Brewery: Marble
Location: Manchester, England
Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 5.0%
Version: Draught
Source: The Marble Arch, Manchester

A new Marble brew on the bar at the Marble Arch? Had to be done. Brew 1734 is (as I understand things) part of an ongoing series of experimental try-outs which have included the rather excellent Marble Brew 1691 strong ruby mild that I enjoyed so much a few months back.

Brew 1734 poured a deep red-brown with ruby highlights and delivered plenty of rich chocolate malt flavours, with hints of red wine & whisky and a slightly sour bitter-orange after-taste. It all started out rather nicely balanced and pleasantly drinkable, but I have to admit that by the end of the pint it had started to get a bit too sticky and cloying for my taste. So whilst I enjoyed most of my first pint of Brew 1734, I didn’t rush back for another, switching to a palate-cleansing pint of Marble Pint for my next one.

Maybe this one rolled out of the lab just a few months too soon? Because if they cranked up the ABV to something like 7% and stuck a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg in as well, I reckon Marble would have a cracking Xmas brew on their hands; a proper, spicy winter-warmer that would sit alongside the likes of Gouden Carlous Christmas without being at all abashed. What do you reckon to “Marble Cracker”? Quite a nice ring to it, I reckon.