Blue Moon Clone

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Cookiebaggs said:
I did and it turned out fantastic!

I brewed 10 gallons. Kegged 5 (didn't last very long), and bottled 5 that I am selectively drinking.

I used Wayne1's percentages and used 1056 yeast instead of a belgian.

50.0% 10.25 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row)
40.2% 8.25 lbs. Wheat Malt
9.8% 2.00 lbs. Flaked Oats

1.25 oz. Hallertauer Whole 19.3 IBU 75 min

2.00 Oz Corriander Seed 10 Min.(boil)
0.75 Oz Bitter Orange Peel 5 Min.(boil)

Acid Rest 20min @ 104
Protien rest 30min @ 122
Saccrification 60min @ 153
Mashout 10 min @ 168

OG: 1.052
FG: 1.012

3 weeks primary at 68 degrees
2 weeks cold crash secondary at 46 degrees
I'll be brewing this again for sure.

A few of my friends love Blue Moon. I am gonna have to try this. I realize that it's an all grain recipe but if I portioned it out for a 5 gallon batch could I use the brew in a bag technique? I'm still relatively new to brewing (moving from extract to partial mash/brew in a bag) so that might be a noob question but I am one haha.
 
For those who AG - Do you like a protein rest with this wheat/barley/oat bill? I'm wondering if it's necessary.

Does anyone know, is the white wheat malt fully modified or close?
 
Yes, I know tsp means tea spoon, but the amounts seems to make sense if he meant table spoon instead. Anyway, feel free Wayne to chime in to correct us here.
By the way, will be brewing #9 this weekend with Wyeast 1010, American Wheat.

I have the BM#9 still fermenting after 18days. WY1010 is very slow, not sure if this is the way it supposed to bes since first time using it.
Had a sample yesterday from the carboy and it tastes....................bad, really bad:(
Lots of clove taste, which I hate. If coming from the yeast, then this was a no got for me. My experience with this off flavor is that it doesn't go away with time, so not sure, may dump this one.
 
and #9 is down the drain:(
What can I possibly do for #10, any suggestions? I think I will brew Wayne's #2
 
OK...I have been watching on the sidelines on here, and I have to chime in....my batch of Nilos #7 just came ripe as of last weekend..and I gotta say plus 1.....looks, smells, and tastes like a blue moon. side note, I bought briess chrystal 40l instead of 10l(just a mistake) ...1oz McCormic Valencia..... .7 oz corriander So4 yeast, will definately brew this againe, I brew in a bag and used the corn starch.....Tom
 
Just brewed up something close to a cross between Wayne 1 and Wayne 2:

5 lbs domestic 2-row (Briess)
4 lbs white wheat malt (Weyermann)
1 lbs flaked oats
0.75 oz tettnang @ 60 min. (17.5 IBUs)
0.50 oz freshly ground coriander @ 10 min.
0.75 oz dried sweet orange peel @ 5 min.
Wyeast 1056, rinsed slurry

Mashed at 152F, OG: 1.053, fermenting at 67F

Note to self: next time, use rice hulls!!! First time brewing on my new system -batch sparge in a round cooler with a braid- and it stuck a couple times. Not a huge deal, but it did slow things down. Will post tasting notes when it's ready.
 
Just took a wine thief sample of the Wayne1 original page 1 recipe I brewed 3 weeks ago. Wow! To a friend and I, it's very very good. It was a 3.25 gal batch. I used 1oz of sweet orange peel, and .6oz of coriander. I used 001, but if i didnt already have cleaned 001, id use US-05 just for the ease. The orange is not overpowering at all, but it's there, you know your tasting orange. Most important SWMBO who is a Blue Moon drinker loves it. I will brew it again the same way.
 
Fermentation is approaching 48 hours. It smells great and the airlock is bubbling rapidly but there is practically no krausen. It looks like it reached 1/2 inch, max, at some point and currently it's maybe 1/4 inch or less. Big white bubbles, like from a soda. I assume the flaked oats are affecting it but I don't remember this with any of my other Blue Moon attempts. Granted, they were all partial mash, but I don't think that would matter. I pitched ~200 ml of washed slurry harvested the day before, which is somewhat of an over-pitch according to mrmaltly.com. This is the fourth generation for this yeast and the previous fermentation was very normal and temp controlled at 67F. Thoughts? RDWHAHB?
 
I'm totally new to AG but have 60 or so Partial Mashs and extract batches under my belt. I'd say that if you have yeast activity, your fine. RDWHAHB..and let it do its thing.
 
Nilo, which Blue Moon clone that you have made do you like best? I see a lot of people making you 8 and 6. I am trying to decide whether to go with your 6/8 or waynes 2. This thread is awesome btw. I have learned a lot.
 
sloanfamilydsm said:
This was my first attempt at a "Blue Moon" clone. I tried to follow the OP's recipe but ended up using what I had on hand. I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Blue Moon
5.0 Gallon Recipe

4.00 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row)
4.00 lbs. Wheat Malt
1.2 lbs. Flaked Oats

21 grams Centennial Pellet (11.6AA) 60 min

34 grams Ground Coriander 10 Min.
13 grams Orange Peel (Penzeys) 5 Min.

