Blue Point Hoptical Illusion

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

Bottle- An average pour, yellow gold with white head. Some citrus and slight hop-pine on the nose but the illusion was the hops, what happened to them! Seemed to vanish into thin air. Turned out to be an average ale with no real trick.

Bright golden amber with a thick white head which is retained well. Nice citrusy hoppy aroma with some sweet nutty malt presence. Definitely an IPA but this is well balanced and not over the top hoppy. Relatively short finish for an IPA, but this makes it refreshing and thirst quenching. Could use a bit more body, but a very good IPA.

Poured from bottle. Amber, thin head. Aroma - hops. Now the flavor, big hops with a creamy, malt base. A real nice mix for an IPA. Lacing coats the glass. Finished as well as it started. A great IPA.

Pours a hazy golden orange color with a thick frothy eggshell head. Has some really nice lacing. Aroma is thick with cotton candy, some floral notes, and a touch of grapefruit rind on the back end. The flavor lacks some of the bitterness up front. There is a nice honey flavor with some dandelion followed up by the citrus. A slight bitterness appears in the finish, but it isn’t much. Nice balance. Not a whole lot of carbonation. Medium bodied.

Nice looking pour, with a clear and radiant orange amber body and medium offwhite head. Aroma of grapefruit and toasty caramel. Taste has a grainy caramel maltiness edged by a bitter grapefruity hoppiness. Pine notes add even more hop presence. A solid American IPA but not a worldbeater.

Pale orangey gold, murky with floaties. Lazy bubbles. Small marshmallow cream head leaves sticky clumps of foam on the glass. Restrained yet concentrated aromatics; floral (roses, marigolds), grapey, spicy, herbal, and coniferous. Bready, honeyed malt. Exceptionally balanced flavors of fruit, bitterness, and crackers dipped in sorghum. Nuances of apricot, walnut, sultanas, orangewater. Palate is interestingly full and meaty, yet at the same time dry and tingly. Bittersweet and minerally, gin-like finish… lingering peppery/spicy/fruity aftertaste. Damn fine IPA!

12 oz. bottle at Flat Rock Saloon. Poured copper with a floral nose. Very piney, resiny flavor with an extremely dry, bitter finish.

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.