By Chris Rotolo
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – Can ales, pilsners and stouts help deliver a punishing blow to the COVID-19 health crisis? New Jersey is about to find out.
“This is the most Jersey of Jersey ideas, and we’re happy to help any way we can,” said Augie Carton, a co-founder of Carton Brewing, a revered Garden State craft brewing company situated on First Avenue in the Bayshore borough of Atlantic Highlands.
Carton Brewing is part of an expanding list of breweries across the state participating in New Jersey’s “Shot and a Beer” program, a campaign launched earlier this month by the Office of the Governor and Department of Health, in partnership with the Brewer’s Guild of New Jersey.
The program serves as an outreach initiative to prompt eligible New Jersey residents, age 21 and older, to register for their COVID-19 vaccination.
Any New Jerseyan who receives their first vaccine dose in the month of May, and brings their vaccination card to a participating brewery, will receive a free glass of liquid gold from some of the state’s finest microbrewing operations.
Carton said he is skeptical that beer can convince the majority of New Jersey’s unvaccinated population to seek out their dose, but rather thinks it may inspire craft brewing enthusiasts who experienced eligibility issues during the registration process to give it another try.
“I don’t see this as a major incentive. Free beer doesn’t get people to change their mind or mood toward something. But if at one point you wanted this shot, and it was a pain in the ass in the beginning to get an appointment so it’s been out of sight and out of mind, I think we’re all hoping this helps get it off the back burner for those people,” Carton said.
According to Carton, this scenario describes most of his employees, the majority of whom are in their 20s and only recently became eligible to book a vaccination appointment as part of the food service industry.
“They were frustrated with the process and some of them sort of gave up trying for a while, so that mindset definitely checks out. But I know they all feel better serving the public now that they’re vaccinated. And they’d all feel even better if the people they were serving were vaccinated,” Carton added.
New Jersey’s “Shot and a Beer” program was predicated on a special allowance handed down by Gov. Phil Murphy in March, which permitted craft breweries to provide free beverages to the public. Previously, following harsh restrictions by the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control in 2018, distributing free beverages was prohibited. The restrictions also prohibit breweries from serving food on premises, partnering with local food trucks, and distributing the menus of local restaurants. Additionally, the restrictions limited breweries to hosting just 25 events annually in their tap rooms and barred them from participating in more than 12 off-site events annually.
Though these restrictions reduced the opportunities for craft brewing operations to draw additional patrons to their tap rooms through collaborative ventures, Carton said the most significant aspect of his company’s business still stems from distribution in restaurants and bars.
“What’s most important to a brewery like ours is (distribution in) New Jersey-owned, authentically independent restaurants and bars. As long as there’s a 6-foot social distancing mandate in place, these places are going to hit capacity between 25 and 50 percent. Seventy-five percent of our business is done in draft distribution at these locations. We need our neighbors to get vaccinated so we can continue to open up the state,” Carton said.
New Jersey’s “Shot and a Beer” program runs through the end of May.
In addition to Carton Brewing, fans of local craft beer can also visit Battle River Brewing in Toms River, Bradley Brew Project in Bradley Beach, Cypress Brewing in Edison, Kane Brewing in Ocean Township and Little Dog Brewing in Neptune.
To see a full list of participating breweries, visit covid19.nj.gov.
The article originally appeared in the May 13 – 19, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