Wyeast British Ale II #1335 yeast cake from a Pale Ale

Protein rest 30min @ 122
Saccrification 60min @ 153

1.046 gravity
66% efficiency



image-3735296702.jpg

Tastes great but took a couple weeks for the 34 grams coriander to mellow out.
The 13 grams orange peel never did shine through.

My next batch I will lower the coriander to 28 grams and increase the orange peel to 28 grams and see how that turns out.
 
nilo, which blue moon clone that you have made do you like best? I see a lot of people making you 8 and 6. I am trying to decide whether to go with your 6/8 or waynes 2. This thread is awesome btw. I have learned a lot.

#7

Correction, #7 without Irish moss
 
Brewed Nilos #8... wow!
Will be brewing this as a mainstay. Awesome is the response I get from everyone.
Thanks Nilo!

Note.. used oats in the boil instead of starch

DSCN0643.jpg
 
Colorado68 said:
Brewed Nilos #8... wow!
Will be brewing this as a mainstay. Awesome is the response I get from everyone.
Thanks Nilo!

Note.. used oats in the boil instead of starch

I thought oats had to be mashed?
 
Just finished my first AG batch of Wayne #2 on Saturday! It was a stressful day trying to figure out my new electric system, but despite all the issues, I will have beer in ~2 weeks! I definitely want to try the Nilo #7 recipe too. Thank you to everyone who contributed!

IMG_0733.jpg


IMG_0735.jpg
 
Great thread and amazing information. I have jotted down quite a few things from everyones trials and will be brewing this weekend. Sticking with the #4 recipe with some minor tweeks to the orange/corriander ratios. I may be adding a bit of honey malt on my first run to see how that goes.
I do have some questions about the acid,protein and sacc rest temps from the original rexipe. My cooler tun isnt the greatest at temp control and maybe just sticking with 152 - 155 is the best and easiest but would it be worth trying to mash half the grains at the acid temp and the other half at the sacc temp than together for last protein temps? Kind of a newb at this but thought it might be worth asking.
 
Blue Moon had always been brewed with a single infusion rest at SandLot brewery.

I have only done single infusions at the other breweries where I have made variations on Blue Moon. At home it is only single infusion.

As I continually state, try the recipe "stock" the first time you make it. For the second time you can change things up to suit your taste. You currently have no idea what the standard recipe will taste like when made on your system.

Brew it as written and then tweak after you have some data on what your system does.

Nilo has made about 9 variations on this theme and I applaud him for his research. He has made the basic recipe and has been fine tuning it for HIS system ever since. Everybody's system is different. What works for Nilo does not work for me. So try the standard recipe, gather some data points and then, slowly, tweak the recipe to your tastes.
 
As I continually state, try the recipe "stock" the first time you make it. For the second time you can change things up to suit your taste. You currently have no idea what the standard recipe will taste like when made on your system.

Brew it as written and then tweak after you have some data on what your system does.

Nilo has made about 9 variations on this theme and I applaud him for his research. He has made the basic recipe and has been fine tuning it for HIS system ever since. Everybody's system is different. What works for Nilo does not work for me. So try the standard recipe, gather some data points and then, slowly, tweak the recipe to your tastes.

This!
 
Indeed I will try the recipe and tweek as I continue to brew. I dont mean to bash your post but its like posting a recipe than telling everyone to try it and rest the thread to an end. I like the ideas and criticism that comes about when everyone gathers to form new ideas and new directions. Had I not read all 700+ posts, I would not have even put a thought into attempting this recipe.
I just hate to waste money time and effort into something that would be a catostrophic failure.
 
My take... The fact that there are 700+ posts can give a strong impression that the original recipe, or Wayne1's update, may not give you the best chance at a solid clone of Blue Moon, which is a shame. And it makes it very tempting to believe that following some variation will give you a shortcut to a better brew, at least that was the case for me.

My first two attempts were based on variations I read about on here but I've since discovered that the original 50/40/10 grain bill with a single infusion mash and a clean yeast actually got me much, much closer to the commercial version. I believe very minor tweaks to my mash temp and spice amounts are the only things keeping keeping me from a "truly spot-on clone." But then, I'm just another stranger adding to the static... YMMV.

I liken Wanye1's comments to urging someone to first read the original text rather than a translation, or to first watch the original Star Wars rather than the "special edition."
:mug:
 
Just to add to the noise floor, brewing #10 right now.
Run out of two row, so used more wheat this time.

6.5lb Briess wheat malt
3lb Briess 2 row brewers malt
1lb Briess crystal 10
1/2lb Briess carapils

mashed at 155F for 75min (another change, not planed)

1oz hallertau for 60min
1.5oz orange peels for 10min
0.375oz coriander for 10min
2 table spoons corn starch for 15min

will use S04 at 65F.
 
jwalker1140, just to clarify, the first two attempts you referred that took you to the wrong direction, were those the partial mash recipes you did or any other variation of all grain?
Also, do you have side by side photos of your attempt where you brewed a mix of Wayne's #1 and #2?
I'm still scratching my head why I had to use 1lb of C10 to get the color matching.
 
