Recipe critique -Blue Moon partial mash...light-er??

Just wanted to run this by you guys. This is just my 5 th batch. most of my beers so far have been a little too malty, but still very good. I know I just need to go all grain which is coming in the next couple batches. Maybe after this one. I made a blue moon clone before that was too malty and had too much coriander. So this is my attempt at my first recipe. And I am trying to lower the calories just a little...thats why the use of 1 lb of cane sugar. so here it is.

1.5 lbs LME
1.5 lbs wheat malt extract
1 lbs cane sugar

mash total
2 lbs six row
2 lbs wheat (american?? not sure the different types my LHBS has)
Debating .25 to .5 lbs carapils - as most of my LHBS recipe's have this to increase body, but I am trying to limit calories so???

Oats??? I know they are used in the real thing. How and how much would work in a partial mash??? Malted vs flaked? I'll probably just leave them out.

.5 hallertauer at 50 min
.5 cascade at 15
.5 cascade at 5 min
for about 17 IBU's

about 1/3 ounce corriander and 1 oz sweet orange peel at 10 minutes.

Mashing in bag with 1.5 gallons for 45 minutes @ 150 then steeping in bag for 15 or so. hoping for 65% efficiency at least? Total boil starting at 5 gallons to leave some room for cold top off water/ice. total final volume of 5 gallons.

US - 05 yeast at 70 degrees.


Beer calculus numbers:
OG 1.049
FG 1.013
SRM showing 5 which is doubtful as all my extracts have came out dark. Not that important to me right now though.
17 IBU's
148 calories per 12 oz
and 4.8 % ABV

Seams simple. Thanks.

US-05 is not going to get you Bluemoon. A Belgian Wit yeast like wlp400 would be closer.

I used wlp 410 last time. It was good but a little fruity flavor compared to the blue moon. There is also a thread around here with a guy that worked for and helped produce the original and he stated that they use a neutral American strain. So that's what I was going for with the us-05 for a cleaner taste.

ashplub said:

US-05 is not going to get you Bluemoon. A Belgian Wit yeast like wlp400 would be closer.

Click to expand...

Blue Moon has NEVER used a Belgian style yeast strain. Blue Moon has never used Cascade hops. Blue Moon has only used one addition of hops during the boil for bitterness, never flavor and aroma.

Please follow the link in my signature for the original recipe for Blue Moon as well as lots of discussion on how to replicate it.

You will not lower calories by using sugar. Calories come from alcohol. Whatever the alcohol is made from, you will still have the calories. Use 2 row malt, not 6 row. Keep your partial mash on the low side. 150 to 152 F. That way the dextrin content will be lower so it will not have the full body and malt flavor you seem to not want. Do not use cara-pils. That would be defeating what you say you want to accomplish.

Don't use any malt extract. Just use wheat extract. Most of the wheat extract is at least 40% barley malt. That will lighten the color and flavor.

To continue with my obsession with correct terminology when it comes to "clones", you are looking for a "tribute" to Blue Moon, not a clone. In my mind a clone is an exact replica of the original. Not a modified version.

Good luck in your quest.

Wayne

Thanks wayne for you post. Thats the one I have read through, although not the hole thing. But I'll get right on that. As far as the overly malty-ness, I suspect it might be my interpretation of extract twang. And yes, not looking for a clone. I'm just trying to change it towards my personal taste so tribute sounds good (I never said clone though i guess it could be implied from the title). I'll mash low and avoid the carapils. And I'll dig a little deeper for the hops - edit - duh on the first page hal mitl for 90 minutes. thanks. But I like the simplicity of one addition.

Ummm..I stand corrected. I am thinking me next beer purchase will be a sixer of BM after reading that. I guess all the character (Spiciness) comes from the actual spices.