Can we talk about Carton brewing?

Eh not bad. Their dipa is solid, but not in my top 10

 

Also to me boat beer taste like a watered-down pilsner, not a session.

 

I'd agree with more misses than hits to my palate. 077, Wit Whale, and Boat are the only ones I drink regularly. I'll always try a new release but not stand in line for anything. Unique spot that brews to a different tune and for some that can be a gimmick and to others it can be a mantra.

Can't speak to business practices but I'm fascinated to see how Kane's Head High entering the market will affect Carton. Kane is a better brewery for me throughout their portfolio and from talking with beer folks all summer it seems there is a tidal wave of pent up excitement at the packaging of Head High.

 

Impressed to see the agreed upon dislike, more or less, in Carton. As an outsider I've got no opinion. Nice starter Jon.

 

Personally I dig Carton, While I'm not lining up at the door for everything. I will visit there about 3-4 times a year to get some 077XX and Boat. The only other special releases that I was able to obtain and also enjoyed were shipwreck and regular coffee.

 

I personally prefer Carton over Kane. They just happen to be more in line with my palate. I enjoy Kane brews as well but not to the extent I enjoy Carton. I love Boat and Odub but I really enjoy other mainstays like BDG, milk and caynon on the same level. I am waiting for the day all those options are canned and available readily. Epitome was another fantastic offering for me as it was a style I really don't care for. I'll also say that while its great to be creative I wish they would just make more beers that pair well with food without being the entire meal. but that doesn't take away from the solid brews they produce day in and day out.

 

I had the milkstout on tap at Pony Bar and really enjoyed it, but was somewhat underwhelmed by 077, Boat, and SS Kentucky. They were solid beers for sure, but nothing I'd go out of my way to get

 

No, we can't.

 

I'm a fan of both, having much fewer from Kane. I love that Carton distributes up to NY and I've never had major issues with any of their offerings. I've met Augie a few times, and I can tell his heart is in the right place. I can't really speak to their business practices though. I've been meaning to go visit both of them, tougher for Kane with their limited hours.
Carton has built much demand so it has become damn near impossible to get my hands on cans anymore and I'm sure that when Kane starts canning it will be almost impossible to get too. I've heard bad things about the ANTEAD release though and that is a knock on Kane. Overall I love them both and don't see a reason to dislike either of them, as long as they both keep making good beer.

 

ANTEAD release legitimately took Kane by surprise. When they first released the beer like 10 people showed up.

 

I can completely understand that and I'm 100% positive that they are going to fix their mistakes this year. Most limited releases have become sh*tshows lately due to the .rar Buzz, but that's another thread.

 

I've only had the pleasure of having Carton once, when I was visiting Philly two years back. I had Boat, and it was quite enjoyable. I'd love to try more--they left a good first impression on me.

 

For a while, I did not like them at all, but probably because they had a few sour beers out, which I generally am not a fan of, and the one glass of Boat I've had, I did not like at all and could not see what the fuss was all about. I started to think maybe they served me the wrong beer, since that seems to happen at an extremely frustrating frequency at that bar (Fox and Hound behind Menlo Park Mall if anyone's wondering). I try to avoid that place, but seem to end up there more often than I'd like because of friends' birthdays, etc. The description earlier in the thread of Boat tasting like a watered-down pilsner makes me wonder if maybe they actually did serve me the right beer though.

Anyway, I've started to change my mind about them lately with Orange Swisher, Regular Coffee, and especially Irish Coffee, which is one of my favorite beers.

 

'Epitome' made my day when I stopped into Blind Tiger about 8 months ago.

I'll find that regular coffee eventually.

 

It's a mistake to compare Carton to other NJ breweries, they are playing a different game. When comparing Carton you need to think globally because Carton operates at a different level few small craft brewers do. The reason you are having trouble getting their beer is because everyone wants it. It is NJs most demanded and most original beer from Boat to Rickey.
The simple truth is Kane copy's the high ranked beers of the world and does it very well. Love BCBS and it's variants? Try ANTEAD and it's variants. Love Stone IPA? Taste head High. Love Frestone Walker Anniversary beers? Try Kane"s. Having trouble getting CBS wait Sunday Brunch, or Mexican Cake? Kane will copy it in a year with Mexican Brunch. Because they are great at their job and are local I have great pride, but Kane is just our great, local, standard brewery that are everywhere these days.
Carton is a breed apart and there commitment to creativity is endless. To start and most importantly they invented session IPA when they opened. They also have a great session stout. They have a hearty food friendly ale in BDG and a world class pale with Hop Pun. 077XX is really just a double IPA but it gets acclaim for balance in an unbalanced category. Epitome black IPA that gets 98 from the Bros, GORP is awesome, Decoy is fantastic, that truffle beer was inspired. Comma and Tharsis are perfect riffs on saisons. Right now Digger is the simplest beer I've ever tasted but it's hot out and simple is just right. Then there is Regular Coffee which is the number 1 cream ale on Beer Advocate. In Fall I look forward to this years harvest beer and can't wait to see what not pumpkin, pumpkin beer they make next.
Now that I've said all that what business practices are you talking about? The only thing I know from the tasting room crew is they have health insurance, and I think that is very unique in small breweries, doesn't MBC use it as their excuse for overcharging for their beers?

 

I visit both Kane and Carton 2x a month Out of the 6 months that I live in Nj and I love them both but have my dislikes with both. I think Carton just took off so fast that they can't keep up with the canning distro. I remember when I lived in nj full time I can walk into my local place and grab a few 4 pks of as many Boats and odubs I wanted. Now if I can even find it you are allowed only 1 4pk or I know a local spot that you need to call them, give them your name and they reserve 1 4pk because they hide them in the back..crazy..I really enjoyed Dune fruit it was a great pool/beach beer but it's gone now in cans at the brewery..they haven't had Boat nor Odub cans at the brewery now since about the 4th of July weekend I want to say..
Kane's special beers are a def a big hit. Mexican brunch to me is right up there with mexican cake. They also had a triple ipa this weekend that was delish..

 

Wow, didn't expect to see many bad things said about Carton. They are my favorite brewery in the state and probably the whole country. I've had almost all of their beers and they rarely ever miss. They attempt to be different and innovative, experimenting with new flavors regularly while still nailing popular styles. I think if they wanted to they can do what most people would like them to do, just make a bunch of ipa's, barrel aged imperial coffee stouts, and fruited sours, but they try to be original and I love that about them. Oh and for the record:
Boat+077xx >>>> Head High+ Overhead. But that's just my opinion

 

I'm always available if you would like to discuss any of our business decisions, what's up?

 

I like Carton a lot overall. There are too many points from posters above that I both agree and disagree with to quote or hot reply. I'll stick to some. I love both Boat and Dub but I do wish we could get them canned easier and with more regularity. Their core beers are all solid and the ones they put out like Epitome, Regular Coffee, etc. can be phenomenal. Did not like Dune Fruit at all, but hey, you can't bat 1000. I don't typically enjoy their tasting room, only because it's too crowded when I go. I do hope they get to the point where they increase their canning enough to meet demand. Now, to bring up their business practices in the OP without then letting us know what you're talking about is not really fair if you actually want to fully discuss them as a brewery. I'd like to know more about that aspect.