Eats Writes Shoots

Living & Tasting Life's Passions

  • Home
  • Eats
    • Beer
      • Hopped & Bothered Reviews
      • Beer Reviews
        • Amber/Red Ale
        • Bitter
        • Blonde
        • Brown Ale
        • Farmhouse (Saison)
        • Pale Ale
          • India Pale Ale (IPA)
          • Double (Imperial) IPA
          • Imperial Black IPA
          • American Pale Ale
          • English Pale Ale
        • Lager
        • Scotch Ale
        • Seasonal and/or Specialty
          • Beer with Fruit
        • Stout
          • Imperial Stout
          • Milk Stout
        • Wheat Ale
        • Winter Beers
    • My CSA Challenge – 2013 Edition
    • Recipes
      • Appetizers
      • Breakfast
      • Baking
        • Dessert
          • Cookies
      • Drinks and Cocktails
      • Egg
      • Fish
      • Gluten-Free
      • Lunch
      • Mains
        • Asian
          • Thai
        • Barbecue/Grilling
        • Beef
        • Fusion
        • Greek
        • Italian
        • Lamb
        • Mediterranean
        • Mexican
        • Pasta
        • Pork
        • Poultry
        • Veal
        • Vegetarian
      • Preserves
      • Salad
      • Side Dish
      • Soup
  • Writes
    • Canadian Food Experience Project
    • Poetry
    • The “Benjamin” Project
  • Shoots
  • About the Author
You are here: Home / Beer / Beer Reviews / “Hoptical Illusions, Almost Pale Ale” (Pale Ale), Flying Monkeys

“Hoptical Illusions, Almost Pale Ale” (Pale Ale), Flying Monkeys

September 12, 2013 by Dale Leave a Comment

Hoptical Illusion Almost IPABarrie ◊ Ontario ◊ Canada ◊ Milky Way ◊ Universe ◊ Infinity

With an address like that, you’re sort of expecting something out of this world from this beer from Flying Monkeys Brewery.

Near the beginning of this blog, I reviewed one of my favourite IPAs (Smashbomb Atomic) from this brewery that should win the award for most imaginative and fun labels and caps in the world … maybe even in infinity.

So, keeping with my nostalgic bent of late, for the next few beer reviews, I’m going to return to a few of the IPAs where I Hoptical Illusion Front Lablediscovered this fun, refreshing, hoppy creation known at at the “IPA” or India Pale Ale … or, to be more specific, the west-coast IPA aka American Pale Ale. All to say, it is a style of beer that I adore and which I’ve fallen very much in love with … which isn’t to take away from my other loves (I do have a big heart).

So, first up is Smashbomb’s littler brother: Hoptical Illusion. This beer gets points for being honest from the get go. It knows it isn’t an IPA and, unlike so many other epic failures, this one doesn’t pretend. Instead, Flying Monkeys experimented, created something unique, and thought, heck, this is worth bottling and sharing with the world. And it is all that. Indeed, for those of you who like a little hop in your beer but find the true IPAs of the world to be too bold and bitter for you, then have no fear – this is the perfect beer for you.

A slightly mellow amber which pours almost clear, this is another beautiful beer that drinks clean and easy from beginning to end. Like its brother, the carbonation is bang on: present, yes, but it doesn’t distract from or hide anything. Just some refreshing cleanness at the start with a bit of sweetness of the malts to finish with a light bitter aftertaste. Unlike some of the really ‘big’ IPAs out there where the hops are sort of all-or-nothing, this beer has true definition and balance to it. The malts don’t just play second violin here … they’re a leading cello to the hops’ violin. They bring a nice earthiness, almost nuttiness, to the overall brew. The citrus of the hops washes through the middle of the tongue like a sprinkler on a summer day and just leaves you going, “ahhh.” Roll it around in your mouth a bit and the creamy diacetyls pop and bring out the toffee of the malts. Hold it on your tongue and just let it sit, and you get grapefruit peel. For a 5% ABV beer, there is a lot going on. And while it may still be just a 5% beer and lack the the “strong” fullness of the 6% and 7% big brothers out there, this will definitely hold its own because of the great balance and flavour profile. Lots to enjoy.

