kevin62 (267), New Jersey, USA Jul 7, 2007 Had this on draft-Poured a nice orange/amber color with a decent sized head.Aromas were of citrus and flowers and hops.Taste had also some citrus and hops as well as some malt,which was not overpowering.Good one from Blue Point. kenb (1100), Oregon, USA Jul 3, 2007 12 oz bottle via johnykat (thanks!). Pours a semi hazy amber with a large beige head. Nose is lemon and some floral hops. Taste starts with some caraeml malt, the some lemon, some orange and some floral hops. A nice bittersweet finish with a grapefruit/orange peel aftertaste that lingers just the right amount fo time. This has a solid malt backbone and is quite balanced. Body is medium and carbonation is average. Pretty solid IPA. Glazed9884 (207), USA Jun 30, 2007 Updated: Aug 16, 2007Pours a clear deep gold/red. No head. I loved this beer the first time I had it, when I started drinking real IPAs. However, my second run through was less exciting. Still a good brew, but not what I remembered it to be. Smells very strongly of hops, fresh and crisp. Nice bitter taste. Smooth beer, good level of carbonation, good mouthfeel. Overall a very drinkable IPA, especially when first being introduced to the style. Chapel (329), Levittown, New York, USA Jun 20, 2007 Updated: Apr 4, 2008Pours a transparent dark with a creamy head. The aroma and taste are very hoppy as the name would imply, but if you aren’t familiar with hops in beers you might get overwhelmed easily.
Re-rate: Had this on cask at the brewery. I don’t think it counts as the burbon barrel version. Extremely smooth on cask. Some of the edgy bitterness has been taken off making it less hoppy, but it is more than compensated by the increased creaminess of the beer as a whole. doboy (175), Morehead City, North Carolina, USA Jun 16, 2007 Updated: Sep 21, 2008On a scale of 1 to 10 this gets a 15! The Hops are wonderful, setting off both sides of my tongue, leaving a highway right up the middle to pour the golden nectar down!
This is hands down my favorite, WHEN I can get it! JAF737300 (791), Tampa, Florida, USA Jun 10, 2007 I usually loved super hoppy beers but this one fell a little short to me. It had huge hop notes on the nose and htat translated into a big burst on the mouthfeel but the malt of the IPA took an extreme back seat. It needs to get into a bit more balance for this to be a big winner. joe1510 (501), Illinois, USA May 24, 2007 12oz. Bottle
Poured a clear dark golden with very small articles that actually look like pulp. The particles make the beer look a little cloudy as they settle. A half finger creamy white head sits up top and fades to a solid top coat.
The smell is of caramel malts along with a grassy/musty hoppiness. Reminds me of Dogfish’s 60 Minute. It smells good and it makes my mouth water but unfortunately the smell is weak.
The flavor is pretty good. A lively hop bite at mid palate that slides effortlessly into a lingering bitterness. A faint maltiness starts things off. This is followed by the grassy hops. After a little warming unsweetened grapefruit comes out as well. The hops get more complex while this one warms. The caramel malt strengthens a little bit as well to give a good backbone. Nicely balanced.
Mouthfeel is quite nice. Good carbonation is prickly on the tongue and the body medium but slightly leaning toward the lighter side.
I could drink a lot of these in a sitting. The bitterness leaves you wanting another drink right after the swallow. The body keeps it easy going down and refreshing.
Overall Hoptical Illusion is a very nicely crafted IPA. Nothing spectacular but nice and solid. Could be an everyday drinker if I could get it around here.
grandet (477), Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA May 23, 2007 Bottle thanks to beerbill. Dark golden color with a nice white head. Nice hoppy aroma. Taste is not as strong as some IPAS but this is still def a good one. Impressed
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