Blue Point Hoptical Illusion

Brewed by Blue Point Brewing
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Patchogue, New York USA

On 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!

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.

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.

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

Bottle: Did not care for the appearence at all. Spent yeast chunks floating all over the place. Wierd. Nice brew though. Defintely has the woodsy- aroma and flavor to it. Not as crisp and hoppy as I would like. Still, not a bad brew.

not one of my favorite ipas - has some toastiness in it along with a bit of mustiness. similar to hop devil, but not as crisp and defined. flavors in hoptical illusion seem - at least on some kegs - to be muddy.

Draft @ Frisco Grille in Columbia, MD. This is a respectable IPA. Tasty. I had this after a couple of other DIPA’s and it held up nicely in terms of flavor, mouthfeel and aroma. Pours hazy, light orange/amber with creamy one finger head. Nice lacing. Big tangy, juicy citrus hops aroma....though not as big as the Loose Canon I had before this. My first Blue Point and I will be havin’ mo’ fo’ sho’.

Pours a clear medium amber, hoppy boquet but no overwhelming. Hop/citrus flavor with some sweetness that seems to be more from alcohol contentant than maltdium mouth feel. Medium dry finish.