Hoptical Illusion Back LabelI go back and forth on which of Flying Monkeys’ beers I prefer: this one or the Smashbomb. They’re both well-contructed beers that drink beautifully. However, it is a bit like asking whether you prefer pumpkin pie over apple pie (I know: thank god life isn’t full of such impossible choices). It comes down to mood and personal taste. Having said all that, and as much as I love the flavour profile of Smashbomb, I think Hoptical Illusion provides more artistry and that it is probably the “pumpkin pie” of the two (and Smashbomb, with the peachiness of its hops is probably more honestly a cobbler).

Therefore, if you want to experience the artistry of a great beer which brings malts and hops into a beautiful unison, this is a beer not be missed.

Stats:  American Pale Ale. 5% ABV. Barrie, Ontario.
Colour: Medium amber.
Mouth Feel: Low carbonation, clean refreshing aftertaste with decent diacetyls.
Purchased:  LCB0
Pairings: Just drink it and enjoy it.

86 points

Share this:

  • Share
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Filed Under: Beer Reviews, Eats, Pale Ale Tagged With: Almost Pale Ale, balance, Barrie, beer, bitter, Brewery, Craft, diacetyl, Flying Monkeys, food, Hops, Hoptical Illusion, India Pale Ale, IPA, malts, microbreweries, Ontario, Review, Smashbomb Atomic, West Coast Hops

« Insalata Caprese with Balsamic
Watermelon Salad »

I would love to read your comments ....Cancel reply

30 Poems in 30 Days – Global Poetry Writing Month (2022)

  • A Love Song

    A Love Song
  • Chosen

    Chosen
  • Wormwood

    Wormwood
  • Bashert

    Bashert
  • Lumber Dog

    Lumber Dog
  • Aisling for the Land

    Aisling for the Land
  • Hard Boiled Boy

    Hard Boiled Boy
  • The Blasted

    The Blasted
  • Sense of Time

    Sense of Time
  • We Reflect

    We Reflect
  • A Family Grown

    A Family Grown
  • Fly — Away

    Fly — Away
  • Curtains

    Curtains
  • A Question Heard

    A Question Heard
  • The Storm

    The Storm
  • A Dis-Ode to the Mushoom

    A Dis-Ode to the Mushoom
  • Bun in the Oven

    Bun in the Oven
  • The world don’t owe you nothing

    The world don’t owe you nothing
  • the syrphid

    the syrphid
  • Osborne

    Osborne
  • Love is not a Word

    Love is not a Word
  • Meta

    Meta
  • Super-Pop

    Super-Pop
  • footprints on the sands of time

    footprints on the sands of time
  • Spring Grows

    Spring Grows
  • Neptune’s Recline

    Neptune’s Recline
  • Red Light, Green Light, Stop

    Red Light, Green Light, Stop
  • Wuthering Heights

    Wuthering Heights
  • Afterwinter

    Afterwinter
  • The Story of a Dog

    The Story of a Dog

Recent Posts

  • A Love Song
  • Chosen
  • Wormwood
  • Bashert
  • Lumber Dog

Join My Community

Simply enter your email address and never miss another post.

Join 827 other subscribers

2012-2022 © Dale Schierbeck.

All rights reserved. All material and content is the original property of Dale Schierbeck and “EatsWritesShoots” 2022. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without expressed and written permission from this blog’s author and owner is strictly prohibited. Links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author (“Dale Schierbeck”) and the site (“EatsWritesShoots”) and with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Connect with Me on Facebook

Connect with Me on Facebook

Top Posts & Pages

  • Recipe for Low-Phosphorus Dog Food ~ Caring for a Dog with Chronic Renal Failure
  • Adjustments
  • My Canadian Eyesight
  • Endurance ~ My Best Friend
  • The "Benjamin" Project

Join the Conversation

  • mb on Ben ~ In Memoriam
  • Dale on Ground Beef Tacos
  • Nicholas Robert Parkes on Ground Beef Tacos
  • Molly on Recipe for Low-Phosphorus Dog Food ~ Caring for a Dog with Chronic Renal Failure
  • Dale on Chosen

RSS Feeds

RSS feed RSS - Posts

RSS feed RSS - Comments

Archives

Categories

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d