while its finish is dry and acidic... lively and engaging enough, with a slight creaminess that evokes orange juice... breezy, fitting for the summer and low in impact, this works well as a refresher--glad I saved some for the upcoming heat wave... though not as impactful as other Carton products, this serves its purpose well...

Canning date obstructed, $2 discount rack beer

Damn I wasn't even aware that carton distributed to MA. I'm excited to see them around here, though this is the first I've seen from them. They're widely known for their cream ales, but I'm sure they brew many good beers. Let's dive in

Pours a cloudy orange gold with 2 fingers of white head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves patchy lacing

The aromas here do remind me of a kolsch, given they used that for yeast. I pickup notes of lemon zest, orange, honey, white pepper, bright grassy hops, and a snappy bready malt

The taste starts off very bright, the orange zest is obvious along with more general citrus and grassy hops, even with a light pepper note. The swallow brings even more orange, dry spicy and fruity yeast, herbal hops, and crisp malt. Not overly complex but still tasty

A light bodied brew pairs with mild zippy carbonation, resulting in a straight up refreshing beer, totally meant for the beach. Finishes dry and lightly bitter

Overall I'd say this was damn solid, better than the average score led me to believe it would be. As far as I'm concerned, this would be a perfect session beer if I can find it consistently. Can't wait to drink it on the beach next summer

 

 

 

Gotta say, this beer seems very inspired based on the description. Something like a combination Kölsch/amber/session pale ale with orange zest? Hell yeah. I mean, we're almost in Fall now but we have a few Summery days left in New England, as far as I can tell, so let's get this in my glass without further ado and enjoy!

The pour here definitely has nothing to do with the "amber" they mention in the description, but I kinda expected them to be talking more about the malt character than the color/appearance. As such, this is a moderately hazy golden/blonde pale color with a thin but retentive white head. Some spotty lace and a hazy surface are initially slightly enticing to my eyes, but nothing about this stands out completely in my opinion. Looks alright, but not spectacular.

We have a beer up here in New England that is sorta similar to this in concept; Baxter's Summer Swelter. It's also a Summer session pale ale, but with with Kaffir lime leaf and lemongrass added. The overall scent is somewhat similar to that beer, but there's definitely more of an orange peel note here. They're similar in hoppiness, with this one throwing out some nice grapefruit and sticky grassy/green resinous elements along with some light herbal touches. Definite wheaty malt presence here as well.

On the tongue, Beach is light, crisp, and refreshing, but it doesn't sacrifice any of the satisfying fruity hop notes or the orange peel adjunct elements, as I expected it wouldn't. Indeed, the mid-palate is crackery and almost mineral-driven with a full-bodied maltiness that quickly dissolves to the power of the herbal and slightly-grassy/citrusy hops. This tastes similar to the beer I mentioned above; even the intense hoppy finish it very similar, right down to how dry and refreshing it is! Good stuff.

Beach is very nicely-made with a quenching feel, but actually comes across a little fuller-bodied than a 4% beer should feel, if you catch my drift. It doesn't actually affect my enjoyment of the beer that much, but I think it should be mentioned. It's almost a full percent lower than the other beer I've been comparing it to, but I think the other one feels more apropos of the sub-style at play here. This is really nice and hoppy... kind of a midpoint between a session pale, an APWA, an herbal beer, and a Kölsch without going too far in any direction. Fun stuff. Maybe by July next year we'll get Carton on the regular and I can enjoy this during Summer proper.

kolsch yeast and orange zest in a low alcohol pint can of crushable beer. i know they also make one called boat beer, which is somewhat ironic, because i enjoyed these on a boat, not those, a generous and unexpected gift from a neighbor! the beer is great, perfect in this setting, super summery, and interesting in a lot of ways, a whole lot more going on than is normally the case in a summer ale type. the orange is subtle enough to not make this drink like a fruit beer, but it adds some citrus essence and a little bitterness on the finish, while the yeast makes this much more well rounded and dynamic than a flavorless ale strain would, i think its a really smartly built beer. it has a little malt sweetness in the middle, a honey note, and some grassiness to the hops on the finish, a neat blend of styles overall, and one that is ultimately refreshing when its ice cold. nice to have a light and drinkable beer that obviously has some thought put into it, and that isnt another run of the mill session type. id love to get my hands on some more beer from these guys, every time i drink one i am impressed, its just far too infrequently. this was a wonderful refreshing, a good beer on a hangover, and one that really put me in good spirits!

 

 

 

Fruit / Vegetable beer? Kolsch? American Pale Ale? I had no idea what this was as I poured it out and let it settled, as the head was quite thick and the body quite light. Sure, this can was dated 6/9/17 with "START @38F JOURNEY BEGAN" written above it and this could have been mistaken for a Radler, given how little booze was in it. In the end, this was a session beer that was indeed chill but not the first brew that I'd want to chill out with...

This had a light pour to it as it looked and felt like a Kolsch when it filled up my glass. A muted tangerine with plenty of head, there wasn't any lacing to be seen once I started to work my way through this. Light citrus, mild funk, white grape, and orange zest filled the nose as the taste contained all of those notes as well. Dry, zesty, and full of grass, this felt like a spring or summer beer that needed just a bit more flavor and heft to it. Hard to discern the malt and the carbonation could have been a bit more lively as a dry and chalky lime mouthfeel and aftertaste took hold once this fully warmed up.

Hardly any booze here and it would be quite easy to quaff can after can of this, even though I only had one in my stash. For the beach, this may do but I'd sooner reach for a session IPA like the Founders All Day than this - which isn't necessarily a knock on this beer. Worth a go once if you're a fan of Carton or just want something to mindlessly sip while watching the waves lap as the sun sets...

I've enjoyed all if Carton's offerings that I've had in the past so I was excited for a new one. I usually shy away from sessionable beers but here goes.
This one pours a somewhat hazy golden orange with a finger of white head.
Citrus on the nose, pithy orange.
Taste follows, pithy orange with a bit of malt peeking through.
Light to medium body, spritzy carbonation.
Overall this would be a good summer drinker.