Carton Brewery Oct 2015

Augie Carton, co-owner of Carton Brewing Company, shown here in the brewery's Atlantic Highlands taproom. Carton is one of the leaders in New Jersey's craft beer explosion. (Rob Spahr | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Brewery licenses have increased 203 percent in New Jersey since 2012 legislation designed to foster craft brewing in the Garden State.

Beer manufacturing is also at a record high in the state, according to data from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. As of Sept. 30, there were 88 brewery licenses issued in New Jersey -- outpacing the number of wine producer licenses for the first time.

The state had only five breweries when the TTB began tracking it in 1994. That number ticked up over the years, but began a meteoric rise in 2012 when Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation to encourage the growth of microbreweries.

The law has helped craft breweries develop more flexible ways to sell, said Gene Muller, president of Flying Fish brewery in Cherry Hill. Before the legislation, small retailers were forced to work solely through distributors. Now they can market directly on their premises.

"It used to be really hard when you were starting out," said Muller, who is also treasurer of the Garden State Craft Brewers Guild. "These days, every time you turn around there's a new brewery."

The guild has grown from 16 to 90 members, more than 70 of which are licensed breweries, he said.

Conclave Brewing, Kane Brewing Company and Carton Brewing Company are some of the top-rated breweries to emerge in the past few years.

The state still has plenty of room to grow. New Jersey had 51 craft breweries in 2015, according to the Brewers Association, making it 45th in the nation for craft breweries per capita.

Muller cited remaining restrictive laws for preventing further growth. Breweries are required to give tours to customers before they offering a tasting, no matter if the person is a repeat customer. They also are not allowed to offer food.

"We're plugging away to get some changes made," he said. "Some of these laws haven't changed since Prohibition."

The state legislature is considering a bill that would allow breweries to sell their products at farmer's markets.

In contrast, wine production in the state has seen a steady, slow increase since 1997. The state had 74 wine producers as of Sept. 30, with Atlantic, Gloucester, Cape May, and Hunterdon Counties leading the state in number of producers.

Erin Petenko may be reached at epetenko@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @EPetenko. Find NJ.com on Facebook.