Beer Places by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781610757881
Publisher: University of Arkansas Press

CARTON BREWING, ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS

Like many New Jersey microbreweries, Carton was founded by a former New York City executive who decided there was more to life than profits and power suits. However, Carton is unique in having a spatially relevant link to Wall Street, being situated a short walk from the Shore’s main ferry connection to the southern tip of Manhattan. The establishment thus serves as a liminal space between the leafy suburbs of New Jersey and Manhattan’s urban canyons. Consequently, the taproom is a favored haunt of commuters, who prefer its laid-back milieu to the dog-eat-dog Financial District. Still, given Carton’s location within a wealthy enclave of the upper Jersey Shore, plenty of Atlantic Highlands residents frequent the establishment, gifting it with a bit of a “local” pub vibe.

Founded in 2011 by cousins Chris and Augie, their namesake taproom is situated in a compact two-story facility, with the brewery on the ground floor. New patrons are required to take the tour before ascending the stairs to the tasting room. Rather than buying one’s samples outright, customers must purchase tokens or “poker chips” first (available only after proof of the tour is provided) and then trade them in for “small pours.” Only a few styles are exempt, such as cask beers, which do not do present well in four-ounce drafts served in concave “taster” glasses. Repeat customers are subtly encouraged to pocket their last token to present upon return and obtain exemption from the obligatory brewing lesson (Augie Carton, interview with Saunders, May 20, 2014). Carton’s styles range from the sessionable Boat (Kölsch 4.2%) to high-ABV offerings like 077XX (East Coast DIPA 7.8%).

Themes in naming reinforce place and space, with the adjacent Atlantic Highlands Marina being referenced in the former and the first three digits of the area’s postal code in the latter. The tasting room is warm, casually designed, and gemütlich, with many ferry commuters (especially locals) stopping in after a day in Manhattan. Yet because the brewery is near an elementary school and on the very edge of a residential neighborhood, visitors’ consumption is well policed, and they are strongly encouraged to depart the premises quietly to avoid complaints to the local municipality. Like Kane, Carton has a large distribution platform; rather than investing in their own infrastructure, however, the brewery relies on third-party mobile canning services via a semi-trailer truck that comes to the brewery (Augie Carton, interview with Saunders, May 20, 2014).

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