Interview with Augie Carton of Carton Brewing Co.

Q: What social media accounts does Carton Brewing Co. actively maintain?
A: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Untappd


Q: What would you say is the preferred medium for social media use for
Carton Brewing Co.?
A: Facebook


Q: Is that the same medium where you feel as though there is the most activity occurring between Carton Brewing Co. and the public?
A: Untappd


Q: There is a lot of communication heads from different microbreweries who discuss how social media has either begun or furthered the conversation between the company and the customer, do you agree with this sentiment?
A; Yes. We make beers that are far outside the norm tools like untappd let us get direct feedback in real time.


Q: We are actually friends on Untapped, what do you feel are the benefits to this medium of social media over others?
A: I can evaluate feedback. If a guy that likes shandys orders a monkey chased the weasel and hates it I know not to worry he thought he was getting a juice beer rather than a sour. If the same guy loves Tart of Darkness it's worth spending the time to get more detailed feedback


Q: Are there any other beer centered social media sites in which you like and/or have accounts for?
A: I have accounts for ratebeer and BA but find them too geared toward second generation American craft drinkers. We are looking for third.


Q: Do you feel that Social media has played a helping role in expanding the popularity of Microbreweries and/or the beverages in which they produce?
A: As much as it helps any niche market.


Q: Do you find that Social media has played a helping hand in achieving popularity and/or success for Carton Brewing Co.?
A: Not sure. It's as likely someone hates sour beers as loves them so it can hurt as much as help. What it lets us do is figure out if we are achieving our goals.

Image Courtesy of: http://beerstainedletter.blogspot.com/

Scarface Imperial Stout (Bourbon Barrel Aged)

Style: American Double/ Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.5%

IBUs: 70

Suggested Serving Temp.: Room temperature

Description: Malts: American 2-row, Belgian Dark Caramel, French Coffee Malt, Chilean Black Malt and English Roasted Barley Hops: Columbus. 20% of the batch being brewed in diverted to Heaven Hill Bourbon Barrels, several of the barrels are topped with cacoa nibs for San Franciscan organic chocolate growers. Suggested tastes of roasted malts and cocoa with a complex variation from start to finish. 

Rating:8.3/10
Review:(Served in wine glass out of 22oz bottle)

  Appearance: The color is dark and heavy, light does not penetrate when it is held to it. Tan ginger head which quickly disperses leaving behind slight bubbles. Fair lacing. 

  Smell: Smells strongly of roasted malts and slight bitter cocoa. 

  Taste: Taste is smooth, rightfully smoother then one would expect from an imperial stout. It is heavy but slight creamy. A wide complexity of cocoa and roasted malts is experienced as it travels the tongue. 

  Mouthfeel: Heavy, but smooth and slightly creamy.

  Overall: It was a pleasant surprise to find an imperial stout with such a subtle mouthfeel and virtually no alcohol kick while still maintaining a pretty high ABV.

Web Link:
N/A

Anderson Valley" The Kimmie, the Yink, and Holy Gose

Style: Gose

ABV: 4.2%

IBUs: NA

Suggested Serving Temp.: 40-50 Degrees

Description: Pale two-row and cara-crystal malts pared with bravo hops. "Before boiling, the wort is kettle soured with lactobacillus, imparting an initial refreshing tartness that gives way to a subtle fullness." Flavors of guava and peach are followed by a slight sea salt dryness and lemon sourness that is enhanced by coriander and post-fermentation additions of salt." ~(Anderson Valley)

Rating: 8.2/10

Review:(Served in wine glass out of 12oz can)

  Appearance: Light and golden in color, with creamy tan head.

  Smell: Smells of sour, with slight coriander and pepper.

  Taste: Medium body, a lighter sour with a heavy presence of sea salt.  Tart lemonade with a salty brim.

  Mouthfeel: Light crisp, carbonation is mild but the brew is still zesty and peculiar puckering from the sour saltiness. 

  Overall: Awesome, first time having a gose style beer and I am really looking forward to enjoying more. The sourness was light but still present and combination made me feel like i just wiped out at the beach and got kicked in the face with salt water, but in a good way.

Web Link:
https://avbc.com/the-kimmie-the-yink-the-holy-gose/

Allagash Tripel Reserve

Style: Abbey Tripel, Strong Golden Ale

ABV: 9.0%

IBUs: NA

Suggested Serving Temp.: 40-50 Degrees

Description: Marked by notes of passionfruit and herbs in the aroma accompanied by suggested banana and honey in a complex pallet for a smooth finish. 

Rating: 7.9%

Review:(Served on tap in 10oz snifter glass)

  Appearance: Light golden color with very slim head which remains for a good while. A good amount of carbonation. Quite hazy overall.  

  Smell: A lot of bread yeast and spices not much grapefruit as was suggested. 

  Taste: Medium body, heavy presence of belgian yeasts with a slight herbal spiciness, fair amount of tartness but also honey is present in the finish. 

  Mouthfeel: Lighter to medium body with a good amount of carbonation. 

  Overall: Delicious, good for sipping on and noticing its complex attributes.

Web Link:
http://www.allagash.com/beer/year-round/tripel

Allagash Curieux

Style: Bourbon Barrel Aged Strong Ale
ABV: 11%
IBUs: NA
Suggested Serving Temp: 40%-50%

Description: It is the Triple Ale aged for 8 weeks in Jim Bean bourbon barrels in cold cellars. Suggested tastes of coco and vanilla with hints of bourbon.

Rating: 8.2/10
Review:  (Served on tap in 10 oz snifter glass)
  Appearance: Golden color with about of nice tan head that fades to lacing, fair amount of carbonation.
  Smell: Strong sent of vanilla and oak from the barrels, along with belgian yeasts.
  Taste: Tastes strongly of banana, along with belgian yeast and a slight spice. The bourbon is quite present in the finish.
  Mouthfeel: Really quite balanced, light for a barrel aged style. Good carbonation as well.
  Overall: Overall, really enjoyable and not to heavy, taste in unique in fruity and spicy forwardness, with great vanilla oak and bourbon towards the finish.

Web link:
http://www.allagash.com/beer/year-round/curieux

About Me

Here's a little video about myself and a little background surrounding my interests with the beer industry:

http://youtu.be/jbjwqSG9MsU

Misson Statement

             Skunk Beer is a blog dedicated to everything beer. It is the source to go to for honest reviews of strange brews. There will be a fair degree of bias used in the review process because taste buds are bias and always changing. Please feel free comment with your own thoughts on a review or the product the review was concerning. It is our goal to provide a comfortable environment where the beer community can actively engage in friendly discussion. Skunk Beer is here to present the public with an adequate description of each drink presented, in the hopes that the details will speak for themselves. The blog will also soon contain interviews with brewmasters and other experts in the industry, with topics concerning everything from their own tastes, memorable stories (at least the ones they remember), and their thoughts concerning the state of the beer industry. We will also take a gander at the history of beer and how the craft brewery movement has expanded in recent years. So please come back, read, share, and bask in all the glory that is beer.

Cheers!
     ~Nat