“Beer” and “New Jersey” were rarely used in the same sentence a decade ago, but that’s all starting to change. With craft beer popularity on the rise, Carton Brewing Company, located in Atlantic Highlands, is making beer and New Jersey best buds (beer pun 100 percent intended).
Augie and Chris Carton, cousins and founders of Carton Brewing, have been beer fanatics their whole lives. While everyone has their own favorite style of beer, Augie and Chris enjoyed the bold and hoppy IPA’s (India Pale Ale) that were on the market. Although they were happy with what they were drinking, both realized a void in the market in New Jersey. So they decided to fill it.
“We wanted to be able to experience those types of flavors and aromatics without the overwhelming levels of alcohol. We set about solving that puzzle” said Augie.
And just like that, Mission: Make a Beer That Allows the Consumer to Experience Flavors and Aromatics Without the Overwhelming Levels of Alcohol was underway.
Not long after Augie and Chris set out on their mission, they created their Boat Beer, which was unlike any beer on the market. Boat Beer is described as “complex enough to merit drinking a few without being crippled by alcohol.” It’s crisp and refreshing and made with American hops. A beer perfect for Jersey Shore living. With Boat Beer, Augie and Chris opened Carton Brewing Company in August 2011 and haven’t slowed down, or looked back, since.
In May 2014, TEDxNavesink was entitled “Play,” and featured two dozen live talks focused on play and how it can be a useful resource in all aspects of life. Among the speakers was Augie Carton, who focused his talk around beer (obviously) and how the bubbly brew should be considered a cuisine in itself. Augie’s passion for his craft is evident in his talk, “Beer is Cuisine.”
Augie admits he had a difficult time coming up with the right topic for his TEDxNavesink talk. After putting his heart and soul into starting his business and selling his ideas to the community, discussing ideas and not selling his own during the talk was a lot easier said than done. Luckily, with proper guidance, Augie channeled his love for cuisine (the hundreds of cookbooks in his library are proof) and combined that with his passion for craft beers and gave a talk that brought him back to the reason Carton Brewing was created in the first place – to make great beer in the place he’d always called home.
Since then, Augie has produced a weekly podcast with John Holl from All About Beer Magazine called “Steal This Beer,” where both Augie and John do blind taste tests of two beers brought by their guests. The beer can be any style, as long as it is not made by the guests since the guest is usually a brewer, beer writer, or other industry player. Augie and John get to have candid conversations about the beer, good or bad. They did initially think about paid podcast advertising as a way to promote the podcast when it was in its early days, but ultimately decided to wait out the initial teething stage, as they were confident that they had a great idea and that their following would come naturally… which, of course, is exactly what happened.
“The whole idea of the forum was born out of how refreshing it was to step back from a hyper-focus on Carton and return to appreciating beer that was my TedXNavesink experience,” said Augie.
While the Carton’s are very proud of their accomplishments, they are also very proud of the place they were born and raised: New Jersey. Carton Brewing Company is as unique and diverse as the area it calls home.
“I think the greatest thing about New Jersey is that you kind of have to have a thick skin to survive and that there really are all types of people and opinions,” said Augie. “Carton, being born to natives of New Jersey, is prepared to take advantage of this”
New Jersey natives will speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and that’s the truth. This type of honesty is something Augie and Chris are thankful for. When coming up with new ideas and flavors, the Carton’s can always rely on their friends to give them honest feedback. Even if some of these people have used a New Jersey fake ID to try some of these beverages themselves, every bit of feedback helps, although this shouldn’t be encouraged. Being located in Monmouth County, Carton Brewing is exposed to every type of taste, so if Carton Brewing can engage those in Monmouth County with flavor, Augie has faith it will succeed elsewhere.
Carton Brewing Company is only four years old, which is hard to believe after looking at the success they’ve had. With the craft beer industry rapidly growing, and the great minds behind Carton Brewing Company always concocting new, flavorful ideas, it is safe to say the future is bright for Augie and his team.
Are you a fan of Carton Brewing Company beers? We want to know which one is your favorite! Comment in the section below.
Interested in people who craft their own ideas? TEDxNavesink Makers is the place for you. The event will be on April 9, 2016 at Monmouth University, and tickets are on sale now. Get them here.