The M curves sharply, an extra leg on the left side bent like an arm pulling on a beer engine. The lowercase \u201ca-r-l-o-w-e\u201d flows softly and freely like a leaf floating down a stream. It\u2019s a soft signature, a combination of letters pulled together like stitches patching up a pair of jeans. You\u2019ll find the word Marlowe<\/a> on everything at this Upstate New York brewery, including proudly plastered across the wall in the taproom.<\/p>\n During our conversation, owner and founder Zac Ross pauses to gaze at the letters. Something, he tells me, he does every day. <\/p>\n \u201cEvery single time I do,\u201d he shares, \u201cI\u2019m reminded to refocus.\u201d <\/p>\n Named after Ross\u2019 grandfather, Marlowe Artisanal Ales carries on a family legacy. A composer, Marlowe wrote the music played at Ross\u2019 parents\u2019 wedding. <\/p>\n When Ross first started thinking about starting his own beer brand, he struggled to come up with a name, tossing around ideas with his family. <\/p>\n His mom suggested Marlowe. <\/p>\n Then, while going through boxes full of old memorabilia at their parents\u2019 house, Ross\u2019 younger brother found the actual piece of music he composed. At the bottom, Marlowe had signed his name. <\/p>\n \u201cThat was it,\u201d Ross remembers. <\/p>\n Now, Marlowe the brewery has become Ross\u2019 own piece of music, a soulful series of beers compiled into one harmonious sip-phony.<\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Marlowe Artisanal Ales<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When Ross and his brother walked into Voodoo\u2019s first taproom on its opening day in 2012, he hadn\u2019t brewed a single beer. Sure, he loved beer, but for the freelance journalist working for Runner\u2019s World, drinking beer was as far as he\u2019d gone. All he knew, though, was that he loved it. <\/p>\n As they sat drinking beers, Ross says his brother told him, \u201cYou should work here.\u201d<\/p>\n Flagging down someone from behind the bar, Ross\u2019 brother pitched them. <\/p>\n They responded, \u201cEveryone would love to work here,\u201d chuckles Ross. \u201cSo I told them I\u2019d work for free.\u201d <\/p>\n Voodoo asked for Ross\u2019 phone number and hired him. <\/p>\n Working sans salary or paycheck at Voodoo for six months, Ross picked up all the odds-and-end jobs, eventually earning a full-time, paying role. <\/p>\n \u201cMy official job title was Zac of All Trades!\u201d he laughs, noting Voodoo even printed that title on his business cards. <\/p>\n Through his job at Voodoo, Ross met some folks from Richmond who told him about a new brewery opening\u2014The Answer. <\/p>\n \u201cI ended up taking a leap of faith,\u201d shares Ross, who moved to Virginia to work as The Answer\u2019s assistant brewer. <\/p>\n He admits he had a bit of an \u201cidentity crisis\u201d down there, even considering leaving craft beer. <\/p>\n Instead, he moved home, taking over as head brewer at Kent Falls. \u201cThat\u2019s where I reignited this passion for craft beer and found my purpose for staying,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n When I ask exactly why Ross reignited his spark at Kent Falls, he pauses for a second, considering how he wants to phrase his answer. <\/p>\n \u201cI rebelled pretty aggressively against the beers we made at The Answer\u2014overly fruited sours and adjuncted stouts,\u201d he says. \u201cAlcohol and sugar are unhealthy, addictive substances. \u2026 I thought I was morally degrading myself.\u201d <\/p>\n At the working-farm brewery in Kent, CT, Ross found himself on a farm, brewing low-ABV beers with locally grown and sourced ingredients. \u201cBeers that are tied to a sense of place,\u201d he says. \u201cIt just really struck a chord with me.\u201d <\/p>\n So much so that when Ross finally had a chance to start his own brand several years later, he centered it around a few key things: local, low-ABV, lovable beers that spoke a universal language. <\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Marlowe Artisanal Ales<\/p>\n<\/div>\n If Kent Falls brought back the spark, Twelve Percent Beer brought him freedom. <\/p>\n When Twelve Percent asked Ross to be the head brewer for around twenty brands (those like Evil Twin, Root+Branch, Timber, for instance), he accepted on one condition. <\/p>\n He could start his own brand.<\/p>\n Whenever space opened up in a tank, Ross brewed a Marlowe beer. <\/p>\n The brand took off after two or three years, so Twelve Percent asked him to step back and focus on Marlowe full time. <\/p>\n Admitting he got a little bored, Ross says, \u201cI was losing my mind.