Saturday 18th of February 2012 04:39:26 PM

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An Albuquerque must if you are into good beer. The IPA and Red are hophead favorites but they have also been putting out some sours lately that have been very good. Really busy on nice afternoons for the patio. Most evenings are pretty crowded but you can usually get a seat at a table or the bar. Light snacks available but you do not go for the food. Service best at the bar.

Tuesday 31st of May 2011 04:48:14 PM

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This place makes FANTASTIC beer! Especially if you are a hop head. Try them all if you can, they are consistently well above average! Their Red Ale, well what can I say, I have never found its equal. If you like hoppy reds, this is it! We drive to New Mexico from Colorado just to bring this beer back in bottles, it's that good. Their Imperial IPA and regular IPA are excellent as well. They have a lot of styles on tap at the brewery that they don't bottle, so it's fun to visit. GO DRINK HERE! We have been to over 150 breweries and this is in our top 5.

Tuesday 16th of November 2010 08:10:28 PM

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Located in a semi-industrial area in downtown Albuquerque it was worth finding. The tasting room/tap room (I wouldn’t call it a brewpub really) is attached to the actual warehouse sized brewery. I did notice their beers around at restaurants, so they get the word out I guess. The place is relaxed, good music playing, long bar, tables, booths and a couch clad sitting area. Very open and light that it reminded me of a coffee house really. They have food, but “limited menu” is an understatement, but I did have a kick-A green chili grilled cheese! Staff was very friendly and accommodating up until shift change, bummer. I had a taster of 9 out or the 10 beers on tap (yes, I passed on the wheat). I found the stand outs to be the Pilsner, Amber, Brown, and Oatmeal Stout. Although a hop head I wasn’t that taken by the IPA and Double IPA. They did have a Citra Pale Ale that was a tasty American Pale. All in all not a bad batch really and with the relaxed atmosphere and a good mix of folks, this is a stop the next time I am through the area.

Monday 15th of November 2010 01:58:23 PM

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This is a tasting room off the brewery in a fairly industrial area of town, and not well marked. The place was hopping at 3 pm on Sunday! They do have a couple sandwiches and really nice chips and fresh salsa, but not really a brewpub. Very rustic, and go up to the bar for your stuff...no wait staff here!

They had 10 beers on tap, all very good. The best beer I found in Albuquerque and Santa Fe for sure. The imperial red was my favorite, but the IPA was very well balanced. They sell growlers and six-packs at the bar as well.

Friday 19th of March 2010 05:27:27 PM

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Marble is a relatively large operation and you can find their beer on taps in various local restaurants and their bottles at local liquor stores. They also have one of the most attractive tap designs I think I've ever seen (hats off to whoever did that one). The brewpub is located in an industrial area just north of Downtown. There are no signs from the main street, so you should GPS it or look up directions before you get there. I-25 exit Lomas, west, first right after the railroad tracks. Don't try to walk it from Downtown: it looks close on maps, but it's not. In spite of the location, they hold relatively late hours and, the night we went, they didn't seem at all phased about going over those hours.
The tap room is adjacent to the brewery. There is a large patio facing Marble Avenue and the interior features a nice, comfortable space with old, wood floors, a long bar, lots of tables, and even a comfy couch by the door. The low lighting and bar music make it seem somewhat lounge-y. We sat at the end of the bar which, an hour out from closing, was still nearly full. No tasting trays, but they do 5oz samplers for $1.50 a piece, and that price includes all of the more expensive specialties.
Those beers are called "Brewmaster's Specials" and typically run higher on ABV% and on price. Pints are $4, 10oz glasses are $3, 22oz are $5.50. The "specials" that night included an ESB, a Triple IPA, an Imperial Stout and a Centennial Pale (out). I tried all of the available ones.
The regulars were what you'd expect, except they did have a double IPA in that list. I tried to get that but, again, they were out, and I had just had their IPA at a pizza place down the street, so I wasn't interested in sampling it again.
Clear winner, I think, was the red, and I did get a small taste of the double IPA (I guess they had some after all). Kelly's here in town does the same thing with their red, where it's more hoppy than sweet and malty. Great character, body and a really nice taste. I could do several pints of that.
Loser was definitely the ESB. Not one bit of the "B" that I could taste. I disliked everything about this beer except its color.
They have a nice IPA, but I won't go that far for the x2 and x3 versions. I was warned that the triple was actually more sweet than hoppy because they had tried to get the % up (topping off above 11%, which seems silly) and, yeah, that ruined it. It was just sort of gross.
The double was all hops and lacked the color, body and flavor that I like in good IPAs. You'd expect a higher % and hops version of their regular IPA, but you won't get that.
The imperial stout tasted a lot like bourbon with beer and espresso added. The menu said "pours like oil, tastes like chocolate espresso." I don't know that that's the most flattering description, but it was fairly apt. Came out at like 10.3%.
The rest of the beers were just, at best, marginal. I really did like that red and do like their IPA, but, if I lived in ABQ, I would mainly come here for the atmosphere. It's a really cool place and, if you're in town, it's worth a stop. I love brewpubs like this.
Food: Everything comes from Chama River, who owns this place as well as Blue Corn Cafe in Santa Fe. Menu is very, very limited, but you're allowed to bring your own food in. I didn't try it, but a lot of it looked really good.