IndyCar Driver James Hinchcliffe & Flat 12 Bierwerks

Prior to this year’s race, there was a veritable parade of enthusiasts at the Flat 12 brewery, which is painted a very canny flat red. Fans wanted the canned four-packs for the race and the party the night before on Georgetown Road. Flat 12 also is among those that have concession rights at the Speedway.

The Bricks, a Red IPA, was a popular limited release that debuted in advance of the 2015 running of the Indy 500.

In addition to its hometown, Flat 12 is sold in Cincinnati and Louisville, where a Flat 12 pub has been established in Kentuckiana. Using a 20-barrel DME system, the brewery has grown from 1,000 barrels its first year to 10,000 in 2016, in part because of the Speedway, which also hosts NASCAR and a major vintage event each year. But it’s the Indy 500 and the month of May schedule that is the biggest draw and the city’s claim to fame.

No wonder one of those selling the four-packs at the brewery said the company doesn’t sponsor Hinchcliffe. “He sponsors us,” she said proudly. Once again, His Honor has found a whole new approach. Instead of a macro brewer spending millions to go racing, he’s collaborating in order to go brewing. Meanwhile, his favorite brewer can go racing in a sport where sponsorships generally run seven to eight figures.

Although the Flat 12 brand is not a direct sponsor on the car, various promotions – such as the launch of Bricks Red at the  brewery featuring Hinch, fellow driver Conor Daly and racing simulators, or a photo of the car sitting on the track with a four-pack of the IPA on the nose – helps clinch the Hinch connection.

The mainstays at Flat 12 include Half Cycle IPA, Walkabout Pale Ale, Upside Down Blonde and Pogue’s Run Porter, plus seasonals like the Cucumber Kolsch. They’re close to the classic mold, but push the boundaries. The Walkabout, for instance, is another beer where Manahan has relatively high IBUs for the style without losing taste to bitterness. The Woodwerks cellar has been in operation since the brewery opened and this year expects to release about 60 beers aged in tequila, rum, whiskey, wine and port barrels.

The goal for O’Connor, whose family has been fans of the Indy 500 for five generations, is to have Flat 12 on the side of a car, which would require a significant boost in barrel production that is not on the immediate horizon. For Hinchcliffe, who knows?

Hinch enjoying the fruits of his labor.

Maybe one day he’ll race flat out at Indy in a flat red car with Flat 12 on the side. The ultimate goal is winning the world’s biggest race and clinching one of the sport’s greatest comebacks. This year was a good start. 

“To get back on the track a year after the accident happened and to put it on pole, I was especially proud of the guys at Schmidt-Peterson,” he said. “All the hard work that they put into the race cars to make them as slippery as they are. To be a factor in the race, really right up until the last stint, I think it speaks volumes just for all the effort put into it… Sure, the end result was not the fairy tale we were hoping for, but we can be proud of what we did… We laid it out there and it was a great effort by the whole team.”

Will there be a third Hinch beer added to the line-up next May?

“We’re playing it by ear at the minute,” said Hinchcliffe. “It’s tough. I always wanted to do an IPA and I wanted to do that with Bricks. It was a one-off beer. But man, it sold well and tasted great. It’s so tempting to make it again next year. It might be better to stick with it that way or have people remember the allure and the myth of the Bricks IPA and try something else…We’ll see what comes about organically.”

So there you have it. Straight from City Hall at Hinchtown, where we suspect you know which beers are on tap.

Photos courtesy Flat 12 Bierwerks.