Marble Reserve Ale - Marble Brewery

mactrail

California

4.43/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Great aroma of whiskey and malt. A touch of smoke, a lot of sweet malt, and a boozy, mellow finish. Just enough hops to provide some bitterness to ease all the richness. Coppery amber in the wine glass. The barrel smell and flavors are not overly strong but they make an impression with the first sniff, and linger along with the hops at the end. Nose of smoky whiskey lingers even longer.

Sensationally good stuff. Not quite as sweet and syrupy as a barley wine. One of the better barrel-aged beers I've tried. Perfect sipping ale for three of us on a chilly night. Sweet like a liqueur with an herbal note.

My bottle neck was dipped in black wax and the date was 12-14-10. I bought it in Santa Fe last summer so it must be a year old.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2011 05:00:27 | More by mactrail

Hugonaut13

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

05-20-2013 01:15:05 | More by Hugonaut13

ajzy

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-10-2013 11:31:57 | More by ajzy

Gonzoillini

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

05-05-2013 20:14:35 | More by Gonzoillini

largadeer

California

4/5  rDev -3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A generous extra from GHB. Thanks!

Appearance: Pours a slightly hazy ruddy brown. A hard pour yields two fingers of clinging foam.

Smell: Stewed dark fruits up front, toffee, vanilla. Integrated oak and bourbon. Quite a bit of jammy date and raisin. There's a faded/oxidized hop note beneath all the richness.

Taste/mouthfeel: Sugary sweet. Heavy on the dark fruit flavors - a bit more than I'd like, but it's not hugely detrimental. Dates and raisins, almost quad-like in flavor profile. Plenty of vanilla coming from the oak, along with a touch of balancing dryness. Bourbon is present but far from overwhelming. Medium in body, leaning toward full; there's a lot of residual caramelized sugar here, despite the fairly modest ABV (for the style). Alcohol is very well hidden beyond a slight warming as it's going down.

Overall: Not spectacular, but very good. Marble is getting better at these barrel aged beers. I'd take their barrel aged imperial stout over this, but it's definitely worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 07:28:48 | More by largadeer

eawolff99

Minnesota

4/5  rDev -3.4%

04-04-2013 04:00:36 | More by eawolff99

Texasfan549

Texas

4/5  rDev -3.4%

04-02-2013 23:46:49 | More by Texasfan549

kjkinsey

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

04-02-2013 23:20:11 | More by kjkinsey

nzerbe

New York

4.75/5  rDev +14.7%

03-03-2013 12:55:03 | More by nzerbe

EyePeeAyBryan

Arizona

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

03-02-2013 16:15:13 | More by EyePeeAyBryan

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

02-19-2013 14:42:04 | More by RedneckBeerz

thebigredone

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

01-31-2013 00:09:17 | More by thebigredone

BentLegBrewer

Texas

4.46/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Wonderful overall beer. very heavy vanilla smell and taste. pours think smells great but if vanilla isnt your thing dont come near this. Good alcohol burn that is masked well with the creamy sweetness. Split it, dont tackle this by yourself i fear that it would be similar to going after a pint of ice cream taste great with regrets later.

Serving type: bottle

01-24-2013 22:19:54 | More by BentLegBrewer

SkeeterBoganski

Colorado

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

A - mahogany brown with very minimal head; no real carbonation present; minimal lacing yet still sticky looking

S - light bourbon notes; some real mild vanilla; smell is pretty mild in general...probably the only aspect this beer underwhelms

T - having just had Fruet last week, I can comfortably compare this as Fruet junior; dark fruit; fig; vanilla; bourbon; burnt sugar; candied grapes...damn good

M - medium bodied; lacking in carbonation; pretty smooth; not at all boozy, but still pleasantly bourbony

O - overall, I'm really impressed with the value here...$12 for this beer is amazing. It's got great flavor and honestly, that's where this one shines. Mouthfeel and nose are less than impressive, but the Abv and flavor notes are great.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 00:34:12 | More by SkeeterBoganski

chugalug06

Colorado

4.15/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Amazing, bubbly, foamy, fluffy, cream colored head. Brew is ruby red with awesome glacial clarity and tons of browns. Good lacing too.

Great bubble gum, vanilla, oak, bourbon, sugar, dryness, cinnamon, and caramel.

Whoa. Much different than the aroma. Creamy vanilla on the back end and burnt/roasted caramel sugar on the front. Almost a rubbery aftertaste. Lots of bourbon and a bittering heat. Carbonation is nice and light; much less than the appearance.

Slightly all over the board, could use some more rounding.. Not sure I could drink a ton of this, but very glad I tried it. I’ll grab another to see what it does in time.. Beware: this brew packs a serious punch. It's a 4.25 Overall, but I don't get that choice...

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 01:22:09 | More by chugalug06

EgadBananas

Louisiana

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

01-03-2013 15:17:15 | More by EgadBananas

JOrtt

California

4/5  rDev -3.4%

01-01-2013 18:45:31 | More by JOrtt

rodlavers

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

2013 vintage Reserve Ale.

