Half Cycle IPA - Flat 12 Bierwerks

    Half Cycle IPA is an India Pale Ale created by Flat 12 Bierwerks which is located in Indianapolis, Indiana. I purchased a growler of this beer from Flat 12's taproom on a recent visit to Indianapolis. In addition to making good beer, Flat 12 is also a nice relaxing place to enjoy friends and conversation!

    Half Cycle pours a golden-orange color with a small white head on top. Once the head diminishes, lacing can be seen on the glass where the froth once was.

    The IPA's scent is mainly that of the beer's hops. Citrus and pine scents dominate with an almost earthy note beneath them. There is some sweetness to the scent as well. The beer's smell makes me think of a hayfield just after the rain with its sweet grassyness and earthy undertones.

    Half Cycle is medium bodied with a low level of carbonation. The hops oil in the beer gives it an almost oily mouthfeel.

    Unsurprisingly, Half Cycle IPA hits hard with bitter hops flavors. As in the scent, citrus and pine flavors dominate the beer. While Half Cycle is very bitter, a bit of sweetness in the beer keeps the bitterness from being unpleasant. The ale features lots of great hops flavor, and shows once again that Indiana brewers know how to do hops.

    For some reason, the name Half Cycle makes me think of doing laundry. The way my mind works leads me to wonder if Flat 12 named their beer due to its effectiveness as a laundry detergent. Use "x" name brand detergent, it takes an entire cycle or more to get your clothes clean. Use Flat 12's IPA, your clothes come out as clean as the day you bought them and smelling fresh like lemons and pine after just one half of a cycle. (Amulets and Ale does not recommend using beer as detergent in any situation. Not only would it likely leave your clothes smelling like you rolled around on the floor of a bar, but it is also a horrible waste of good beer.)

    My visit to Flat 12 Bierwerks really impressed me. For a relatively new brewery, Flat 12 really has a nice set-up and some very good beers. Half Cycle IPA is probably my favorite beer that they make, and really is a great India Pale Ale. While the beer definitely sits on the more bitter side of IPAs, it still manages to not be just another novelty "lets see how bitter we can make our beer at the cost of good flavor" IPA, which I feel are becoming far too prevalent in the craft brewing community.

Amulets and Ale Rating: