TLAP: Big Drop Brewing Co. Paradiso Citra IPA

There I was, propping up the bar in a hipper-than-thou boutique hotel, asking more in hope than expectation whether they had any alcohol-free ales. They had two! And this was one...

Big Drop Brewing Co. Paradiso Citra IPA

I wrote in my last TLAP post how much the world of alcohol-free ale has moved on the in the last ten years, and here is a great example. It's not a slavish attempt to mimic an existing bitter but remove the alcohol, no, this is a fresh brew in its own right. And it's bloody lovely. Citra gives the hops away, and there's a lovely fresh citrus taste in every mouthful - always present but never overpowering. My only slight bug bear is that at one point I forgot I was drinking an ale - it could almost have been a regular soft drink, so what's the point? But then, what's the point in being alive? Beats me, we're stuck with it, I suppose. Anyway, Big Drop Brewing's slogan is "beer so good, you won't miss the alcohol" which is not catchy but, fortunately, turns out to be accurate in this case.

Would I drink it in a pub? Yes.

Would I drink more than one? Yes.

Would I drink it all night? Yes, unless I was in the boutique hotel bar all evening, in which case I might start to baulk at the £5.75 they charged me for a 330ml bottle...

Stats: 0.5% ABV. Calories 11 kcal/330ml. Currently unavailable in Big Drop Brewing Co.'s Amazon store

Stars: ★★★★⯪

Finding a song for this post was tricky. I was going to choose Lemon by U2, for the ale's citrus undertone but, you know, U2 raise antibodies, don't they? Instead, I've gone for some Crowded House; this song contains the line "Ready or not, here comes the drop" which, is nothing else, links (very) loosely to the brewery. QED