Half Cycle IPA - Flat 12 Bierwerks

theRooster90

Indiana

2.85/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

First off I wasn't impressed with this because it instantly smelled like marijuana to me!

A: A good looking amber golden

S: Weed! Smelled like very dank hops and weed. Which I didn't like at all to be honest.

T: Still had the week on my palate so it tasted like it as well...

M: Typical IPA mouthfeel with a clean finish but still had a lingering weed feel...

O: I'm sure pot smokers would love this but I didn't like it.

Serving type: on-tap

09-03-2011 02:28:48 | More by theRooster90

rhoadsrage

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

(Served in a bowtie glass)
A- This beer pours a touch of haze to a orange body with a thin ring of white foam supported by a few big bubbles working to the surface.

S- The notes of light toasted malt have a mineral quality to them with some caramel sweetness growing in the finish. A faint hint of green hops come through as it warms.

T- The dandelion greens hop flavor is all bitterness from start to finish for the first few sips. The dandelion milk bitterness stains the tongue as it lingers after each sip. There are some British hop qualities that come through as it opens and some watery malt notes try to fight its way in but the bitterness just dominates.

M- This beer has a medium mouthfeel with a gentle carbonation in the finish.

O- The full bitterness dominates and stains the tongue with really no other hop character standing a chance. There are faint malt hints but they remain buried. This beer was all one sided with no other character and it was tough to get through the glass.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 21:23:51 | More by rhoadsrage

TheodorHerzl

Indiana

3.08/5  rDev -21%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On tap at Tom Tap Room

A: Golden Straw with light lacing and no head retention
S: Straight pine with just a touch of malt trying to come through
T: The pine is the main focus here, but I sure don't think this thing is 104 IBU's. The flavor is all pine without much coming through.
M: Medium bodied
D: I wouldn't say no to one of these, but I wouldn't reach out for it either.

I think they have the base for a really great beer here, but it just hits one note for me.

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2011 13:30:05 | More by TheodorHerzl

mynie

Indiana

3.23/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Fresh pint at the brewery.

Smells ashen, like roasted peat moss mixed with a fistful of piney, west coast hops. Neat smell, I guess, but a little unbalanced.

Tastes like it smells, only with some more herbal complexities. Pine nodes are almost overwhelming at the front end, but some wisps of earthen and toffeeish pale malts come in by the middle. The sweeter malts gain strength and this winds up being decently balanced.

'salright.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2011 18:20:15 | More by mynie

TheSSG

Illinois

3.31/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a huge, dense, white head that has a bit of lacing. Huge, bright grapefruit aroma with a faint sweet malt in the background. Radiant gold color. Starts with a very bitter (and surprisingly) intense pine flavor that almost reminds me of gasoline. It subsides briefly to have a medium-high pine citrus, with mostly bitterness in the finish. If you let it sit a bit, the malt does come through, and the pine sap bitterness subsides into a really pleasant hoppiness.

Holy hell was this unexpected. 104.1 IBU's at 6% ABV. This is an absolute kick in the tongue, which isn't my thing, but maybe it's your thing. I like my hops floral and intensely aromatic, but without such bitterness. Maybe a little bit of pine, and citrus is always nice, but I just don't dig such an aggressive pine profile. If you like to lick sticky pine sap, and you crave bitterness, head over to this one.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2013 02:17:39 | More by TheSSG

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.34/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

On tap @ Flying Saucer in Nashville

A - Light orange/yellow with a ring of white head.

S - Grapefruit, orange and some caramel malt sweetness.

T - Moderate bitterness with a huge caramel malt sweetness. Some pine and floral flavours with a touch of citrus. Low bitterness for the style.

M - Light to medium body. Light carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

04-29-2013 12:08:13 | More by TheSevenDuffs

sommersb

Tennessee

3.43/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Tasted On: 03-20-2013
Freshness: Not indicated
Packaging: 12 oz. brown bottle, pry-cap
Glassware: Shaker pint
Purchased: Single from Frugal MacDoogal, Nashville

A: A big whoosh when I pop the cap and a huge glass of foam tell me right away we have an over-carbonated beer. The massive white head, while annoying, does leave a super amount of lacing and head retention. The beer's color is a hazy yellow.

