Basic Coffee
Carton Brewing Company

(16 oz can, journey began 09/04/25; purchased cold 4-pack at the brewery last week... poured into a St. Bern chalice)

L: almost clear, pure amber color... fantastically huge head, dense w/ small bubble clusters... laces ok

S: brown sugar crystals, cinnamon... coffee wash after a few beats... hint of nutmeg takes shape, maybe a nip of ginger powder... coffee hard candy as it goes

T: caramel at the fore... sweet chai midway... caramel apple second sip... gets lactose-y... creamer and coffee bitterness accentuates over the sugars

F: creamy as it comes, beer wise... super sedate warmth, mellow y'all... bit of bite late

O: it's a twist on a creamer, but not a textbook take... the best of their Coffee series?... does actually taste like there's cream in it... great beer, but another that warrants a creation of a 'pastry beer' category separate from all other traditional-ian styles (2469)

 

Canned 9/4/24

When I was in Jersey a few weeks back I visited Carton for the first time in a few years and picked up a 4 pack of this one. I really enjoyed Regular Coffee and all of its variants I’ve tried, so I’m sure this one will be no different. Let’s crack it open and see what it has to offer

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

The nose brings a lot of different spices, but they’re all pretty light and nicely complement the coffee. I’m picking up on aromas of nutmeg, burnt coffee beans, cinnamon, brown bread, vanilla bean, clove, brown sugar, toffee, cardamom, light coriander, and orange zest

It’s pretty similar in taste and that’s fine by me. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting medium roast coffee, cinnamon, vanilla bean, nutmeg, biscuity malt, clove, sweet caramel, light black tea, and allspice. The swallow brings notes of burnt coffee beans, nutmeg, brown sugar, candied ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, burnt caramel, dark toast, and clove

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a crisp beer. Finishes mostly dry and balanced

As expected, another win from this series. It’s cool that this one has a lower abv, making it even more drinkable than the already drinkable other ones

Very little coffee coming through. Extremely full, pleasant mouthfeel with cinnamon and pumpkin spice at the forefront. extremely drinkable, if a bit heavy (but normal for the style.) Paired well with sitting around a fire with friends.

 

 

 

 

There's usually nothing basic about imperial beer, but less a strong cream ale that certainly gets beyond the strength and flavor of the common cream ale. There's nothing basic about spicing that ale with coffee, a medley of spices and milk sugar. But in the end you've basically got a chai latte dressed up like a beer.

Slightly on the honey side of blond, Carton's Basic Coffee pours with a slight haze while capping off with a creamy but short lived froth. As its foam settles, the soft and sultry scent of coffee, vanilla and spices swoon the nose like chai tea with a caramelized java scent. Sweeter in its early tone, the flavors of light honey, vanilla, wafer, cereal and cream largely frame the beer's malty upstart.

As the flavors unfold across the middle palate, the sweet chai collection of spices are wrapped in a cocoon of coffee and cream. Smooth, soft and quite latte-like, the nature of chai latte in cold pressed form all come to mind. Avoiding the robust bitter tone of dark coffee, this more blond character smoothens out in order to allow a slim citrusy bitterness from hops to bring about a unique spice in finish.

Medium-full in its body, the bold coffee and spice flavors leave a hearty impression on the early palate while a later spicy sweetness seems smoother and lighter to close. Finishing spicy and with a hint of coffee liqueur, the ale lingers with creamy sweetness and peppery booze in a medium-length aftertaste.

 

not really a cream ale at all

 

Nitro can version

 

Review covers a Nitro can.

Head production is exactly what you'd expect for a nitro brew. Body is a crystal clear gold-amber.

Nose features cream, a touch of coffee, sweet caramel, vanilla, and a noticeable but restrained amount of pumpkin spices.

Flavor follows, really delivering on a nice amount of coffee flavor, while also providing notes of vanilla, all spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, without going at all over the top. Much more restrained than the typical pumpkin spice lattte from which this brew draws inspiration.

Lovely, creamy body, with much more bite than a nitro brew typically offers. Slight warming effect from the high ABV.

A delicious beer across the board, really without any noticeable flaws. Not quite as much of a revelation as the OG "Regular Coffee,"

Pours a caramel golden, with a nitro marshmallow off white head which sticks around a bit. Smell is reminiscent of coffee ,malts,mild spice. Taste coffee, vanilla, sweet cream corn,various spices. Feels well done. Nitro plays well to this beer.I think Augie has a keen sense of food taste and what will work and what will not. Overall a delicious Imperial cream ale with a barely noticeable ABV

Pouring from a 16 oz. can into a PAA mug, this beer pours a pure, clear golden color like an apple juice. Over a finger worth of tightly packed, tingy yellow bubbles form on top and stick around with persistence.

The nose carries in a lingering, roasty coffee mixing with different spices and a sweeter side of cream. Ginger, cloves, slight nutmeg with the sweet, creamy aspect being vanilla.

The coffee takes a backseat in this one with the mix of all the spices, but is still able to be found. It’s almost like a fall/seasonal spiced coffee. I could see drinking this at a pumpkin patch or picking out a Christmas tree in the colder months. Vanilla presence comes across as a creamer.

There is a slight warmness that stays consistent throughout the drink, which is surprising since the 12% versions have no alcohol evident whatsoever. Creamy, with a medium body but a full sweetness.

Overall, while this might not be my favorite of the Carton coffee series, it’s a damn nice touch to a fall morning. And saying it’s not my favorite in the Carton coffee series isn’t really saying anything with how much I love all of them. This is a welcomed brew to evolve the coffee game even further and make it have a seasonal feel to it.

 

Carton Nitro Basic Coffee

Imperial Cream Ale with Coffee and Autumnal Spices

The can suggests a starting temperature of 46F. I mixed a 37F can from my fridge with a cellar temp can ~55F.

Look: A beautifully bright, medium amber color. A lush, off white, densely packed foam tops the beer. No visible carbonation. A lot of lacing, accentuated by the sunlight on this perfect Fall day.

Smell: The Fall spices show nicely. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, clove, vanilla, cardamom, mace and orange zest are included in the beer. Not a great amount of coffee on the nose, but it’s present. Pumpkin bread.

Taste: The coffee really comes through on the flavor. It’s a little woody and nutty. Very smooth. Zero bitterness. You can guess the types of spices they use here, but no single one jumps out. There is some vanilla sweetness and spicyness but everything presents as one. It’s a bit bready. Pumpkin bread. Some of the Carton Coffee beers can be very sweet. This one dials it back a touch.

Feel: It’s a Nitro beer that is creamy, smooth and medium bodied. Semi-sweet up front and on the finish.

Overall: A welcomed addition to the Coffee lineup. Mostly because it’s 8% instead of 12%, but also due to the Fall spices. My interest in pumpkin beers has started to wane over the past year. I still like them, but I’m moving away from the in your face pumpkin spice. This beer offers the perfect supplement.