Served on tap at the brew pub in Santa Fe, poured into a pint glass. Probably an inappropriate vessel for a beer of this nature. Freezing cold, needs to warm up considerably.

Not really much head, which is tan in color, recedes quickly, and leaves little behind. Super dark ruby/blood red in color, perhaps a bit of dark brown wood coloring.

Smells of bourbon/vanilla forward, with molasses and maybe subtle malt.

Taste obviously similar to smell, but I'll go ahead and emphasize as necessary. Bourbon/vanilla/molasses up front, with ever-so-slight malt in the middle and sweet bourbon finish.

Mouthfeel is silky smooth with a fantastic lingering aftertaste. Medium to light carb.

Overall this is delicious. It is definitely trying to be Backwoods Bastard, which is fine. It's not as good as the aforementioned favorite, but it's very good, and probably mislabeled here as an American Strong Ale. Must try. Cheers.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2012 02:18:17 | More by rodlavers

mikereaser

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

reviewed blind thanks to the best BIF out there, Blind BIF 7

Bottle labeled #7 from quirkzoo

Pours from a black waxed 22 oz. bottle, its a murky deep chestnut brown with a half inch of tan foam that retreats to a layer of soapy bubbles leaving some decent lacing. The aroma is a mix of vanilla, coffee or some other roasted smell, there is a hint of sweetness that could be bourbon and maybe hazelnut as well. The first sip hits you with a lot of bourbon and vanilla, there is still that hazelnut sticking with it too. In the finish there is sort of a char burnt flavor to it that I think detracts from it a bit. Overall I am liking this beer but I think its hurt by the finish. The body seems too thin for a barleywine, maybe a strong ale as well. I've definitely never had this one before, the flavor seems very distinct to me, so I guess i'll pull off the cover and see what it is…

Marble Brewery Reserve Ale (aged in bourbon barrels)

so I wasn't too far off. Definitely one i've never had before. I really get a lot of hazelnut and that is one of my lesser favorite flavors in beer. I enjoyed it but was ready to be done with it at the end of the bottle.

Thanks quirkzoo for another new beer in this great BIF.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 06:04:16 | More by mikereaser

maximum12

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to GHB, who opened my eyes to this fine little brewery. 22 oz. bottle, black waxed, split with my wife.

Pour is darkest red leaning forward into light brown, surprisingly frothy for a big, bad, ale. Bourbon aroma washes out of bottle & fills up the room at first splash. Vanilla, candy sweets, caramel round out a nice foreshadowing.

Marble Reserve Ale is tough to pigeonhole. There's a healthy shot of caramel along with a double-shot of whiskey runs rampant over the rest of the beer, almost like a poor-man's Backwoods Bastard. Brown sugar & vanilla tidal surge underneath. Let this one warm up; it's much better. A touch thin is offset by the fact I want to gulp this like hose water.

I've been on a good-beer roll that's really going to dent my reputation as a crank; I need to choose something shitty, soon. This isn't. It morphed from good to excellent as it warmed. Very nice. Can't wait to try the stout.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 03:18:08 | More by maximum12

djmichaelk

Florida

4.25/5  rDev +2.7%

10-26-2012 00:42:40 | More by djmichaelk

t0rin0

California

4/5  rDev -3.4%

10-25-2012 01:42:21 | More by t0rin0

DRyan

Texas

3.65/5  rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Bomber, brewed 4/5/12 served 10/14/12, poured into a Jester King Tulip glass served at 45 degrees.

A: Pours a purplish-reddish-brown with a mildly tan head that builds somewhat like a stout, but then thins out within a couple of minutes leaving behind thick lacing.
S: Mmmmm. Vanilla beans, toffee, sweetness in general, and a hint of cognac. Smells very similar to the 5-year-old Old Dominion Millennium barleywine I enjoyed a month back.
T: Unfortunately does not live up to the aroma. It's barleywine-esque, but has a strong bite to it, and not your average alcohol bite. It's almost an astringent like flavor. Not sure how to describe it other than "dislike." As it warmed up a bit, the sting softened quite a bit, but was still there. If it wasn't for that, this would rate MUCH higher on taste.
M: Smooth, somewhat velvety, but not thick
D: If it weren't for that unknown bite this would be great. I have a second bottle I'm going to age and I hope in a year or two when I try it again that sting will be eliminated.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2012 00:28:34 | More by DRyan

beergoot

Colorado

4.23/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Deep mahogany red body topped off with a sticky, creamy, thick head; rings of lacing cling to the glass. Aroma exudes strong caramel and nougat; butterscotch; rich toasted malt. Warmed honey flavor on the initial taste, followed by caramel and crystal malt goodness; alcohol heat and hop bitterness combine nicely at the finish. Medium-heavy body with a rich, sugary smoothness.

A deep and complex brew; nicely put together and a pleasure to drink. I'll be looking for some more bottles to sip on during the upcoming colder months...

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 19:29:49 | More by beergoot

MarkyMOD

Colorado

4/5  rDev -3.4%

09-19-2012 07:04:09 | More by MarkyMOD