S: Aromas are mostly of hops, both piney and citrus, with a bit of yeast spiciness as well.

T: Big hoppy, West-coast style IPA bitterness, with the tartness of grapefruit. Not really any hint of malt.

M: Crisp mouthfeel and very much over-carbonated, the body is medium. Finishes with the same big hoppy bitterness as noted in the taste.

O: Overall a highly bitter IPA; not very balanced so not a very interesting take on the style in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 20:54:25 | More by sommersb

dougdecinces

3.6/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Copying all my ratings over from ratebeer.com. I feel I should be represented on both sites. This is #1 of 83.

On tap at twenty tap. Hop aroma was nonexistent, but very good hop flavor. Grapefruit and mango flavors. Complex malt flavors. Sweet, bready, and biscuity all at once. Very well balanced. Good beer.

Serving type: on-tap

06-30-2012 01:48:18 | More by dougdecinces

StaveHooks

Oklahoma

3.6/5  rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a golden straw color with 1 finger of white head that dissipates pretty quick. Vertical streaks of lacing left on the glass.

S - Dank concentrated herbal hops, some floral. Smells like cannabis. Not getting much else.

T - Follows up the nose with crunchy herbal hops, dried pine needles, floral purfume, dry cereal malt barely shows up but doesn't stand a chance against the hops. Finishes bitter and very dry.

M - Slick and oily feel, medium carbonation that drops off.

It's good for 1 pint. The dry herbal hops just wreck your palate. Good if you're in the mood for an herbal hop bomb.

Serving type: on-tap

09-06-2012 17:15:19 | More by StaveHooks

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Fiddler's Hearth in South Bend over the Christmas holiday. Served in a pint glass. Reviewed from notes.

Pours a nice orange color with a good white head and plenty of lacing. Thin cap throughout. The nose carries some good notes of pine plus some orange and other citrus. Flavor has the hops, but not quite in the same bouquet as the aroma. Light-medium body with good carbonation and a dry finish. Good brew.

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2012 15:18:38 | More by Thorpe429

aasher

Indiana

3.68/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This beer was enjoyed at the Ale Emporium in Indianapolis.

It arrived a rich, unpolished gold in color with a soapy one finger head. The nose is soft, fresh, soapy with no bitterness and some spice. I dig it. The flavors too are fresh and spicy. It has some fresh hop esque soap to it as well as a moderate amount of onion. I didn't get the onion from previous experiences. The spicyness is its best characteristic and makes it somewhat unique. It drinks light and has plenty of carbonation. The alcohol isn't present at all. It isn't sticky either. Overall this is a decent local IPA and pretty enjoyable. I'd recommend trying it if you haven't already.

Serving type: on-tap

03-07-2012 18:53:13 | More by aasher

BarryMFBurton

Indiana

3.7/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Here’s yet another beer bottled by the local guys at Flat 12 – hopefully this is a sign of more to come from this brewery.

A: Short tan head – light tan in color and fizzy in texture – with a slightly hazy, golden-amber body. Only a small film of rough retention and a few big strings of retention remain after a brief moment.

S: Dank, resiny hops engage the senses with ferocious intensity – hops, hops, hops. Huge pine and grapefruit make this beer reek of oily astringency, with a small amount of caramel malt peeking through.

T: These bitters are as tight, spicy, and piney as they are in the nose; it’s a resin powerhouse. IBUs are in full form – loads of juicy hop oils at every turn – with an earthy groundwork of biscuity malts and grains. The balance is skewed to the hop front, but it isn’t so aggressive that it makes it tough to drink. There’s only a tiny shred of alcohol to it, and even that only ends up augmenting the spicy intensity of the hops, pushing them into a dry, resiny aftertaste. Bordering on DIPA boldness, even with some moments of oniony ultra-hops.

M: Slickness and oily fullness abounds, but with noticeable carb that keeps it from being overly drinkable. Rounded on the edges, though it would be better even smoother.

