5 A.M. Saint - BrewDog

    5 A.M. Saint is an Amber Ale made by Brewdog which is located all the way over in Fraserburgh, Scotland. Brewdog beers were recommended to me by Rebecca Hellowell, who lives across the pond herself, and loves their brews. I had a faint memory of seeing the BrewDog logo somewhere in the States, but it took some looking to find it. Luckily, I found three of their varieties, and picked up two!

    5 A.M. Saint pours a hazy copper with yellow tints. The beer's head is full, even though it's only around a finger tall.

    The Amber Ale smells thickly sweet. Heavy caramel and toffee malts dominate the smell with slight hops notes beneath.

    I know it sounds strange, but you can usually tell a British brew from an American brew by investigating two things: the head, and the aroma. The different malts used in British brews tend to produce a fuller, darker head than American style malts. The British malts also lend a sweeter, almost musty (in a good way) scent to the ales. I know that it seems weird, but you really can tell a difference between the styles, and I notice that difference in this beer.

    The ale has a medium body with a medium-high level of carbonation. I find the carbonation to be a bit too high for me, but it certainly doesn't ruin the body. 5 A.M. has an alcohol content of 5% ABV.

One more minute, and you can drink it!

    The Saint's flavor starts with a light bitterness from the hops. The ale then shows its rich, maltier side with sweet caramel and toffee malts with a hint of what could be crystal malts. The beer finishes a little bit bitter, but leaves the sweet caramel malt flavor as an aftertaste.

    I can only imagine that the name 5 A.M. Saint comes from the scenario of enjoying a long night of partying on a weekday. Sure, you're having a great time, but the fact that you have to be up early for work the next morning is always quietly screaming in the back of your head. You get home, go to bed, and BAM your alarm goes off seemingly as soon as your head hits the pillow. You wake up feeling horrible, but luckily, the BrewDog is there with some "hair of the dog" (pun intended) to get you up and going! Wow! This beer truly is a saint! (Amulets and Ale does not condone going into work drunk, even if it would make for an amusing story for your friends to tell about how you got fired from your job.)

    5 A.M. is a nice change of pace from the American brews I've had lately. The British style malts are very enjoyable, and the hops in the beer perfectly do their job of keeping the sweetness from being too much. The carbonation starts out being too lively for my liking, but after sitting for a bit, it mellows nicely. Overall, 5 A.M. Saint is a great Amber Ale that I would recommend, especially if you've never had a British style ale.

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