A Sinfully Tasty Saint

This week we're looking at BrewDog's 5 a.m. Saint

BrewDog is one of a number of exciting new breweries stocked by Molloys. Set up in 2007 by two friends fed-up with "industrially brewed lagers and stuffy ales," Scottish based BrewDog aim to make contemporary and progressive beers showcasing the world's classic styles.

5 a.m. Saint is named after its combination of five hops ( Cascade, Nelson Sauvin, Amarillo, Simcoe, and Centennial) and five malts ( Munich Malt, Caramalt, Maris Otter,  Crystal and Dark Crystal.)

5am Saint and friends

The 5am Saint experience starts once you pop the cap, with a strong and distinct aroma, conjuring images of a rich black forest gateaux, full of summer fruits and chocolate.

When poured, the ale has a deep amber colour, nearly ruby, with a large frothy head.

First taste packs a really powerful punch, nearly to the point of over overpowering the taste-buds. As with many of the more flavoursome beers in the world, you have to approach with a Guinness mentality and give it a few more tries before you judge.

Once your taste-buds are used to it, you'll find a smooth malty initial taste, where a biscuit and slight sweetness overpowers the bitterness of the hops. By the time it reaches the back of your mouth, a distinct hoppy bitterness kicks in. The bitterness lasts noticeably longer than the other flavours, but though the after-taste is quite powerful, it also fades quickly.

As you work through the beer, you'll notice the nose has changed after pouring, now quite a pleasant woody hint, with possibly herb notes. I couldn't quite pin-point it, and after asking various opinions, everyone agreed it was very familiar, but no agreement was reached.

The ale kept a head right down to the very last mouthful, retaining a consistent flavour right to the end.

Summary: Full of flavour and complexity, the bitter hit from the hops may not be for everybody, but sampling a bottle and making up your own mind is a must for beer fans.