The Way I See It
Marlowe Artisanal Ales

A: very slight haze; pale gold in color; 1 finger finely pored white head that receded to a wispy cap with a moderate tight collar; nice lacing;

S: grain with corn sweetness;

T:follows the nose from start to finish with a touch of hop spice at the end; mild to moderate bitterness at the end;

M: light to medium bodied; moderate carbonation; moderately dry finish;

O: easy drinking; refreshing;

 

Canned 2022/04/11
Pours a frothy foamy 1.5 finger head with moderate retention, soapy lacing, mostly clear slight chill haze golden pilsner color

Nose big grainy sweet pilsner malt, cereal, doughy, raw bread dough, straw, light herbal floral hops, hint of corn

Taste brings more grainysweet pilsner malt, cereal, straw, quite doughy again, hint of pilsner corn, fair herbal floral hop with lighter bitterness, fruity pebbles later with med-light bitterness

Mouth is med to a bit lighter bod, soft lager, high frothy carb

Overall not bad, decent lager, not really a German inspired since it is barely hopped, but decent lager in general

 

 

Marlowe Artisanal Ales "The Way I See It"
16 fl. oz. can coded "SNAKE BEER 11/04/21 11:03". Sampled on 05/02/22.
$4 @ Kunda Beverage, King of Prussia, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: I'm afraid of snakes so I'm not real attatched to the label art although I can clearly see that it's not a venomous snake. That goes back to my first run in with a motorcycle gang at the tender age of 5 but that's a story for some other time. It's poured a lightly hazy golden body beneath a full head of white foam that seems to be holding quite well. The aroma suggests to me Pilsner malt and noble hops but there's something a little different. Is there some citrus in there? Perhaps some Saphir hops? I don't know but it's not just the standards. I will suggest that it's got some Tettnanger to it though. Maybe even a touch of Saaz, but who knows? On to the taste then... it's grassy, a touch spicy, mildly herbal, and a little bit fruity. I'm thinking citrus but there's also a hint of melon. Regardless, it remains very much a straightforward Pilsner. The malt is grainy, bready, and lightly grassy. It's got a clean, deep bitterness that balances it, and it finishes dry with some spiciness, grass, and delicate herbs (sage, lemon balm) lingering shortly. In the mouth it's medium bodied and crisp. The head has held up remarkably well and I've still got a solid sufrace covering about halfway through. There's a good bit of lacing left behind as well. All in all this is a very nicely done Pilsner. The label reads "german-inspired lager" but this is really more than just a helles. It could pass, yes, as there are some new German brewers that are stretching things out a bit but by my reckoning this would better fit the "Pilsner" style, and a mid to north German one at that - the southern Pilsners are generally softer and sweeter. Quite enjoyable!
Review #7,930

Pours a gorgeous clear pale gold with three fingers of off-white foam head. Decent retention, rocky dissipation and sudsy lacing.

Restrained nose with herbal hops, water cracker and a touch of sulfur, giving the aroma a bit of a snap.

Relatively sweet and cakey tasting up front, with some more style-appropriate mineral water and moderate bitterness in the finish. A hint of peanut also shows in the aftertaste, which to me comes across as a brewing flaw.

Thicker bodied feel than expected. Just enough carbonation to keep things lively.

The amazing look and smell set high expectations that the taste and feel unfortunately didn’t meet for me. 11/4/21 canning date.

 

 

Canned on 11/4/21; consumed on 12/1/21

Pours a softly fogged lemon-gold body capped with two fingers of fluffy, soapy, white foam; good head retention leaves just under a finger of creamy cap, an expansive, moderate collar, and layers of thin, webby lacing circling the walls of the glass.

Aromas of fresh dough meet a mineralic spritz overlay upfront as white bread is invigorated with tinges of integrated peppercorn into an airy straw/flaky grain close.

Taste opens to a clean minerality with underlying fresh bread dough and water cracker lingering upfront; a tinge of honey wisps through flaked grain and soft bread crusts over the mid-palate, with a grassy back end accenting lighter tones of straw lingering through the finish.

Mouthfeel features a light body paired with a fluffy, full carbonation rounding across the mid-palate with a clean, pillowy grit; a taut, mineralic graze over the back end contributes to a growing crispness into a quenchingly dry finish.

A clean, perfectly quenching interpretation of a German Pilsner, though lacking a depth of malt character for a more evocative peak; a safe lager, toying with a deeper complexity without ever quite engaging.