Blue Point Hoptical Illusion

With a name like hoptical illusion what can go wrong! nothing. This ia a damn good beer. The nose is citrusy and piney just lije I like in a hoppy beer Very well balanced beer. was an extra from a fellow RB person in a recent trade. very nice surprise.

12 oz bottle. Light floral earthy hop aroma with caramel maltiness. Clear dark golden with small white head. Earthy hop flavor with some balancing caramel maltiness. Fairly dry finish with lingering bitterness.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a dark gold with a solid, foamy head. Light grass and floral notes with a touch of malt in an otherwise light nose. The palate is malty with soapy, floral hops in the back. Has a slight dry character to it. I was really surprised at the malt sweetness this has for an IPA. Medium carbonation with a medium-light mouthfeel. Medium finish with some lingering bitterness. Not a bad beer, but hard to consider it a good IPA amongst it’s peers.

Draft at Blind Tiger. Pours a golden yellow color with a small white head that recedes quickly and leaves a ring of lacing around the glass. The aroma shows a good amount of citrus hops, oranges, and a sweet caramel malt backbone. The flavor follows with the oranges and citrus flavor with a good amount of bitterness from the hops. The sweet caramel malts smooth things out and sweetens things up. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation and very easy drinking. A pretty nice ipa, but nothing crazy.

On tap at Capital Ale House - Downtown on 05/05/2009. Very clear amber body with a medium frothy off-white head. Sweet floral and citrus hop aroma with some faint suguary caramel in the background. Sweet citrus and piney hop flavor with some caramel, somewhat cloying. Medium body with moderate carbonation. This would have been much better if the lovely hop aroma had followed into the flavor.

12 oz bottle courtesy of an extra from goldtwins. Thanks, Larry! Pours a sun kissed dark gold, a touch of amber, largely clear, with ample white bubbly head that dies to a small amount, laces small. Aromas are evident from pour, preaching some nice citrusy hops and florals and some mellower tropical notes from a distance. Light soap. Nice. Initial is thin in body, a bit too much for me, but pushes light bitterness of citrus, with pale and caramel malts, and tropical on the backend. A touch of pine in the finish and bitterness on the palate. A lighter fare of the IPA group, filtered away it seems. Would be nice to see what this brew does without that. More of an APA type. Not bad, just not special and outclassed as far as the IPA style goes.

bottle, sampled 1/13/08. Pours a hazy pale orange, some visible sediment, a decent amount of active carbonation creates a decent size head. Aromas of citrus bitterness, some resinous smells, and some lightly sweet notes. Flavor is all hops- sharp citrus notes, earthy pine, and slick sharp bitterness. Light toasted pale malts in the background. A bit slick and oily on the finish. Decent IPA, but would be helped by some more depth.

Bottle, served in a Duvel tulip. Clear amber pour topped by a small white head. The smell is mostly caramel, slightly perfumey, with hints of grass and nuts. The flavor is citrus, caramel, grass, slightly metallic. Has an alcohol flavor in the finish. While there are much worse IPAs out there much better ones are easy to get your hands on.