Blue Point Hoptical Illusion IPA

As befitting an outfit that has their 12 oz-ers brewed and bottled for them by the same outfit that brings forth to the world the evil that is J W Dundee's, I'm not going to spend too much time yapping about this beer. But I'd be remiss if I didn't at least explain why it's not the bee's knees!

I didn't have much hope for the "Toasted Lager" from this outfit -- a lager is a lager is a lager, and the differential between a good American craft-brewed lager and an average American craft brewed lager isn't all that great. It didn't suck, but did nothing to impress me.

This IPA, on the hand, I was hoping for a bit more. A bit more...., oh, I dunno, personality? Character? Something? Bueller? Bueller?

At no time was butterish diacetyl in the offing.

Shame, too, since I could buy off on this if it were an American Pale Ale (there's no way I'd call this an IPA; the hop profile is indeed quite an "illusion").

But the diacetyl -- while not heavy and "Maine-ish" -- is definitely a factor here. It runs roughshod over the already weak-in-the-knees hop profile, and does nothing but detract from what all I know could be a decent enough malt profile.

But that's that -- and this beer gets a thumbs down, so sorry.

//TB