O: This is one big beer, almost too big for its own good. I remember having this on-tap and not liking it that much, but this time, this hop-bomb hit the spot – and even though it has the same fundamental big-hop balance as their Amber, I liked it. I don't think I'll ever stop enjoying that type of palate.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2012 20:43:17 | More by BarryMFBurton

AgentZero

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Ethan for sharing this one.

A - Golden colored beer with a bit of a white head that left some slight lace on the sides.

S - This beer smells a lot like pot. Pot with some pine in it. Not bad, but a little strange.

T - Lots of pine, some dank weed, nice bitterness. It's very different, decently good.

M - Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O - Not a bad beer, if you're doing a run of IPAs this one actually breaks it up a little bit. I'd drink it again.

Serving type: growler

09-04-2011 04:54:06 | More by AgentZero

Tucquan

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Had this on 2013-04-06 in Warsaw, IN

A - Mostly clear gold with a 3-finger pillowy white head with good lacing.

S - Naval orange flesh, white bread, hop floral.

T - Sharp simultaneous bites of tart citrus and bitter pine, dank, mild citrus flesh, little caramel malt. Taste is quite different than the subtler and sweeter aroma. Finishes very bitter; clearly unbalanced toward the bitter side.

M - Light-medium body and medium carbonation. Extremely prickly, resinous, tongue-numbing.

O - This is one of the bitterest ~6% ABV brew I've had. A bit too out of balance for me go give it a top rating but it sure gets your attention.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 20:49:42 | More by Tucquan

jzeilinger

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Many thanks to jisom123 for sending a few bottles of this stuff!

A - Pours a medium amber color with a very dense, creamy head. mild but steady carbonation and a thick lacing ring.

S - Toasted caramel malt with pine and citrus hops, not much in the nose.

T - Some toasted caramel malt up up front that quickly gets knocked down with a healthy amount of spicy, piney, citrus hops. The spice portion of the hop flavor comes with some onion character and the bitterness is long and lingering. It's "just about" balanced but not so much to stifle the hops. Leaves a small coating of orange/mango at the very end.

M - Medium body and coats the mouth with some onion, pine, and grapefruit. Lots of carbonation on the tongue and slick on the end.

O - This is a solid IPA and I'm looking forward to cracking another bottle of this.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 21:23:47 | More by jzeilinger

Tsigos

Indiana

3.83/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Poured a nice hazy golden color with about a quarter-inch to half-inch foam head. Nice lacing was apparent on the glass. The head dissappeared relatively quickly and the carbonation did not last very long.

S - Lots of pine scent here. Did not detect much citrus.

T - Piney hop flavor dominates. Very slight citrus or grapefruit bitterness. Good Taste overall but would have liked less pine and more citrus. Kinda reminds me of a blend between Dogfish Head 60 and 90 minute IPAs.

M - Thin mouthfeel. Carbonation disappeared quickly leaving it somewhat flat but this may have been the result of being stored for a day in a growler.

D - Piney flavor tends to coat your mouth. This would prevent it from being as sessionable some other IPAs. You may want a glass of water to go with it.

Conclusion - a worthy IPA that would probably pair well with something spicy like Thai food. Not sessionable like some other big-hopped IPA but would be a nice treat with the right meal. I would buy it again.

Serving type: growler

12-31-2010 02:11:19 | More by Tsigos

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle from CWBlues, thanks Cy! 12oz bottle into a tulip.

Unfiltered orange, voluminous and dense white head - tremendous lace and chunks of retention. Nose of orange, tangerine and lighter citrus, some piney/herbal that's peripheral. Light sweet malt character. Taste has more bitter citrus along the same lines as the nose, finishing grassy and herbal. Slight dank qualities. Bitterness is medium high, carbonation is fairly low. A serviceable, quite bitter IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2012 03:22:24 | More by liamt07

AaronHomoya

Indiana

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Another of the launch beers at the new Flat 12 brewery in Indianapolis.

This is the Flat 12 brew I have been most excited about trying. It is billed as a single IPA hopped to the level of a double. 100+ IBU's. Single/Double = Half Cycle...

I found this beer pretty much lived up to my expectations. It's got a great aroma with a lot of citrusy, piney hops. The flavor is also very hoppy, with little of the crystal malt coming through. I noticed some tropical fruit, grapefruit and pine. The bitterness is noticeable, but not too harsh.

