BrewDog 5 A.M. Saint

March 4th, 2011 by Scott in Other Beer Reviews

Tonight I’m enjoying a beer called 5 A.M. Saint from a small Scottish brewery known as BrewDog. The bottle refers to the beer as an “iconoclastic amber ale”, meaning that it is trying to destroy established conventions in the beer industry. The side of the label can best be described as a rant against the United Kingdom beer industry although its points could also apply here in the United States. It accuses the drinker of not knowing much about beer, discusses the megacorporations that smother the industry, and ends with “At BrewDog we are on a mission to open as many people’s eyes as possible.”

BrewDog is known for pushing the limits of ABV in a beer. Their last feat was called The End of History with 55% ABV. The run was extremely limited and each bottle was wrapped in a taxidermied animal; each bottle cost between 500-700 British pounds.

5 A.M. Saint, while only weighing in at 5% ABV, is an unusually spicy beer for an amber ale. I haven’t had an amber like this before, and it’s very good. When I was in Scotland I would have liked to visit BrewDog, but unfortunately I just didn’t have time. It’s still a wonderful beer and I hope to work through more of their lineup in the future.