There are many times I am disappointed by beers with really cool labels and names - not this time.  This Long Island, NY brewer has put together a great American style IPA.  The hops were not overly floral and berry like and there was more emphasis on bitterness.

Hoptical Illusion poured golden with a light amber time.  The head was nice and creamy with decent retention.

Its aroma was light and hoppy.  The hops were slightly fruity but were not overpowering.

The flavor was dominated by the hops as they added the fruity berry notes I find common in many American IPAs.  However, the berry notes were subtle and did not linger. The fruity notes went well with the grainy malts.  The hops then became slightly acidic with a hint of grapefruit and finished raw and very bitter.  This IPA was bitter to the point where it burned going down.  Yet the hops were clean and crisp.

At 6.8% ABV - the alcohol was well masked

This was a light-to-medium body with a medium amount of carbonation.  On the tongue the beer was also a bit oily.

Blue Point was nice because the hops did not impart too much sweet fruity notes and was very bitter.  I find the bitterness lacking in many American style IPAs and way too much reliance on the floral-berry notes.  To me the bitterness is the point of a solid IPA and this Long Islander brewer struck a good balance.

June 2009

I will start with this:  Slim Chance is arguably the best "lite" beer I have ever had and it only has 125 calories per serving. This beer is clean, refreshing and full of flavor.

Slim Chance poured golden with a weak head.

Its aroma was laced with raw grain, light yeast and bready notes.

Up front flavor was raw-earthy malts.  The hops certainly added a lot of character as they seemed to impart the body to the beer.  The hops were slighty sour and citrusy that went well with some "cream" like "vanilla" flavors.

Slim Chance finished bright with just a touch of bitterness.

The body of this beer was light with a medium amount of carbonation.

For someone looking for an everyday "lite" beer this is a winner.  Moreover, I found this beer to be very refreshing even when not counting calories. 

The first time I tried this, I did not realize this was a low calorie, "lite" beer. I picked this up in a sampler pack and initially assumed it was a spring or summer seasonal beer.

Compared to the brewers other offerings, the flavor was a little watery.  That is what I think worked as the beer was not heavily flavored and an overall nice summer beer.

May 2009

Looking for something to warm you up in the winter, this is a good seasonal. The 6.0% ABV does not hurt either. Winter Hook is an exceptional beer and probably my favorite from Red Hook.

The beer poured a clear ruby-amber with a dense tan head with good retention.

Deep dark-fruits and floral hops dominate a very aromatic beer. In the background there was also some caramel sweetness from the roasted malts.

This is a nice hoppy winter ale that derives its warmth not only from the alcohol but through the plum, raisin and cherry like notes mixed in for comfort.

I also noted a certain earthiness (Evergreen) about the beer balanced with a bit of sweetness and with a spice back bone that holds it all together. The beer is well blended.

The ale is a medium body beer that is well carbonated that brightens up the aroma.

There is a lot going on in the beer and all for the best.

I did not find this to be an over-done winter seasonal beer, with too much spice, alcohol and body. Though it is a bit heavier than their other offerings, Winter Hook is a nice well rounded drink.

This is a beer for those that like Red Hook.

Typical blonde ale as it poured clear with a dark gold color with a creamy white head (though not long lasting).

The aroma confused me. When I first poured it - POW - it hit me then it disappeared. I struggled to find out where it went as I sniffed this beer for about five minutes trying to find anything. It was fruity at first with notes of nectarines and peaches then it just vanished.

The flavors were generally mild malts enhanced with nectarines and peach fruitiness and with hops that sort of danced across the pallet.  Then the beer transforms and rapidly mellows into buttery malts.  Sort of like Anchor’s Liberty Ale.

I found this to be comparable Magic Hat #9 because the beer is laced with the essence of peach except this was more floral. 

The mouthfeel is relatively watery with a mild amount of carbonation.  

If you like other Red Hook beers you will like this as there is a family resemblance.

Overall, a nice drinkable beer. 

Great beer if you like your beer hoppy. I like this IPA a lot as you can smell the hops as soon as you pop the cap and a fair amount of fruitiness as well.

Long Hammer pour a nice rich, deep, gold (almost a very light amber).

There is also a good amount of carbonation which I personally like with an IPA.

And then the hops - nice and strong. However I thought the hops were rather one dimensional and did not add much depth to the drink. For the most part I could not taste much of the malt. The hops were very dry and lacked malt sweetness or smoothness to balance the beer out.

The aftertaste did have a nice bitter bite to it and just about right for my taste. The bitterness was not harsh but a little wake up call at the end.

And I think I need to mention that is a strong beer as in alcohol content with and a 6.5% ABV. I did not see that on the bottle when I picked this up.

Red Hook has brewed a very good IPA with their Long Hammer and is one of my favorit This is a nice drink that for me is readily available and perfect for pizza.

Given the constant bad news about the Michigan economy I went out of my way to try a local beer from the state too help stimulate things.  A few weeks ago I also tried an IPA from Founders Brewing in MI for the same reason and was left impressed.  As I write this I did not write a review of Founder's IPA but it certainly worth looking for. I also found Mad Hatter to be a nice beer but nothing special and did prefer Founder's IPA.

This poured a pale amber-yellow with a well laced, creamy head that had great retention.

The aroma was floral hoppy which also exhibited a slightly metalic quality.  Otherwise it was fairly typical of an American style IPA.  As the beer warmed much of the hops notes faded.

For an IPA the flavor was more like a pale ale that was slightly sharpened by the hops.  Initially, there were more floral berry notes but they mellowed very quickly in the malts.  A hint of chocolate and vanilla imparted a richness that also seemed to fade. The hops gave this a dry bitter finish which I found more consistent with an American style pale ale.  

Mad Hatter was a thicker IPA and bordering on heavy.  It was also very carbonated which helped lighten the beer up a bit.

New Holland's IPA was a very nice beer but more consistent with a pale ale that was slight fruity. The hops gave this beer a dry overall character without being especially bitter.  I found this to be enjoyable but not a beer that really stands out from the crowded craft beer market.  The chocolate notes were the most memorable part and did go well with the berry flavors. 

May 2009

I tried this along with New Holland - Mad Hatter IPA and prefered this Pale Ale as it seemed more like a fruity American style IPA.  It was also a lighter body beer which is what I prefer in this style of beer.

Blue Mountain's pale ale poured amber with a rich biege head that had great retention.

Its aroma was malty but with some berry hop notes. There really was not remarkable to speak of.

I would characterize the flavors of this beer as an lite-version of an American style IPA more than a traditional pale ale.  The hops gave the beer an almost strawberry flavor an little dryness that I would associate with a pale ale.  Some sweetness developed from the malt with the beer finishing with a slight bitterness.  The flavors were very mild overall which made the fruity hops standout more. 

The body was lighter and the consistency was slightly water.

I would consider this more a watered down American IPA than a dry-bitter pale ale.  The hops were just too floral and berry like and there certainly was not enough bitterness. That is not a bad thing - Just not what I was expecting.

May 2009