\u201d <\/p>\n Eventually, he left Twelve Percent to open his own taproom. <\/p>\n After a brief stint in downtown Nyack, Ross cut the ribbon on Marlowe\u2019s current brick-and-mortar in the old Decadent spot in Mamaroneck, NY. <\/p>\n With its hand-painted chairs from Goodwill and framed beer boards (also from Goodwill), the taproom has that \u201cmix-and-match kitchen table sort of feel,\u201d says Carla Waclawski, who joined Marlowe in 2022 and does everything from designing the labels to painting a big mural on the brewery\u2019s wall to cellaring, packaging, and whatever else needs a hand. <\/p>\n The taproom has become a gathering place in Upstate New York, a place where you\u2019ll find just pretty good beer<\/em> (Marlowe\u2019s words, not ours), good vibes, and occasionally beers on cask. \u201cWe can\u2019t keep them on,\u201d says Ross, \u201cwhich is the best feeling in the world!\u201d<\/p>\n All contribute to what Ross loves so much about brewing. \u201cThere is no more universal language than craft beer,\u201d he says. Even with friends who don\u2019t speak the same language, Ross can connect with them over beer and food. \u201cThat\u2019s language enough,\u201d he says. \u201cBeer has been around for a millennium for that purpose.\u201d <\/p>\n He adds, \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re here.\u201d <\/p>\n When Marlowe first started, Ross brewed lower-alcohol, highly drinkable beers\u2014ESB, American pales, and pale lagers, for instance. <\/p>\n These days, while Ross says that it is still a focus, he doesn\u2019t constrict himself to a single style. <\/p>\n \u201cWe just want to make beer that people can sit and drink while having a great conversation,\u201d says Waclawski, who originally went to school for medical art illustration before finding her way to beer because it offered more creativity. <\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Marlowe Artisanal Ales<\/p>\n<\/div>\n That means you\u2019ll find everything from English styles to double IPAs to German and Czech lagers to dark lagers. <\/p>\n For instance, My Little Shadow, a German-inspired dark lager that is Waclawski\u2019s favorite label. She drew her cat, Max, in the front room of her apartment. \u201cIt\u2019s simple,\u201d she says, \u201cbut it makes me feel good.\u201d <\/p>\n While Ross frequently changes up the tap list at Marlow, the one beer that never changes and always makes people feel good is Eager to Share<\/a>. <\/p>\n It\u2019s the first beer Ross brewed for Marlowe, and a flagship. <\/p>\n Ross brewed this American pale ale as an ode to the Hill Farmsteads, Sierra Nevadas, and Trilliums who made old-school pale ales their cornerstone. <\/p>\n \u201cBut none of them were making a modern pale ale,\u201d says Ross, who makes Marlowe\u2019s version with Citra and Mosaic, along with an aggressive dry-hop\u2014three pounds per barrel. <\/p>\n Ross\u2019s true test and point of pride with this beer is when \u201csomebody cracks open a can, and I can smell it across the bar.\u201d <\/p>\n Incredibly smooth and easy drinking, Eager to Share doesn\u2019t crush your palate like an IPA or DIPA, but offers a maltier balance and body that welcomes the hops in like a neighbor beckoning you inside out of the rain. <\/p>\n \u201cWe were just super eager to share it,\u201d says Ross, who gave the very first can to his grandmother for her ninetieth birthday. <\/p>\n It\u2019s still her favorite beer. \u201cHer automatic number one,\u201d laughs Ross, who shares that love. \u201cI drink a whole ton.\u201d <\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Marlowe Artisanal Ales<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The joke\u2019s on us, really. <\/p>\n When Ross started working in breweries, he said everyone had the same core lineup\u2014a pilsner, IPA, and brown ale, because that\u2019s what they homebrewed. <\/p>\n \u201cBrown ales were the easiest style to make,\u201d Ross explains. <\/p>\n You\u2019ll find all three at Marlowe. But these aren\u2019t some homebrew batches. <\/p>\n Like everything at Marlowe, they\u2019re humble yet extraordinary. <\/p>\n Inspired by a brown ale from Hill Farmstead called George, Ross sought to make a beer almost like a porter but still light enough to be considered a brown ale. \u201cI just wanted to drink that more often,\u201d he admitted. <\/p>\n The Broken and the Dead<\/a> absolutely took off, winning the best brown ale in the country at the Untappd Community Awards<\/a> two years in a row. (And last year, we named it one of our \u201cTop Beers We Drank in April.\u201d<\/a>)<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s so wild to me,\u201d Ross says with surprise, admitting he already has his eyes on a three-peat. \u201cI never thought we would be the \u2018Best Brown Ale Brewery\u2019 ever.