Hoptical Illusion Almost Pale Ale brewed by the Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery - Barrie, Ontario                 

Hoptical Illusion Almost Pale Ale is the beer that reminds us of why we started a microbrewery. The Flying Monkeys riffon the normal pale ale is to dry hop the bejeezus out of this beer with a whompin' mess of citrusy Amarillo and Cascade hops. The style is APA or Almost Pale Ale. To some, APA stands for American Pale Ale or American Psychological Association, but we don't really fit in either of those; so Almost Pale Ale might need some explaining. Hoptical Illusion approaches the charcteristics of a pale ale but takes a quick u-turn at the end. At 32 IBUs versus 22 and way up for English Pale Ales, we're hoppier than most Ontario beers, but not so crazy that you can't stomach more than one or must surrender the enamel off your teeth.
      

                     
Beer Review by Beer Advocate
Pours a translucent copper colour, topped with a finger of foamy off-white head that dies down within a few minutes, leaving behind a creamy cap and thick collar of lacing around the edge. Aroma is of fresh hops, citrusy and piney, overlaying some roasted caramel malts. This is shaping up to be one of the better APAs I've had lately.

Light hop bitterness, grapefruit and pine sap are the first things to come through. Not a hop bomb but they are still the dominant flavour. Roasted caramel and sweet nutty malts round out the profile and are a bit more prominent toward the end of the sip. A bit of bitterness lingers briefly in the finish. Silky-smooth mouthfeel; decidedly medium-bodied. Good carbonation for the style.

I enjoyed this immensely, I haven't had an APA this tasty in quite a while. Highly recommended if you are looking for a sessionable, conservatively-hopped pale ale.