Half Court India Pale Ale - Cutters Brewing Company

langm12

Indiana

4.35/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22 ounce bottle into a pint glass.

A - Pours a golden wheat color with a good finger of eggshell head that disipates fairly quickly. Lots of carbonation bubbles. Lacing sticks to the glass all the way down. Not a typical IPA look but very appeasing.

S - Pineapple and Mango with a bit of malt sweetness. Some earthy tones.

T - Great citrus flavor up front, pineapple, mango, grapefruit followed by a mellow malt sweetness. Hop bitterness runs throughout without overwhelming. Nice balance. Not typical of the IPA style but very tasty none the less.

M - Oily and full bodied. Carbonation adds a good kick.

Those looking for a typical IPA may find themselves a bit disappointed with this one. However, those looking for a good beer will likely enjoy this one. A tasty, easy drinker with enough quirks to stand out. Another good brew from the Bloomington upstarts.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2011 02:52:11 | More by langm12

1Adam12

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%

05-15-2013 23:41:42 | More by 1Adam12

bohemyth

Indiana

3.25/5  rDev -14.7%

05-09-2013 00:39:06 | More by bohemyth

secondtooth

Indiana

3.19/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Pours a cloudy amber, with minimal carbonation. Lace is small and erratic.

Aroma is mild -- definitely a pine and citrus hops vibe, but it's not overwhelming.

Taste is sharp and bitter hops, very much in a citric vein with plenty of acidity. Not bad, but not a notable or unique IPA, either.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 13:21:16 | More by secondtooth

hydroplaner

Kentucky

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

04-23-2013 23:59:31 | More by hydroplaner

neckbracesub

Indiana

4/5  rDev +5%

04-10-2013 13:36:29 | More by neckbracesub

Leinie

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -1.6%

03-24-2013 19:34:12 | More by Leinie

MSandahl23

Indiana

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%

01-21-2013 04:05:26 | More by MSandahl23

AmitC

Indiana

4.01/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A very decent IPA.

Pours a deep amber color with some persisting head. Slight stickiness. Some bubbles.

Nose is grassy and earthy. Good mix of hops. Medium strength. Some malty sweetness is also apparent.

Taste: A well balanced taste. Nothing very bitter. I would say lack of floral, piney or citrus hops. More usage of grounded, dry hops. Good malt backbone. After taste is slightly bitter.

Mouth feel: A more thick bodied IPA compared to other IPAs. Not to say that the feel is thick bodied, but it is very much medium feel. Moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 01:05:17 | More by AmitC

JackStraw

3.9/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bomber purchased this weekend at Bloomingfoods into pint glass; no indication of bottling date. I talked to one of the brewers at Beerfest last weekend, and they are still hand bottling/labeling everything at this point.

A - 6-7 srms, golden orange, thin white head that dissipates quickly, a bit hazy and cloudy

S - nothing overwhelming, floral and citrus with a bit of grass and a little perfumey smell with just a touch of malt

T - definitely more balanced than a lot of other IPAs I've had recently, with both a citrusy orange taste along with bitterness and hint of malt in the initial taste. Medium-dry finish with some lingering bitterness

M - smooth clean and a little oily, could have use a little more carbonation.

O - This is one that grows on me the more I drink it; a very balanced and drinkable IPA that plays more on subtlety than overbearing hop character. I'd like to try this on tap and compare. Overall a very nice, drinkable B-town IPA.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2012 00:14:41 | More by JackStraw

cleonile2000

Indiana

4/5  rDev +5%

10-07-2012 03:27:48 | More by cleonile2000

drewsefs

Ohio

3.98/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A beautiful dark golden IPA. The head left on the glass after i had a few drinks was amazing, really gave me a warm feeling (and that's not just because of how much i was drinking). The taste left lingering in my mouth afterwards

When to drink: An august day, a light breeze rolling by, this IPA would really warm you up. Suggested meal, a pizza or some really good theater popcorn.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2012 04:17:05 | More by drewsefs

swihart

Indiana

4.6/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Bomber from Sahara Mart brought to me by a friend (THANKS).

As an American IPA (14B) this beer scores well on all counts. Aroma is citrusy, lemony, fresh, and brought up nicely by great carbonation. There is no malt in the aroma but that's OK and it's fairly cold anyway. 10/12

Med-pale straw gold color is on the light side for this style but gorgeous, haziness is expected and the head is beautiful, creamy, lasting, bright white and dense. 3/3

The hop flavor is robust and lemony; the bitterness does a nice interplay with the subtle malt, the way an IPA is supposed to "balance," i.e. over-balance. Very clean and thirst-quenching, finish is clean and mildly bitter. 18/20

The body is medium light -- perfectly within specs for this style, and a big part of the overall refreshing charm. There are no oddities in the mouthfeel, no diacetyl, no astringency from the mash or from the hops. Just a little warming, which is consistent with the 6.3% ABV claimed. 4/5

Overall this gets 9/10 if a BJCP scoresheet were being used.

Linda (BJCP National)

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 20:54:41 | More by swihart

Beast35

Indiana

3.6/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

This was an interesting local brew, I grabbed a bottle of it from sahara mart down in bloomington. Pretty straightforward IPA, it could have used more body, the mouthfeel was a little thin but that was my only real complaint. Pretty good IPA for a new craft brewery. Love the name too.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2011 01:57:20 | More by Beast35

unfurld

Indiana

4.08/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Not being a fan of IPAs, I was skeptical about liking Half Court. But, I found it easy to drink and well balanced. I liked the citrus notes, and thought they balanced the bitterness of the hops quite to my liking. It was drinkable without being bland or one-dimensional and it was well worth the purchase price.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2011 21:57:58 | More by unfurld

ademiles

Indiana

4.53/5  rDev +18.9%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Right when opening the bottle you instantly smell the amazing aroma. It pours a nice golden color. The taste is amazing. The bitterness is very well balanced in the beer. It's definitely there but it's not as dominant as you'd normally expect from an IPA. Certainly plenty of flavor. It's definitely one I could drink every day. Half Court IPA easily makes my list of top beers.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 21:49:08 | More by ademiles

brewfus

Indiana

4.05/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The aroma on this beer is phenomenal. I personally like IPA's with a larger malt characteristic but I was totally satisfied with this brew. Very crisp and clean, good example of the style. It is nice to find an IPA that has plenty of flavor and but at the same time has a high drinkability. I could drink this beer all day and night and never want anything else. Good Job Cutters!

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2011 21:16:18 | More by brewfus

jmarsh123

Indiana

1.75/5  rDev -54.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 4 | overall: 1.5

Pours a clear gold color with a big eggshell head. Good lacing down the glass as I drank it.

Smells of citrus/grapefruit with some sweetness from the malt cutting through the hops. Some vegetal smells as well.

Taste citrusy but with a distinct sweetness from the malt and too much vegetal flavor. Finishes with a very sweet flavor. This beer could use a lot more bitterness. Also notes of oxidation in the finish. Finishes with a lot of wet band-aid flavor.

Mouthfeel is good and creamy. Very oily and probably lots of dry hopping on this one.

I'm always glad to see new breweries pop up especially ones so close to home. This is quite frankly a bad IPA, but check our their Imperial Stout. Much much better.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 22:27:24 | More by jmarsh123