Boat Beer
Carton Brewing Company

 

12 ounce single (? leftover from Christmas Advent collection) here in Edmonton. Canned on July 19/24, so not fresh but intrigued to try.
Hazy pale golden pour with three fingers of bubbly white head that fades to a rocky sea foam.
Grapefruit, piney nose with hints of doughy malt, softly herbal aroma.
Initially slightly sweet citrus and grassy notes on the palate that gives way quickly to piney hops and grapefruit, grapefruit peel bitterness.
Bright and crisp light mouthfeel with a lingering bitter bite.

A- Pours a yellow color, with plenty of haze swirling around.....the head is a couple of fingers thick to start, is like soap bubbles in texture, and the super white colored layer eventually settles down into a thick patchy layer over top the brew. There appears to be some subtle carbonation rising to the top and the lacing is rather sticky, with a solid layer clinging to the inside of my glass all around after a good swirl.

S- A well balanced aroma, with a fair bit of herbal pine cone freshness, blended along with grainy citrus notes (think orange zest, slight grapefruit and pomelo). There is also a slight spicy smell, perhaps of some black peppercorns and even a malty backbone to help out along the finish, which is also complimented by some noted bittering hops.

T- The flavors follow suit to the aromas, with plenty of refreshing piney flavor, some balancing sweeter malt profile, grassy/grainy barley and wheat, some tart/bitter citrus rind, and a finish that shows off hop cones, with some oily bitterness that cleanses the palate, and even lingers a fair while after the swallow....very flavorful for a session ale!

M/O- The carbonation is very soft on the palate and the body is medium in nature.....a very nice beer overall! The drinkability is high, with a lower alcohol and plenty of flavor, I would quite enjoy having more of these in a sitting....probably one of the best session ales I've had! High recommendations!

Canned 8/27/24

How is this the first time I'm trying Carton's flagship IPA? I grabbed a 4 pack of this when I stopped by the brewery over the weekend as I figured I needed to try it at some point. So let's dive right into it

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

The nose is herbal and bright, very nicely balanced. I’m picking up on aromas of orange peel, red grapefruit, herbal hops, papaya, crackery malt, white pepper, gooseberry, and light grass

It doesn’t have quite the same spark to it in taste, leaning even more bitter as well but it’s still good. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting red grapefruit, lime zest, herbal hops, black tea, orange zest, bready malt, and light lemon. The swallow brings notes of crackery malt, herbal gops, pithy grapefruit, orange peel, black tea, lemon juice, grass, and light pine

A light medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a crisp beer. Finishes bone dry and refreshing

This one is really good, I can see why it’s so popular. If I lived closer I’d drink a lot of this

Light golden pour with thick head that dissipates fairly quickly
Smells like it tastes, piney and earthy with citrus backing it up
I feel like I had a bad keg, because the taste is much worse than expected. Very tart and bitter, heavy carbonation, and finishes earthy. Not great but goes down easy. Mouthfeel is nice with the carbonation and hops.

Gonna try this again, because the ratings here make me feel like I got a bad pour

 

Pours an opaque golden straw color with a finger of head. The nose is earthy and piney with a little lemon. The flavor profile has more maltiness than I expected for such a low abv. There are also citrus notes and this baby is plenty bitter on the finish.

 

 

 

 

 

Pours an opaque gold with a substantial foamy head that sticks around a while.

Light malty aroma with some grassy and pine hop notes. Smells familiar and inviting.

Taste follows. Grassy hops up front with some light bread and pine. Moderate bitter and crisp finish. There is a lemony note that peaks though from time to time. Very nice.

Moderate carbonation with a lighter mouth. Crisp finish.

This is an excellent beer. A ‘daily drinker’ type of beer I’d gladly drink again and again.

 

Slightly less the. A finger's worth of rich thick white froth... Solid retention... Govs of lacing cling to the sides of the glass... Color is a mildly hazy medium orangish gold... Refreshing malt forward nose that is equal parts sweet and bready with a faint whiff of citrusy hops... Oilsner like malts on the palate with a slight but mighty bitter bite... On the lighter side of medium bodied... Lots of flavor and character for the low 4.2% ABV... Very nice sessional offering and excellent introduction to Carton...

 

Pours opague pale gold, two fingers of fluffy white foam; excellent cap retention; heavy ring; heavy minus lacing. Hoppy grassy nose. Light bitter hops; cut grass ; subtle lemon; firm yet light malt base. Light body (but not watery); moderate minus carbonation. Overall an excellent session IPA; good taste; and poundable.

 

2021-11-08
16oz can served in a big snifter. Dated 08/25/21. Received from @MacMalt in NBS BIF #14.

Pours slightly hazy with a large head that collapses into a wispy layer with a fairly small peninsula of coarse bubbles on one side of the glass. Smell is pretty straightforward pale ale -- some stray, light biscuit malt, moderate resin/grass, though there's something a little unusual about it -- maybe an almost sourdough characteristic to it? Maybe something slightly spicy?

Taste is interesting. It reminds me of "session IPA" -- light, almost watery grain bill, slap-in-the-face hop bitterness that makes me think of just hop tea. Maybe a lemon sourness.

Mouthfeel is pretty light, pretty clean, maybe slightly watery. Overall...this isn't going to be a favorite, but it's definitely something I could session. I find it kind of puzzling and I could keep trying to unravel the flavors.

Poured into a narrow pint glass glass: color is straw, slight haze, brighter white head with fine to small bubbles, head presents 1 finger thick and then dissipates to solid top, nice lacing on the glass sides.

Smell is excellent malt forward with toast and bread and pilsner, then hops come through with citrus rind/pith, earth, herbal, floral notes as well.

Taste is similar with huge malt and hop presence for such a low abv beer; flavor blends a kolsch and session ipa, which works to backstop the drying thinness of session ipas; malt is bread, crackers, and pilsner, hops are citrus pith/rind, earth, herbal and floral notes.

Mouthfeel is moderate carbonation, moderate sweetness, moderate bitterness, then some drying/bite on the tongue.

Overall a really awesome mixed style beer that exudes drinkability AND packs a dominant flavor/aroma at a low abv.