Living in central Jersey

Beer certainly is all a matter of taste, but I think Kane and Carton stand up pretty well.

Based on where you live, you should give River Horse a visit in Ewing. Another solid NJ brewery that I think gets forgotten about sometime.

You also have Flounder and Demented getting started in central NJ, so help is on the way.

 

You're a short drive from both Carton and Kane, and IMO that is saying a lot. They are both tremendous breweries, and the on-site specialties they make are amazing. You're also just an hour from Brooklyn, which has insane bars, Other Half, Finback, Threes ... Also, newcomer Spellbound isn't that far from you, and they're off to a good start.

I will agree about RH - They're 'ok' for me, and I find them to be exceedingly commercial with very little "beer nerd" appeal. I'm sure they make more money than I do, but personally that turns me off when they don't make an effort to "connect" without so obviously trying to soak every last dollar out of people.

Plus, if you want to take a really nice road trip up for a day in the NY Hudson Valley when the weather is nicer, there is Rushing Duck, Plan Bee (although not a brewery-visit place), Captain Lawrence, Peekskill, and Newburgh, without having to go too far north.

 

I've been living in New Brunswick since september(RU transfer student) and while it's not the best area for craft beer, there are a few notable bars that do carry Kane and Carton sometimes.
My favorite bars in the area are Destination Dogs, Old Bay, and George Street ale house is decent too. Harvest moon makes some above average beers here and there and their food is good.
I can't wait for the new breweries to open up in the area, demented is under 10 minutes from here so that should be a treat.

 

I'm a grad student at RU, and agree with you for the most part. But I wanted to stress HM's recent successes. With their recent BA Stout bottle release and semi-consistent offering of really solid sours, I would safely consider them the best brew pub in CNJ. OP, you should defiantly check them out as well (and Carton and Kane are a MUST!)

 

Conclave brewing should be open in a month. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

 

Haven't got to try any of their sours but I was lucky enough to try the Oceanus Procellarum and thought it was very good. Definitely gonna continue to check out HM's new releases. I heard they have a new brewer who is largely responsible for the recent success

 

Carton and Kane are well above average. Head high is delicious and carton consistently pushes the boundaries and most are really good.

 

You made that judgement on Kane and Carton and you haven't even been there?!!!

 

If you havent been to Jersey City/Hoboken yet, i would highly recommend. There are several shops/bars that carry an amazing selection, that is if you dont mind a 40 min drive. The Liberty State Park parking lot is free on the weekends, and you can hop on the Light Rail to take you to several spots. I would suggest making a day of it and seeing what the two towns have to offer.

 

Harvest Moon has been doing some interesting stuff. Triumph does some nice German styles.

I agree that Kane and Carton are carrying the banner for the state. Head High, Overhead, 077XX, and Boat are all brilliant and pretty widely available on-tap. I live in Ewing, and like you, I've had mostly less than stellar experiences with River Horse's beer. That said, the Oatmeal Milk Stout is great. The Brewer's Reserve Baltic Porter was very tasty, as well.

 

I was driving home from NJ (which was my home for most of my life) a couple of weeks back and ended up taking a quick detour to the Pizzeria Uno in Hamilton, NJ because I heard that they had Carton Regular Coffee on tap. My mind was blown because I always assumed that Uno was just another mediocre chain restaurant. It turns out that this place had an awesome list to go along with the Carton, and they seemed to be having beer events pretty regularly based on the calendar I saw. Lots of people in and out filling growlers during the hour or so I was there as well.

 

You really need to appreciate what we do have here. NJ gets great distribution and we are close to NY and PA so there really isn't a lot of great stuff you can't get. And people from other states are always seeking out trades for Kane and Carton stuff, so if you can't appreciate their beers, chances are you will never be satisfied.

And dismissing Kane and Carton and saying you are looking forward to Flounder and Demented is just crazy!!!

 

If your in between rutgers and Princeton joe canals should be a quick drive and they always have an awesome selection

 

I agree that we need more breweries in NJ but wholeheartedly disagree that Kane and Carton are underwhelming. I drink their beers as often as I can and IMO they stand up to the better known breweries around the country. We also get pretty good distro around here so I think you may be a little off here.