Product: Hoptical Illusion Beer: An Average IPA that’s Mostly Smoke and Mirrors Producer: Blue Point Brewing Company Approximate Retail Value: $7.99 per 6-pack Category: Beer Country of Origin: Long Island, NY, USA Reviewer: Jon Costantino The F Words: Flavor – Wheat, lemon. Feel – Weaker than it should be. Finish – Aftertaste is too strong.

Rating:

When I saw it was Blue Point Brewing’s “Hoptical Illusion” I’d be reviewing next, I was really hoping for something special. When I drink an India Pale Ale (IPA), I want it to be full bodied, with a robust taste and a strong flavor. So when a beer puts “Hops” in its name, I’m thinking about to be bowled over by the power of the hops. But when I popped the cap on the Hopitcal Illusion, I got more illusion than hops.

While I did like the color and aroma, the taste was too weak for my palate. I really like it when the flavor of an IPA is strong upfront and then fades away as you swallow. This IPA tasted like all the flavor had already disappeared. And the after taste was far too wheaty, which usually means I’ll be tasting it in the morning no matter how much I brush my teeth.

This is strictly an IPA for beginners. Sure, it does have a better-than-average flavor and it’s good for what it is, but this is strictly for people who don’t like IPAs and want to start out lighter. I can see this being served at a fancier BBQ during a summer, when you want to show off that you know your beer but don’t want something that will alienate your average beer drinker.

I can’t end this review without pointing out the label for Hopitcal Illusion. This was probably the most interesting part of the whole Blue Point tasting experience. With its bright colors and use of mythical symbols, I can see someone going to the local store and picking up a six-pack just on its look alone. And if you knew nothing about IPA, you would enjoy this one but you’d be passing up others around it which would be a more enjoyable brew. But then, maybe that’s the true illusion: You’ll be so distracted by the beautiful bottle, that, like a magician who uses a hot model as his assistant, you won’t notice that inside the bottle, some of the flavor has disappeared.