Tasting Notes: Brewdog: 5AM Saint

Brewdog: 5AM Saint (Scotland: Amber Ale: 5% ABV)

Visual: Clear light red brown with a small bubbly head.

Nose: Strawberry, grapefruit and hops. Peaches, sharp. Wonderfully rich and fruity. Caramelising bananas.

Body: Hops, grapefruit and banana. Sweet custard, a real dry bitter back. That strawberry comes through again. Moss and greenery at the end, toffee apple.

Finish: Sudden bitter hop kick, grapefruit again. Lots of hoppiness then dry and clinging.

Conclusion: I didn’t like my first few tries of this beer, the hops seemed to hide everything else and so it ended up seeming like a higher alcohol nanny state. Then suddenly one beer just opened up with fruit and strawberry, backed up by rather than overwhelmed by, the hops punch from hell.

Wonderful nose and complex sharpness, just that touch sharper than I cared for but still impressive.

Damn good beer, not perfect but highly expressive – Wonder how it took me so many bottles to notice that.