We get homebrewed beer sent to us from all over the planet. This time, the beer is from Mike in Washington State, USA. He shipped it over 3,000 miles so that we could open it up on camera, write about it here, and post a video on YouTube. Check out all the things that we thought about in our homebrew swap, exchange number 31.

Mike P’s Kings and Queens IPA Recipe

Batch Size: 5.5 US Gallons
Boil Time: 60 mins

Grains

9 pounds Maris Otter Pale Malt (78%)
1.5 pounds Munich Light Malt 10°L (13%)
0.5 pounds Caramel/Crystal Malt 15°L (4%)
0.5 pounds Flaked Oats (4%)

Hops
1 ounce Southern Star hops – Boiled for 60 minutes – 13% AA
1 ounce XJA/436 hops – Boiled for 30 minutes – 14% AA
1 ounce N1/69 hops – Hop stand addition – 20 minutes – 13% AA
1 ounce U1/108 hops – Hop stand addition – 6.5% AA
1 ounce African Queen hops- Hop stand addition – 15.5% AA
1 ounce African Queen hops – Dry hopped for 4 days – 15.5% AA
1 ounce N1/69 hops – Dry hopped for 4 days – 13% AA
1 ounce U1/108 hops – Dry hopped for 4 days – 6.5% AA

Yeast
1 packet of White Labs California Ale WLP001

Instructions
Mashed at 149° F for 60 minutes
Mashed Out at 167° F for 10 minutes
Added 0.5 tsp Irish Moss and 0.5 tsp of Wyeast Yeast Nutrient with 15 minutes to go in the boil
Fermented for 21 days at 64° F

Calculations

IBUs: 97.4
Color: 12.6 °SRM
OG: 1.059
FG: 1.014

Tasting Notes

Here’s what we thought.

Appearance
Mike liked the color. The haze was dominant. Head was rocky and persistent.

Aroma
There were notes of orange and peach. There was also a floral component to it. Notes of violent and chamomile.

Flavor
There wasn’t a lot of bitterness. The flavor was not as strong as they were in the aroma.

Mouthfeel
Soft and smooth. Medium body.

Overall Impression
We were happy that this beer had some bitterness but not a lot. It definitely did not have the bitterness of west coast IPA from last decade. The aroma was really strong – we wished the hop flavor was as strong. For a first kegged beer, it was a winner.

BREW ON!