My partial mash, and extract before that, batches were all too dark, as you would expect. I don't have any photos of my previous all grain batch but I did just bottle another one today so I'll try to remember to report back with photos in a few weeks. My previous batch, from what I remember, may not have been absolutely indistinguishable in a side-by-side, but it was so close that there's no way I would be able to tell if someone handed it for me right after I finished a commercial version (kind of the 'Can You Brew It' standard for calling something cloned).

From your photos, it seems you totally have the color dialed in. Very impressive. I don't taste any crystal in BM. Does the 1.0 lb of C10 come through in yours?
 
Brewing 10 gallons of Wayne1's updated recipe. I will split the fermentation using S-04 and Pacman. I'll keep you posted with some side-by-side tastings and pics.

Thanks for all the great information in this thread.
 
My partial mash, and extract before that, batches were all too dark, as you would expect. I don't have any photos of my previous all grain batch but I did just bottle another one today so I'll try to remember to report back with photos in a few weeks. My previous batch, from what I remember, may not have been absolutely indistinguishable in a side-by-side, but it was so close that there's no way I would be able to tell if someone handed it for me right after I finished a commercial version (kind of the 'Can You Brew It' standard for calling something cloned).

From your photos, it seems you totally have the color dialed in. Very impressive. I don't taste any crystal in BM. Does the 1.0 lb of C10 come through in yours?

I don't have a developed tasting skills, so with that in mind, I don't pick a specific C10 flavor.
 
Am planning my brew day for tomorrow and I went to the blue moon website to find additional info to combine with Wayne's recipe suggestions from the original brewery.

Here's from the blue moon website:


Malts: Pale, White Wheat, Oats
Hops: Blend of Imported and Domestic
Our Twist: Valencia Orange Peel , Coriander
IBUs: 9
Original Gravity: 13º Plato
ABV: 5.4%

Simple take the 50%, 40%, 10% ratios Wayne posted and adjust to hit the original gravity and ABV for your system. Enjoy!
 
Am planning my brew day for tomorrow and I went to the blue moon website to find additional info to combine with Wayne's recipe suggestions from the original brewery.

Here's from the blue moon website:

Malts: Pale, White Wheat, Oats
Hops: Blend of Imported and Domestic
Our Twist: Valencia Orange Peel , Coriander
IBUs: 9
Original Gravity: 13º Plato
ABV: 5.4%

Simple take the 50%, 40%, 10% ratios Wayne posted and adjust to hit the original gravity and ABV for your system. Enjoy!

13 Plato ?? As an OG that is amazingly low ..that's 1.030
 
My 9th attempt of a BM clone was a disaster. Used WY1010-American Wheat yeast and that may be the culprit, lots of clove taste, had to dump the whole batch (#9).
Anyways, posting here the results of #10 and #11, here were the changes:

#10
Mashed for 75min, not planned
Used 6.5lb of wheat and only 3lb of row, not planned. Run out of 2 row

#11
Used double orange peels, so full 3oz


Color wise, very similar, hard to pick one. Taste wise, the double orange tasted much closer to the commercial for me.

recipes are posted to same place, Here

Left is #10, center is the commercial, right is #11.

DSC09400.jpg
 
#10
Mashed for 75min, not planned
Used 6.5lb of wheat and only 3lb of row, not planned. Run out of 2 row

#11
Used double orange peels, so full 3oz


Color wise, very similar, hard to pick one. Taste wise, the double orange tasted much closer to the clone for me.

Why did you dump batches #10 & #11?

What do you mean the double oragne tasted much closer to the clone, you mean to the original Blue Moon?

Is #8 still the most similiar/best in your opinion.
 
Why did you dump batches #10 & #11?

What do you mean the double oragne tasted much closer to the clone, you mean to the original Blue Moon?

Is #8 still the most similiar/best in your opinion.

Dumped #9.
Corrected "clone" to "commercial".
#11 is now the closest for me.
 
Why did you dump batches #10 & #11?

What do you mean the double oragne tasted much closer to the clone, you mean to the original Blue Moon?

Is #8 still the most similiar/best in your opinion.

Hey, sorry, just now realized #10&11 had the "dumped" label in google docs. That is corrected now.
 
Just brewed up another batch yesterday, went with the #11. Anxious to try in a few weeks and will report back!
 
So I tried brewing this roughly based on Wayne's original Blue Moon recipe at the beginning of this thread. It tastes great, but the orange flavor is barely there if at all. I was running around the night before brew day (procrastination, I know) trying to find valencia oranges and came up empty. So I used naval oranges instead and boiled them for the last ten minutes.

Without going through all 80 pages of this thread I was wondering since some of you have taken multiple stabs at this recipe if anyone has found the right combination of the type of oranges, the amount, and boil time to get as close to Blue Moon as possible?
 
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