BrewDog and I go back a long way. It’s no secret that whilst I loathe their childish and immature (although, admittedly, successful) marketing activities and approach to branding, even I cannot deny that their beers are nothing short of superb. Ask this man when was the last time he had a bad pint of a BrewDog beer and he’ll laugh in your face. Ask him what he thinks of the brewery’s latest marketing tactic, though, and he’ll do much the same. That is why, every time my bottle opener quivers over the cap of ‘beer with attitude’, a feeling of deep consternation washes over me.
That’s what’s happening right now as I sit here in my own living room with a glass of deep-ruby 5am Saint sat beside me. I know it’s going to be good. It’s going to be mind-blowing. It’s going to be one of the best beers I’ve ever tasted. That’s why I’m so afraid. I don’t want to like it, really I don’t.
But I do. As a bridegroom signs away his life by uttering those two immortal words, I lift the glass toward my nose. Wow. Hops. Lots of them. A sweet banana-like aroma lifts off the surface of the beer and dances the Paso Doble in my nostrils. I’m in love. There’s chocolate and caramel and every sexy and sensual smell you could think of, and they’re all cloying for my attention. I feel as though I’m in charge, yet I know I’m under its spell.
The Paso Doble becomes a jive once the beer hits my mouth, the fruity bubbles racing over my tongue as the hop oils seep through the chocolatey malt and banana tones. Yes, the banana’s still there, and I can’t get enough of it. I can pick up crystal malt and a light touch of liqueur coffee waving sensuously to me from the background. Jesus Christ, it’s blowing kisses at me now. Diving in for another sip, the flavours are even stronger, building to an almighty climax on the swallow before the inevitable but not regrettable dwindling of flavours and senses as the music fades and I re-enter the real world. It’s not a world I want to be back in. I’m going back for more.
