Marble Reserve Ale
Marble Brewery

 

 

Clear red/brown color. Modest tan head, some lace.
Aroma of booze, sweet malt, dark fruit.
Taste of bourbon, vanilla, molasses, raisins.
Sweet, easy-drinking.

Currently #11 in the Top New Mexico beers list.

BOTTLE: 1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass format with a standard pry-off crown cap. 2018 vintage. Sleek label design.

9.0% ABV. "Reserve ale | ale aged in oak barrels." "Aged in bourbon barrels."

Served chilled into a Guinness goblet and allowed to come to temperature over the course of consumption.

HEAD: ~2cm in height. Very pale khaki-white colour. Supple, creamy, somewhat thick. Not frothy or weak, but not viscous or robust either. Leaves no lacing on the sides of the glass as it recedes. Retention is average for the style & ABV (~2-3 minutes).

BODY: Deep auburn in colour. Translucent. Nontransparent. I see no yeast/lees within. Could be more vibrant, but it has a glow to it.

Appears aptly (i.e. mildly) carbonated. I note no obvious flaws.

AROMA: Leather, molasses, gooey goopy malt sweetness, rich barrel sugars, scintillae of dark fruit (plum & raisin mainly), a faint suggestion of tawny port wine/grape, caramel, brown malt.

I'm not finding overt bourbon barrel or oak wood...just barrel sugars (no toasted white oak, coconut, or authentic vanilla).

No overt hoppy aromatics. No overt off-notes. Doesn't seem boozy.

Aromatic intensity is above average. Suggests a somewhat complex ale that's on the sweeter side but lacks the rich barrel character they so openly market it for.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Thick and gooey, but lacking the refined richness of malt character it needs to justify it. Comes off a bit over-sweet and overly heavy as a result, though it does drip with hints of barrel character...barrel sugar sweetness, some leather. No oak, overt bourbon, rich white oak, toasted coconut, or authentic vanilla though.

Caramalt, brown malt, hints of dark fruit. No overt hoppy notes or off-notes. I do get a hint of burnt malt bitterness towards the finish.

Smooth, wet, filling, unrefreshing. Dries towards the finish, allowing its raisin flavour to rise to the surface.

OVERALL: It'll prove a bit of a chore to finish this given its sweetness and weight, but it's not a bad beer by any means. More time in barrels to mature, a better selection of bourbon barrel to begin with, and better attenuation would help this get more in line with the complex barrel-aged ale profile they're clearly after. I wouldn't buy this again or bother aging it...too sweet, sludgy, and heavy.

C / AVERAGE

Picked up a bomber from TW Arrowhead on 3-1-18 for $13.99. Bottled on 11-4-17.

Beer poured reddish brown with an okay off white head that dissipated quickly.

Nose is quite nice, bourbon forward with notes of vanilla and some citrus.

Taste is light bourbon and vanilla, citrus, finishing with a decent pine bite.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and very smooth.

Overall a pricey indulgence that was very enjoyable. Reminds me of the Founders hoppy barrel aged beer. Well done!

 

Thanks to leftpaw for bringing this one out to March Madness. Pours a dark brass and copper kind of color, thin off white head in the 1/5" range. Aroma of vanilla, wood and booze.

Taste had the old days maltiness, toffee, more wet muddled vanilla. This is definitely old ale territory, the hops are super mild and not contributing much of anything to the beer. The alcohol has a sting and a slight metallic, dark fruit and nuts bitterness about it. The mouthfeel is sticky. The barrel notes are less than average, does not seem to be a long time spent in barrels. Light sweetness. Equal parts old ale, english barleywine, bdsa and quad at times. Its good and was relatively affordable at $15 I think.

 

 

 

This was poured into a snifter. The appearance was a ruddy brown color with a one finger white to off white foamy head that dissipated within about a minute leaving a light foamy trickling lacing. The smell had a deep caramel maltiness combining with a decent boozy vanilla and offering a delicate chocolate and coffee. The taste had a deep sweet boozy hotness allowing the chocolate, coffee and vanilla to combine and intermingle with the booze. On the palate, this one sat about a medium on the body with a fair sessionable aspect about it. The carbonation was good for the style as it was fairly harsh but not too much. Light boozy vanilla rolls over my tongue to the finish. Overall, wow, what a really nice offering!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours caramel brown with a slight khaki head. Aroma is sweet with a touch of roast; bourbon, vanilla from the oak, toffee, dark pitted fruit, bread, leather. Flavor follows suit but with a bitter earthy and herbal finish. A thinner medium body. Overall, good beer.

Thank you gatheredwaters for this
22 oz bottle, dated 9/3/14, poured into a snifter

A- A clear deep red/brown with a two finger off white head.

S- Bourbon, toffee, caramel, some dark fruits, faint vanilla, oak, hints of earthy/piney hops.

T- Caramel, toffee, dark fruits oak, some bourbon, char, earthy/wet grass hops.

M- Medium body.

O- A decent bourbon barrel beer, could be balanced better. Smelled great up taste didn't follow up that while. Remind me of a barelywine.

 

 

 

Dark fruit, caramel, sweet vanilla, oak, bourbon. Incredibly smooth.

22 oz. bottle poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Pours dark amber with a very thin off-white head.

Smell: Oak, toffee, vanilla, bourbon. Bourbon is fairly muted compared to many BBA barleywines out there, but definitely present and there is quite a bit going on with the base. Balanced and fairly complex overall.

Taste: Tons of caramel malt with bourbon and oak bringing up the rear. Bourbon is more prominent here than in the aroma, but ultimately the caramel malt really takes over, making this pretty sweet. Good, but could use some more hops or barrel character to balance out the malt a bit.

Mouthfeel: Full=bodied, medium carbonation. A little sticky given all of the caramel malt,

Overall: Solid offering, if a bit unbalanced.

 

 

 

 

Pours an effervescent orange/ chestnut with a pinky of tan head. Stays effervescent, great lacing & above average head retention

S: Brandy, leafy hops, dark fruit

T: Plummy, figgy, dry & a touch boozey up front, some leafy hops. Slight sourmash notes combine, raisins & figs as this warms. Finishes dry with woody & herbal hops, with figgyness & just a whisper of apple crumble

MF: Medium bodied, light carbonation, skews fruity, thins out a touch as this warms

Booze & ABV are well hidden, a nice offering, not mind blowing

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance: Pours cola brown with a thin head that drizzles strands and leaves a Rohrschach pattern of lace about an inch above the liquid line

Smell: Caramel, fig, raisins and hazelnuts; Bourbon, oak and vanilla, also

Taste: Caramel, vanilla and Bourbon tones, up front, with the fig, raisin and hazelnut flavors developing mid-palate; somewhat surprising bitterness in the finish, though the oak and sweeter tones linger

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: But for the mouthfeel, this Strong Ale verges on Barleywine territory; an excellent beer from a brewery that deserves to be better known on a national scale

Thanks, sunkistxsudafed, for the opportunity