I tried the ‘world’s healthiest beer’ – it’s only 17 calories a pint but tastes like the real deal

I LIKE to drink beer and think I’m pretty healthy but I’ve never imagined the two to be linked.

So when I heard Big Drop Brewing Company claim to have created the “world’s healthiest beer” I had to try it – to see if I can have my cake and eat it after all.

And I’m not alone, with research showing the low- and no-alcohol drinks market is booming and three in 10 of us now buying them.

Paradis’mo is an IPA based on the company’s Paradiso 0.5 per cent beer, created for charity for Movember.

The brewers say its “ridiculously low” calorie count – 17kcal per pint, or a vanishing 3kcal per can – makes it the healthiest beer on the market.

It is also vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free and contains five types of hops, which are good for boosting gut bacteria with vitamin B and amino acids.

My instinct warned me it would be beer with all the fun taken out – but I’m happy to report I was wrong.

When I cracked open the first can I was hit with the unmistakable fruity smell of an IPA.

The first sips were fizzy with a citrusy and hoppy flavour but more watery than a full-strength drink.

I’m no expert in 0% beers so found it lighter and less full-bodied than I expected from the smell, but it got richer the more I drank.

It had the bitter after-taste of an ale, which helped the flavour build-up, and it didn’t take me long to finish the can.

I went to the pub that evening and hadn’t been persuaded to ditch booze completely.

But the next time I returned to my desk I drank another Paradis’mo and definitely enjoyed it more, feeling that the flavour was deeper the second time around.

Overall, it tastes close enough to old-fashioned boozy beer that I will give alcohol-free options more than a second thought in future.

I will definitely finish the crate and may even buy another – it is for charity, after all.

Paradis’mo goes on sale soon in supermarkets and bars at £1.55 a can, with Big Drop aiming to raise £50,000 for Movember.