5AM Saint

I wonder where this beer got it's name from? A quick check of the excellent Brewdog website http://www.brewdog.com/ tells us that it's because a) it's 5% alcohol. b) 5 different types of hops are used and c) 5 different types of barley are used.  It doesn't however, tell you why the word "Saint" is used. I like to think it's because it's how you see this beer after you've come home from a nightclub in the early hours of the morning (lets say...5am), sick of drinking nightclub generic bottled beer, and you reach into the fridge and pull out this Brewdog beer.

Out of all the three Brewdog beers currently available in Estonia, this one has the most mystery surrounding it. As I just wrote - I had to check on the website to establish what sort of beer it was. Punk IPA is an IPA. Trashy Blonde is a (trashy) blonde ale. But 5AM Saint? The label gives an indication - it's red. And this is a "red ale". Or if you want to use the correct brewing terms, an "amber ale". Also on the label is the most arrogant of all their beer descriptions. "you probably don't know about beer" are the opening lines. Considering that I had just spent ten minutes on their website reading about this beer, I felt inclined to agree. I then put myself in the average Estonians shoes and tried to understand how they would feel. They'd probably agree too. And with that, they'd put down the beer and move over to the more familiar surroundings of Saku and A Le Coq.  It's ok having an aggressive, almost patronising approach when you are in an already established beer market such as the UK - but as soon as this beer is shipped away from it's home shores, then it becomes the strange beer with the strange attitude. Add to that a name that not all will understand, and all of a sudden the beer that wants to be the new upstart in the playground, suddenly becomes the kid that no-one talks to and is seen as a bit of a wierdo.

Fortunately this particular kid sits amongst other non conformists on the shelves of Drink Bar and Drink Shop. This kid has also taken on evening classes in Stockmann where it feels comfortable with the other new kids on the block - especially those strange guys from Huvila, Finland.  I'm getting a feeling that this particular "class of '11" will be the ones taking the piss out of the Saku boys in the not too distant future.

Here's the review:

(Ratebeer.com rating 96). Pours a deep, burnt orange colour. Hop flavours not as apparent as Punk, leap out of the glass rather than the bottle. They just need a bit of rousing that's alll. Lovely creamy foamy head. Not much carbonisation - which reminds you that this is more of a traditional style ale than it's two stable mates. Served at room temperature, the smells of hops continue, with an undercurrent of caramel and malt.

The head remains - always a sign of a good hoppy beer in my opinion (aswell as providing flavour and bitterness, hops also preserve the beer. This is why India Pale Ales are so high in hops - it helped keep the beer fresh and in good condition during the journey to India from the UK). This head also helps keep the aroma at the forefront of the beer - each sip gives you a lovely smell of what you are about to drink. The flavours are very smooth. Caramel, malt, toffee and hops all combine effortlessly to produce a lovely drinkable beer. It's like a traditional English bitter, with a little more hops (five of them to be exact). One of these hops is the same New Zealand hops that's used in their Punk IPA, but because it's paired with some more traditional flavoured hops, it doesn't have that zest character that Punk has.

It's a great beer. In the current "family" of Brewdog beers that are available in Estonia at the moment, I see this as the father, or maybe the old brother to the punk and the trashy blonde. It's got an air of sophistication and experience around it. Given it's name, a halo you could say. It hasn't got that raw fresh edge that Punk has, and it hasn't got that "I look normal, but am far from it" attitude that Trashy Blonde has. The amber ale colour rings true amongst traditional ales, and it's flavours almost match the flavour profile of most ales. Except this is a Brewdog beer - and they don't do traditional. The five hops and five barley malts used allow this beer to have different levels of flavour. At first you taste sweet caramel and bitter hops, then lastly you taste grainy bready flavours coupled with zingy New Zealand hops.

It's a super beer and  one to be tried if you like the othe Brewdogs. Remember though - it's about occasionality. Don't expect to drink this beer in the same situation as you would a Punk IPA. It's more of a rewarding beer than a refreshing beer. Drink it as the sun begins to set and the nights draw in. Or as I mentioned in the opening paragraph - drink it at sunrise when you've just got in from an ecletic night out without the eclectic choice of beer. If you've just got in from a nightclub and you open this up, you know that this is really going to be the perfect end to a good night. And if you're opening up two bottles, then you know that this really is going to be the perfect end to that perfect night out.

Enjoy.