Can we talk about Carton brewing?

I commute to new brunswick as well, haven't seen any spellbound around here yet though I cant complain with what old bay has to offer on tap normally though

 

The Joe Canal's on Rt. 1 in Iselin / Woodbridge gets the Spellbound IPA cans - not far from New Brunswick.

 

They definitely have the best tap list in the area, only place where I can always find some Carton and Kane on tap

 

Should probably just rename this thread to NJ breweries

 

Park East in Hazlet just seriously upgraded their taplist. They have Head High, 077xx and Boat (amongst many others)

 

According to their website, they're 2 current distributors are AB houses Ritchie & Page (Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean Counties) and Konrad Beer Distributors (Camden and Gloucester counties - but the Spellbound site only notes Camden). So, no distributors in Middlesex county or further north.

Typically - but not always - when a brewery signs with one of the major brewers' distributors in the state, they sign with the others, as well. So, one might expect them to sign with AB houses High Grade Beverage and Harrison elsewhere in the state, as well as Miller house Nash Distributors (since the AB distributor in that region is brewery-owned). Of course, that would depend on whether they have enough beer or even want to expand distribution to north Jersey.

If Joe Canal's in Woodbridge carries a beer not yet distributed in Middlesex County, it can be purchased by their Lawrenceville store (Mercer County) and transferred to Woodbridge (which is allowed by state ABC rules, and has been done previously with brewers' beers that didn't yet have complete wholesale coverage in state - Great Lakes and Ithaca come to mind).

EDIT- Oops - sorry for the OT reply, I see this a "Carton" thread (they self-distribute) - the question should be discussed in one of the "Spellbound" threads...

 

It is distributed throughout Gloucester County, too.

 

I think they are actually way bigger, they have a canning line and all that don't they?
As far as "easily as good as Kane/Carton" I'm having trouble seeing that. They make a nice IPA I'm happy to see when I'm out, but I would never go somewhere for it specifically, and I won't go to a bar that doesn't have either Kane or Carton these days.
It's nice that some good guys are coming along these days and Spellbound is definitely a C grade brewery that may be a B someday but the aren't innovating like Carton or executing like Kane. I'd be careful saying so if you like them. You may be setting them up for a massive fail.

 

The bolded is bizarre shit to write. @Dreamingtree1855 enjoys Spellbound like he does Kane and Carton. It's his opinion. They are his taste buds. You don't need to be chiding him into being more "careful" regarding who he likes as a brewery.

I understand your Carton fanboy status. Any regular reader of the forum knows you will do your very best to relentlessly drive home the belief that Carton is the best NJ has to offer. That's all seashells and balloons. But, dude, no need to be so defensive of Carton's standing so as to dismiss other NJ breweries.

 

If they have a "massive fail" based on comments from a forum user with 13 posts they're doing other things wrong

 

First he is wrong Spellbound is bigger than Carton and Kane. Second they make a good IPA and a very good porter, beyond that they are mostly doing shandies. I think they are cool and are an example that Jersey is filling out its ranks of brewers. However their IPA is no Head High, and their porter is no Morning Bell or Shipwreck. I believe saying they are as good as Kane or Carton on BA, sets them up for a "it's not that good" reaction from non-Jersey people. Give a guy from VT a can of Spellbound IPA and a can of IDIPA (or Head High when it comes out) and claim they are all equal and you will be hurting Spellbound's or your reputation.

 

So your concern with the "massive fail" comes from worrying about what non-New Jersey residents think of Spellbound's brewing? Such utter snobbish bullshit you're writing.

Your only response should be "Carton is the greatest; all others, bow down" rather then this passive aggressive pretender act you put on regarding other breweries operating in New Jersey and the opinion they'll eventually generate from a random Bob Loblaw of Utah.

 

What the guy said was definitely weird, but I understand the point. If I sent someone a can of Spellbound IPA and said "this is what top NJ brewers are doing," I doubt they would search out more NJ beers.

 

So completely removing Carton from the thought. If someone said "show me Jersey"s best" are you sending Spellbound or Kane? Is it even worth considering? If not then saying "Spellbound is as good" is setting them up to fail.

 

for a while this was fun, that is now ending. stop please

 

Jersey's best is in the eye of the person saying it. To some, it's Carton. To others, it could be Kane, Spellbound, Forgotten Boardwalk, Brix City, Cricket Hill, Flying Fish, Magnify, Ramstein, Beach Haus, etc.

Drink and share what you like! Cheers!

 

My buddy sends me a can from Texas that I don't like and you think I'll write off the entire state?

Can't you send Kane/Carton since they'll know them from the media attention and then also a Spellbound (or Forgotten Boardwalk, et al.) can with a note explaining this place isn't yet two years old but could be a "top NJ brewer" in the near future if you believe it to be true?

My guess is the disconnect here comes from those who trade with strangers and must display a sense of "expertise" to both cultivate and maintain those relationships whereas for others that burden does not exist. For them, they can simply send a can of beer without thought to its negative repercussions.

 

If your buddy from VT sends you a Shed IPA and says "this is a new Vermont place I think is as good as Lawson and Alchemist" rather than "new brewery making a good IPA try it." You don't see how saying "as good as the best" sets up failure by the comparison?

 

I think you missed my point. I wasn't knocking Spellbound (even though I don't love the IPA) or saying no one should drink it or send it to anyone. On the contrary I'm happy to have more brewers trying to make great beer in NJ.

I was just pointing out that I don't think most people don't consider them "top-tier" in NJ at the moment. If someone told me Vermont beer was great and then sent me something from Otter Creek I be happy to drink it. But I wouldn't be getting the full picture.

NJ brewing is growing rapidly, and it's great to have options. Hopefully, some of these new places grow into nationally recognized breweries (or better yet, hidden NJ gems). That being said, this is a beer discussion board, and while its great for everyone to lump praise on their local, I don't think its harmful to point out what places could do better in order to take that next step. Just give an example, I tried Spellbound's IPA and it wasn't to my taste. Maybe someone with more knowledge than me will say "The IPA is ok but you need to try the porter (or insert other great beer I haven't tried yet)," and I'll discover something new that I love. To me that's what these boards are for.