Can we talk about Carton brewing?

I was a little surprised too. I refrained from comparing them with Kane on this thread, as always happens and I've done in the past also. I look at the 4 beers you mentioned this way: I'm happy to have Boat, 077xx, Head High, and Overhead here in NJ. They're definitely four of my favorite beers and the ones I drink the most locally.

 

I love everything single thing about Carton. The pub is fun, the people are great, and the beers are up my alley. Hell, I even like the branding - it is quite aesthetically pleasing.

Boat is one of my all time favorite beers, and I just ranked O'dub as my favorite IPA in a blind tasting that included Heady, Sip of Sunshine, and Second Fiddle.

I just wish I was closer so I could go back and pick up one of those sweet dimpled mugs that I forgot to get when I was there - lol. I'm pretty sure I know what I am asking Santa to get me for xmas

 

I 10000% agree with Boat and Odub being tastier than head high and overhead...we may be in the minority here but I don't care!!!! My 4thof july party was all Boat and Odub...I went to the brewery for 2 months collecting my 4 pks of Boat and Odub...and actually 4 4pks of dune..yes sixtels would have been easier lol...I've got my gf asking me on the weekends if we are going to Carton!! When we go back to San Diego for the winter we will be missing Carton for sure..she knows it's my go to beer...I have my parents send me Boat and Odub when they can get it when I'm in San Diego and I even have Ballast Point in little Italy blocks away from me!!

 

I actually spoke with augie this weekend for a while and he basically echoed what some people are saying here. their goal isn't at all to make the same shit everyone is making, it's to push boundaries/get people talking about flavors, styles, etc...that's why they make all the crazy shit they do. it's fine if you dont like the beers as long as you're talking about them, and making stuff like reg coffee, irish coffee, gilded lily etc definitely get people talking...

 

I love Boat and Odub. But like the OP, it is getting harder and harder, basically, nearly impossible to get cans of them. I'm at the point of just getting growlers or going to a pub to grab a pint. I'm hoping they find a way to can more or distribute cans more steadily so locals have an easier time to get. I too, can't think of another beer that I've had from them that was memorable or that I would try again. Part of it, for me, is my preference (mainly IPA's/DIPA's). They do experiment, which is good. But the hits or more popular experiments should become more of a standard than just another limited release. Just my opinion.

Only had one other beer from Kane, aside from Head High and Overhead. For me, Overhead was the best out of the 4 main IPAs/DIPA/s (Overhead, Boat, Odub and Head High) in the state. It will be really interesting to see what happens when their cans come out. They'll be gone quickly, so I wonder what their long term distribution plans are for them. I feel they are hitting their stride with releases and brewing calendar. I feel that, in my opinion, they are the top brewery. Between their growth, demand and portfolio, I feel that they have overtaken Carton in the past year or two.

I have not been to either brewery. Hoping to hit them this fall when the crowds die down after the summer and I'm down there more often for my son's travel hockey.

With a few more breweries starting to grow in the state, it's a good time to be in NJ for beer. Competition is always good and hope it pushes these 2 mainstays to grow and meet demand.

 

Love both Kane and Carton.

 

I spent the 4th in Asbury this year and hit both Carton and Kane.

The second you walk into Carton, you are greeted by 2 girls and given a tour of the brewery. You get your Boat + 5 poker chips to redeem for 5 5oz tasters for $5 (a price that can't be beaten anywhere). The atmosphere upstairs is very cool and relaxed. 077xx is probably in my top 10-15 IPAs I've had (which is in the 200 range according to Untappd) and Boat is awesome for what it is. The other 4 beers I had there ranged from solid to "what the fuck did I just put in my mouth?!?!" (sorry Augie but Dune Fruit was not my favorite). I got my maximum allotment of cans to share with folks back in Pittsburgh which broke out to 4 4pks of Boat, 2 of 077xx, and 2 of Dune Fruit and the cost was under $100. If I was ever in the area again, I would go back in a heart beat. I really enjoyed the overall experience and the quality of beers they had.

Kane is very, very different from Carton. I put 077xx above both Head High and Overhead but all 3 are exceptional beers.

 

The guys in here that are talking down about Carton seem to be hop lovers and acting like Carton doesn't master hops just because they also make beers like Dune Fruit. To start Boat is the only beer in the top 50 Pale Ales on BA under 4.5% That is a crazy achievement. If you want super hoppy Epitome is way better than everything being discussed, it gives beers like All Green a run for their money. And for everyday drinking it is very hard to beet Hop Pun or Red Rye, or even 077xx.
I feel like because @augiecarton won't shut up and just make Boat, people are missing that he does regular things differently beautifully. When bourbon stouts were the thing Carton was making Shipwreck, seriously great barrel aged beer, and just another of the 100 things Carton has done spectacularly. @JosephThompson says he only likes the two we all love plus Wit Whale, who else makes a wit that tops a list?

 

My only problem with Carton is that they run out of 077xx too quickly lol. Just wish they would expand and make more.

 

i promise we are working on it, and managing to still get some in the market while we do... nice avatar by the way, thanks.

 

no worries at all man, trying to make beers that offend no one is what almost destroyed american beer in the 70's. i am glad you like some of our games and am very ok with you not liking all, just keep trying them and letting us know what you think.

 

if we stopped at boat my part of the job would have been over in late 2010, there is no fun in that

 

Just wanna note that I was in no way dissing Kane, or Head High and Overhead. I really dig both of those beers and drink them regularly, I just felt compelled to throw that comment out there. I probably got defensive after that "watered down pilsner" comment haha. Boat is one of my favorites.

 

I respect both Carton and Kane and love that they are bringing NJ into the craft beer heavyweight ring.
and for the record.. big fan of Dune fruit
send all cans to me!!

 

I personally like Carton a lot. We definitely don't need another brewery making just IPA's and Barrel-Aged beers. Theres plenty of those with more popping up every day. It's nice to see a brewery like Carton push the boundaries flavor wise and use interesting ingredients to make one of a kind beers.

Also, Boat is easily one of the best hoppy session beers being canned at the moment and 077 is a great DIPA that is fairly easy to get.

 

Carton is one of the few breweries I will go out of the way for. Over the last few years, the only wide-releases (meaning made its way to SJ) that I have missed were Digger and Gilded Lily, and I feel bad about that. While most are very good to great, some are just okay to me, and that's okay. I'd rather try something new, something different, something intriguing from Carton than another pale ale our barrel aged beer from larger, national breweries.

 

I must have a had a different batch of boat beer than everyone else

 

In a thread dedicated to Carton, why does there need to be so much talk about Kane? Why turn everything into a competition with breweries from the same state?

 

When you have 2 exceptional breweries in close proximity who both garner national attention, it's bound to happen. Like I said in my previous post, both are good but very, very different. Carton is more dedicated to the session beers and a little more creative while Kane is a little more bold in their flavor profiles but less boundary-pushing.

This is my perception after visiting them once.

 

i think it must be tough trying to put out enough beer from that little place to ever make us happy...but glad they try
random....always wonder if theirs a relation to Craig Carton