The Valiant Lineup: 31 Kings

Part 3 in our ongoing series of posts introducing you to the Valiant family of beers. Today’s installment: 31 Kings.

You’ve already met our Imperial IPA (Jericho) — now we’ll introduce you to our IPA, 31 Kings.

31 Kings is part of our Common Sense Series, session beers that are low in alcohol—and are designed to be enjoyed by everyone, from beer geeks to those trying craft beer for their first time.

India Pale Ale is a beer style that dates back close to 200 years. The term “pale ale” alerted drinkers to the fact that the beer had been brewed from pale malt; it was India pale ale because it was brewed for export to India.

Tastes and techniques change over time, so it’s no surprise that the earliest pale ales were lightly hopped—completely different from what Americans expect of their IPAs today. And it’s worth noting that in the United States, East Coast and West Coast IPAs have very different characters—the East Coast brews boasting a stronger malt presence to balance the hops, the West Coast version featuring hops more in the foreground.

It is an incredibly popular beer style—the fastest-growing beer style, in fact, according to RateBeer.com — and there’s good reason for that. A great IPA cleanses the palate, refreshes the soul, and showcases the sheer range of hop aroma and flavor.

31 Kings is a very floral beer with a mixture of pine, citrus, and mango aromas. The predominant flavor profile is dry and resinous, with only a slight malt character.

As with any good IPA, the main attraction is the hops. Aggressive bitterness hits the back of the palate and gradually fades—so, of course, you want to take another sip! The color is pale straw and comes in at 11 SRM.

But 31 Kings’ strongest characteristic is its drink-ability. This stems from the balance that we at Valiant Brewing are always striving to achieve in our beers (as well as in life!). While this beer is undeniably hoppy and bitter, our selection of malts and hops balance out the dominant bitter profile, making the beer more accessible to non-hopheads.

31 Kings shares some characteristics with Valiant’s Imperial IPA, Jericho—most notably, the balance of flavors—but there is a significant difference: Jericho clocks in at 10.8% ABV while 31 Kings is at 6.5%.