Overall I think this is a very good beer. Perhaps too much balanced towards hops to make it as highly drinkable as say a Two-Hearted, but still a very solid IPA.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2010 22:34:22 | More by AaronHomoya

CheeseheadNation

Indiana

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Nice looking amberish orange, poured into my FFF Teku glass. Very little head and lacing.

S - A good amount of citrus and pine. Little bit of tropical fruit with some earthyness to it.

T - Pretty much tastes like it smells, which is a good thing.

M - Light-Medium bodied with slight carbonation. Very drinkable.

Flat 12 makes some solid beers and I expect for them to get better with time. This is solid IPA and is definitely worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2013 04:39:45 | More by CheeseheadNation

rlee1390

Indiana

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A-cloudy orange two finger head with lacing some carbonation

S-hops grass dirt, not much malt but lots of hops

T-very hoppy, grass dirt and pine, mild citrus. Ends with a sharp hop bite and slight bitterness

M-medium bodied, slight carbonation mild hop resins

O- A nice all round IPA, but with so many good ones out there it is difficult to revisit it.

Serving type: on-tap

04-02-2013 21:29:36 | More by rlee1390

notalagerlugger

Indiana

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at old pro's table in Broad Ripple and I loved it. Went to brewey and got two growlers gave one to my hop head friend now we go every Friday for growlers.

A-good light amber color and head

S-citrus and pine

T-light on the malt so not to get in the way of the great hops. Some non hop heads may think it is too hoppy or unbalanced. I say if you want malt pick from the 1000's of way too malty beers. It is like the DIPA hop slam without the sweetness or high alcohol only 6% most hoppy beers are 9-11% that can take away flavor and smell with booziness. When I do beer tastings I start with the more malty IPA's the finish with this beer as my tastebuds get saturated.

M- good medium

D-at 6% pretty good drink with bold food

Serving type: growler

03-18-2011 23:05:53 | More by notalagerlugger

jisom123

Indiana

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

on tap 09/13 @ Dicks Bodacious BBQ Downtown Indy.

Good head retention. White foam hangs around low around the edge.

Smells like a delicious lawnmower. Nice and hoppy. Very little malt smell.

T: Nice balance of bittering hops. Kind of surprised they were there,; the smell didn't tip me off at all. They didn't skimp of the $$$ when making this.

M: Good smoothness that you would expect from a decent Craft Brewer.

The first time I tried this beer, was on opening day of the Flat12 Brewery last year.

As I recall, the bittering hops have gotten slightly stronger, which I like, but everything else is the same. My taste buds may be off since I was eating BBQ though.

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2011 18:55:13 | More by jisom123

LiquidBread219

Indiana

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A= Pours Golden Yellow a little cloudy, Nice foamy white head with good retention some lacing.

S= Earthy and pine are the main part of the nose a little citrus hops. The beer really smell hop and it does kind of smell a little bit like pot.

T= The pine really comes through in the taste you have some nice bitterness but the pine does take center stage in this one.

M=Medium bodied, Medium Carbonation.

O= Overall, I really enjoyed this beer A nice Ipa from a smaller brewery would try again.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2011 20:17:51 | More by LiquidBread219

Jayman931

Mississippi

4.01/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: Nice Golden brown color. Nice big head that lingers and nice carbonation
A:Great Hop Smell....
T:Citrus and Grassy....Creeps up on ya! And keeps coming! 100+ IBUs Very nice
M: Good...what you would expect from a 6%

Think I am gonna have another :) Cheers

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 03:42:27 | More by Jayman931

brentk56

North Carolina

4.03/5  rDev +3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Arrives with a cloudy amber color with an inch or so of foam that sheets the pint glass with lace

Smell: Pithy and piney

Taste: The pith assaults the tastebuds at the outset, with the pine and a bit of a fruity character developing by mid-palate; after the swallow, the pithy bitterness dominates through the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with moderate carbonation

Overall: A very nice IPA for the hophead, this one grew on me; I would prefer a bit more of a citrusy character, but this was an impressive stab at the style

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2011 03:10:22 | More by brentk56