When I decided to update my thoughts and write the Big Drop Paradiso IPA Review, the thing I was most excited about was the fact I had another excuse to buy another 4 pack! So, let’s dive into why you’re likely to feel the exact same way after your first glass.
The Big Drop Paradiso IPA is well worthy of its 9/10 rating as it masterfully balances a profile made up of a lightly sweet malty backbone, before transitioning through to bright and vibrant hop filled with fruity and citrus notes including tangerine & lime before being rounded out by a sharp finishing bitterness.
Key Takeaways
| ABV: | <0.5% |
| Style | IPA |
| Calories: | 61 calories per can |
| Colour: | Orange & Golden |
| Main Notes: | Citrus. Sharp Bitterness. |
| Cost: | $12 – $15 |
| Rating: | 9 / 10 |
READ THE FULL REVIEW BELOW
Big Drop Paradiso Taste & Aroma
The Big Drop Paradiso IPA is built on a crafted balance of Chinook, Cascade, Simcoe, Citra & Columbus hops which means when poured into your glass it is going to give you an aroma profile that resembles a fresh fruit basket and a healthy dose of pine backed freshness.
The taste profile carries through in a similar vein, and as you’ll see below it is built on traditional IPA flavours that will leave you feeling like you’ve had 9/10ths of a traditional beer!
In each glass, you’re going to find a medium amber coloured beer that gives you notes of:
- a malty backbone right away – think sweet orange;
- notes of tangerine, lemon and lime;
- refreshing resin notes of pine; and
- a sharp finishing bitterness that comes in at 42IBU and lingers between mouthfuls.
The body of the Paradiso Citra IPA is mid-level in its weight and the carbonation is just as you would expect from an IPA. This results in a beer that sees the citrus notes and bitter finish linger and stay with you between mouthfuls.
If this doesn’t quite sound like your type of party, then check out the Pale Ale, IPA and XPA mega post I put together for some other options you might like here or if lager options are more your style the ultimate lager guide I put together and updated recently here.
|
What I Like |
Things to Consider |
| The traditional IPA profile is more fruity than floral and has a great finishing bitterness. | This is a citrus-based brew, if you’re not one to enjoy citrus notes, maybe a few of the options mentioned down below are better suited to you. |
| The complexity of flavour keeps you wanting another can. |
Big Drop Paradiso IPA Stockists.
The Big Drop Paradiso IPA benefits from the wide adoption of Big Drop Brewing’s range of beer not only in Australia but globally across locations like Australia, America, and the UK.
If you are looking to try the Paradiso IPA in Australia you can find it in store and online at major retailers like Dan Murphy’s and Amazon, or key non-alcoholic retailers like Craft Zero or Brunswick Aces, some of which I’ve pulled together for you below:
If you are in America and the United Kingdom I have good news for you too, Amazon and some local supermarkets stock the full flavoured non-alcoholic beers from Big Drop.
If you’re UK based the UK Amazon store is available to keep you stocked. If you prefer to pick it up in person, supermarkets like Morrisons and Sainsbury’s are also great options.
If you are USA based, then you can look into the Big Drop Paradiso over on the USA Amazon store here.
Who Would Enjoy The Big Drop Paradiso?
You don’t have to look far to see the rave reviews the Paradiso is getting from IPA drinkers. When I talk to people about the Paradiso, the common denominator is that they really enjoy full flavoured IPA that is bright and bold.
That is as true as it gets. If you’re a fan of bright, fruity, citrus profiles or looking to get your hands on a quality non-alcoholic IPA you’re going to want to try the Paradiso.
On Episode #005 of the non-alcoholic drinks podcast, I spoke to Co-Founder and CEO Rob Fink about the Paradiso and how it is quickly becoming the new poster child of Big Drop. If you haven’t heard that episode, search for non-alcoholic drinks podcast on anywhere good podcasts live or check out everything we talked about here.
If you have decided the Paradiso isn’t for you, no harm done, maybe try a few other options in the Big Drop Range. You can find my reviews for a few of the range down below:
Big Drop Paradiso Calories
In each serving of the Big Drop Paradiso has only 61 Calories per can and 8.2 grams of sugar. On a 100ml comparison, this comes in at 18.5 calories and 2.2 grams of sugar per 100ml.
The nutrition levels in the non-alcoholic IPA from Big Drop land well within the mid-range and are typical of what you can expect from a can of non-alcoholic beer. If calories and sugar are of interest to you, take a read into the article I wrote about exactly that and see the nearly 40 beers that I compared, ranked and reviewed.
Alternatively, the full calorie and nutrition information are down below!
|
Avg Quantity |
Avg Quantity |
|
| Energy | 261kJ 61 Cal |
69.8 kJ |
| Protein |
1.5 g |
0.5 g |
| Fat, total |
0.8 g |
0.2 g |
| — saturated |
0.1 g |
0.1 g |
| Carbs |
13.5 g |
3.6 g |
| — sugars |
8.2 g |
< 2.2 g |
| Sodium |
<0.2 mg |
< 0.1 mg |
When To Drink The Big Drop Paradiso
While I’ve been drinking the Pale Ale from Big Drop for quite some time, the Paradiso IPA has in the past 6 months quickly become a favourite. Ok, if I’m being honest it is my new favourite from team Big Drop!
I’ve enjoyed this through the dreary Melbourne winter and found it so refreshing and bright that it did equally well with a:
- Sheppard’s pie (one of my go to things to cook when its raining sideways outside);
- Spicy pho or ramen.
As we move into summer down in Australia, I’m so excited to drink this as I stay up to watch those 2am Premier League games, at Christmas barbeques and catchups or through afternoons in the sun while the cricket is on in the background.
Much like all the Big Drop Brewing options, the Paradiso is versatile and sessionable so you’ll be able to drink as many as your heart desires without getting flavour fatigue.
The Wrap Up: Final Thoughts
The Paradiso is my ‘second by a whisker’ beer for 2021 (edged out by the Bridge Road Free Time Pale Ale) and it really does an amazing job at bringing full depth and flavour to anybody looking to experience non-alcoholic beer without compromising flavour and enjoyment.
The way the Big Drop team have been able to craft a fruity profile that is balanced by a whopping bitterness that comes in at 42 IBU really tells me they are across the strengths, weaknesses and opportunity areas of non-alcoholic brewing.
The price point makes this a great beer to drink regularly as it can often be found for up to HALF of what other similar options go for. In this case price does not in any way reflect quality. With that if you’re on the fence about this beer, don’t take my word for it read as many reviews as you like online.
If you are keen to get your hands on a few to try, check the price on the links down below.
Australia:
UK & USA:
