Paradise Found Tropical Dark Ale

Paradise Found Tropical Dark Ale comes from Toronto’s Saulter Street Brewery—a place that I think has been flying beneath the radar for too long. Brewed using Demerara sugar, the beer contains 5.8% alcohol and is comes in 473mL cans that have a winter to summer beach look. The beer has a stout-like appearance, but didn’t pour with a whole lot of head—just a wisp of off-white head.

Paradise Found has an elegant aromatic profile, with considerably brown sugar sweetness, a whiff of coffee, and some dark chocolate. The beer has a creamy and entirely agreeable mouthfeel that supports a flavour rich in java and a golden rummy sweetness. The back end is bitter, with chocolate and coffee grit, and that provides excellent balance. There is also a very slight smokiness.

While I’d have liked to see a bit more suds atop mount Paradise Found, there isn’t all that much else to critique. It’s a really lovely, balanced and interesting little brew that walks a line between classic English ale flavours and some quirky new world elements. The strength to flavour ratio is good, and the total result is positive.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.