My attempt at a Blue Moon clone. (Not Bad!)

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 6.30 gal
Boil Time: 60 min
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.0

Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU
5 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)
3 lbs Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM)
1 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM)
1 lbs Wheat, Torrified (1.7 SRM)
0.63 oz Pearle [8.20%] (60 min) Hops 17.0 IBU
0.38 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 15.0 min)
1.00 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 15.0 min)
1 Pkgs Safale Ale Yeast (DCL Yeast #US-05)
[Starter 50 ml] Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile
Est Original Gravity: 1.050 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 4.9 %
Bitterness: 17.0 IBU
Est Color: 3.5 SRM

The beer smells and tastes just like a blue moon. The only deviation in the taste is probably the bitterness that sneaks through from the perle. It is still very green however, and I am guessing/hoping that it will clean up a little bit.

I stayed away from a definitive wheat yeast because I wanted a crisper beer with a citrus taste to it, and I've read a couple places that mentioned Blue Moon uses a Cali yeast in their brew.

The absence of white wheat is solely due to the fact that my LHBS was out of it when I went, and I didn't want to drive over an hour to the other one. I don't know if it is because of the wheat I used, but the beer just doesn't have that orange color like Blue Moon. It looks more hazy yellow.

Does anyone know how I can get that orange color in the brew? Does it come fromt he orange peel, or do you think they might add a touch of color?

Overall, the first couple tastes I had were great, especially considering it is still very green. (about 12 days from brew day)

Any suggestions or comments on the recipe would be greatly appreciated!!

I made a 10g batch of AHS blue moon clone (https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=30190) and used .50 oz of coriander. After about 2 months, the orange taste has really started to mellow, but the peppery taste of the coriander is really starting to shine now. I have a feeling as your beer ages the peppery taste of the coriander is really going to be strong.

Just throwing it out there but maybe some amber color from some Crystal 15 or so....

I have a blue moon clone that needs to be kegged and bottled tomorrow.

I used the recipe from this thread.

Wayne1 is one of the guys who formulated the original recipie for the sandlot brewery at Coor's Field.

I can't wait to pour a pint and see how it turned out.

Cookiebaggs said:

I have a blue moon clone that needs to be kegged and bottled tomorrow.

I used the recipe from this thread.

Wayne1 is one of the guys who formulated the original recipie for the sandlot brewery at Coor's Field.

I can't wait to pour a pint and see how it turned out.

Click to expand...

His comments were the basis of my recipe. As you can see, I follow his 5-4-1 (2-row, wheat, oats) ratio. Except instead of straight white wheat malt I used 3 pounds of belgian wheat malt and a pound of flaked wheat.

I didn't use the hallertauer hops he mentioned, but I did stick to the 17 IBUs. In the future, I dont think I would use perle, but its not too out of line either.

As for the orange and coriander, I tried to follow his 3:1 ratio, but I suspect I used quite a bit more orange peel than my recipe says. (probably more than a half ounce) But the aroma and taste are wonderful, as far as I can tell right now, I wouldn't change the amounts of coriander or orange peel that I used. We'll have to wait a couple weeks to make a final decision on that I guess.

Your farther along than me. I need to get mine into kegs and bottles. So far it looks and smells great.


Grain:

10.25 lbs. Pale Malt(2-row)
8.25 lbs. White Wheat Malt
2.00 lbs. Flaked Oats

Hops:

1.25 oz. Hallertauer Whole 7.50 19.3 75 min.

Extras:

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

Yeast:

WYeast 1056 Amercan Ale/Chico