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked why he thinks The Broken and the Dead popped off, Ross feels it fills a void. <\/p>\n The lower-ABV, highly sessionable yet malty beer gives people who want a stout that dark flavor without the potential hangover. <\/p>\n Ross starts with a base of Maris Otter to give it that nutty English-style grain bill before adding a little chocolate rye malt \u201cto give it a hint of spice,\u201d he says, and some honey malt, crystal malt, and English malt. \u201cThat just gives this biscuity, sweet body, but still allows the beer to finish semi-dry, so it\u2019s not overbearingly sweet, but still has a ton of complexity.\u201d <\/p>\n Hopwise, Ross says this year he included his favorite-ever blend of hops\u2014Centennial and Cascade sourced from the New York-based Hop Guild. \u201cIt was grown in the state,\u201d he explains, noting he only brews this brown ale once a year. \u201cThey were some of the best hops we\u2019ve used all year.\u201d <\/p>\n This humble brown ale is almost emblematic of Ross\u2019 own revival. Named after a short story he wrote in college, The Broken and the Dead is everything he stands for as a brewer\u2014simple things perfected. <\/p>\n If the brown ale is Ross\u2019 passion, then his Czech-style lager is his obsession. <\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Marlowe Artisanal Ales<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI\u2019m not super happy with it,\u201d Ross shares. <\/p>\n Despite being a fan favorite and the second-highest-selling beer week in and week out, I Think I Know<\/a> is actually a beer Ross feels he could improve the most. <\/p>\n \u201cMajor tweaks are happening,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n It\u2019s a beer that lives up to its name. <\/p>\n \u201cI think I know what I\u2019m doing,\u201d says Ross. \u201cI think I know this is going to be good.\u201d <\/p>\n Ross feels this beer is about progressions, learning, tweaking, and improving with each batch. <\/p>\n For the next one, Ross says he\u2019s swapping out the current grist of Munich malt for a super high-end German pilsner malt. And he\u2019s changing the hops\u2014subbing in Hallertau Mittelfr\u00fch and Perle. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s Marlowe,\u201d says Waclawski, who thinks I Think I Know already tastes great. \u201cZac is always making sure it\u2019s the best it could possibly be.\u201d <\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Marlowe Artisanal Ales<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Double IPA, actually. Of which, Ross admits, is not something Marlowe makes a ton. <\/p>\n He counts eleven in the brewery\u2019s six-year history. <\/p>\n But he\u2019s pretty excited about their current Dokk\u014dd\u014d series, a progression of beers based on Japanese artist and writer Miyamoto Musashi\u2019s collection of twenty-one principles that outline a path to better yourself. <\/p>\n Ross wants to translate each principle into liquid. <\/p>\nFor Free<\/h2>\n
![\"marlowe](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/marlow-artisanal-ales-beer-glass2-credit-marlowe-artisanal-ales-1000x667-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBeer Is a Universal Language<\/h2>\n
![\"marlowe](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/marlow-artisanal-ales-taproom2-credit-marlowe-artisanal-ales-1000x667-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"marlowe](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/marlow-artisanal-ales-eager-to-share-pale-ale-credit-marlowe-artisanal-ales-1000x1500-1-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\nA Brown Ale, a Pilsner, and an IPA Walk Into a Bar<\/h2>\n
![\"marlowe](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/marlow-artisanal-ales-founder-zac-ross-and-carla-waclawski-credit-marlowe-artisanal-ales-1000x667-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Brown Ale<\/h3>\n
The Pilsner<\/h3>\n
![\"marlowe](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/marlow-artisanal-ales-i-think-i-know-czech-pilsner-credit-marlowe-artisanal-ales-1000x1250-1-819x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n The IPA<\/h3>\n
![\"marlowe](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/marlow-artisanal-ales-dokkodo-one2-double-ipa-credit-marlowe-artisanal-ales-1000x1250-1-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"marlowe](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/marlow-artisanal-ales-collage4-credit-marlowe-artisanal-ales-1000x667-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"marlowe](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/marlow-artisanal-ales-co-founder-zac-ross-dad-credit-chris-weiss-1000x1250-2-819x1024.jpg\")
<\/p>\n