Blue Moon Clone

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True. I have coarsely crushed the coriander inside a zip-lock bag. Added to boil inside a muslin bag with the other spices so it doesn't stay for fermentation (this is another point to consider also).
 
Okay, let me demonstrate my ignorance once again. You guys are discussing #8 and #12 with reference to recipes. So where are these or how are they found? I'm a bit fuzzy on what these numbers actually reference, They're not post or pages, so what are they?
 
Okay, you got me on that. Thanks for the insight and recipes.

I'll renew my membership right now...
 
Alright, folks - I'm a fan of Blue Moon, and would like to give it a try. As a food historian, my preference is to follow @Wayne1's original formula as closely as I can. My batch size will be 1 gallon, because that's what I do.

In the reading that I did, I did not come across a 1-gallon-sized recipe, so this adaptation might not be perfect. Hopefully, Wayne is still active on this board and this thread. If my adaptation is wildly off, I'd appreciate a comment or PM with any suggestions, as I tend to gravitate toward the "original" where things like this are concerned. I've only made it through about 30 pages of the thread, but it appears that all of the information for the original recipe are covered there.

The only major difference that I can see is the use of a 60 minute boil, as a 90-minute boil seemed to be too much for a 1-gallon batch. I did, however, hit the IBUs on target, I believe. My biggest challenge was in trying to set the amounts for the ground coriander and ground Valencia orange peel. There was some back-and-forth between teaspoons and ounces, which can get confusing when dealing with a batch as small as 1 gallon. I finally settled on what I think is fair number, keeping Wayne's ratio of 3 (coriander) to 1 (orange) in mind. Once again, I would indeed appreciate any correction.

I'm pretty much a non-scientific, stove-top brewer, but I did plug my ideas into Brewer's Friend, and I feel that I am close to the original.


Blue Moon Clone
TasunkaWitko's Adaptation
Inspired by Wayne1's Original Recipe

1 gallon

Stats

OG - 1.053
FG - 1.010
ABV - 5.6%
IBUs - 17.02
SRM - 4.17


Fermentables

American Pale 2-Row Malt - 1 lb.
American White Wheat - 0.8 lb.
Flaked Oats - 0.2 lb.

Rice Hulls - 0.1 lb.

Mash @ 154. for 60 minutes


60-Minute Boil

Hops

Hallertau Mittelfruh (estimate 3.75 AA) - .25 oz. at 40 minutes

Other Ingredients

Ground Coriander - 0.14 oz. @ 10 minutes
Ground, Dried Valencia Orange Peel - .2 oz. @ 5 minutes

Yeast - S-05

I think this covers everything. If I have committed any glaring errors or have strayed from the original concept, please let me know.

Thanks -

Ron
 
After (finally!) reading all posts on this thread, I made a very slight change to my original post above.

Based on Wayne's "updated" recipe for the original, I edited the proposed amounts of both the coriander and the orange peel in order to reflect a 1-gallon sized batch using his updated amounts of those ingredients.

As far as I can tell, this is an accurate representation of Wayne's original recipe, scaled down to 1 gallon; I will use this as a starting point and tweak from there if necessary.

As far as "brand names" for ingredients, I believe that Wayne mentioned Rahr for the pale malt, so I will try that. If I am wrong, please let me know. I am able to order from the Savory Spice Shop in Colorado, so I will get my coriander from there, requesting a fresh grind; I will also get the ground orange zest there, since the true original does not seem to be available for home brewers.

Thanks -

Ron
 
Hello Ron,

Thanks for the interest in my posts.

First off, I have to say I have never brewed 1 gallon batches of anything, so I do not think I can help you out with adapting the recipe down to that size. The original recipe was adapted down from 15 bbl (500 gallons) to 5 gallon based on my numbers brewing on both sized systems.

I believe you are correct in that the amount of spice you use will be entirely up to you. You can start out with the numbers you have posted, try it and adapt from there. If you have a local spice shop, I would buy from them for consistency. Over the years I have found great changes in all of the various vendors goods mentioned in these posts.

The original recipe is now 20 yrs old. The barley varieties have changed since Blue Moon was first made. Hops have also changed. Again, find out what you can get locally and stay with that. SandLot first used Great Western malt and the ownership and the malting varieties and blends of barley have all changed in the interim. Use a good supplier like Rahr of Cargill for a 2 row base malt. Everything else is left to chance.

Good luck in your quest.
 
Good morning, gentlemen, and thank you for the feedback - it is appreciated!

jjw5015 - my "stove-top" brewing follows fairly closely to this procedure outlined here:

[ame]https://vimeo.com/11354805[/ame]

I haven't yet tried BIAB, but I really should one of these days, as it might simplify things and could possibly boost efficiency a bit.

Wayne - thanks much for your advice. As you said, the scaling down is definitely something that will require some "twiddling with the knobs," especially going down to such a small amount. I'll endeavor to report back on the results, if anyone is interested.

I hear you on the spices; my closest LHBS is 250 miles away in Billings, but there is a spice shop in Great Falls, which is only 130 miles away. I will see what thy have the next time we are down there. As for grains, I've had good luck ordering them from www.homebrewsupply.com; I see that Rahr malts are available from that site.

Thanks again for your diligence in guiding folks through the learning processes of resurrecting the original Blue Moon. It is very much appreciated by many of us, and I hope that I can do justice to your efforts.
 
Hey Wayne, I have made various Blue Moon clones over the past few years. I followed your recipe this time. I trust it will turn out well. Final gravity was 1.052.
 
muskokawildman said:
Hey Wayne, I have made various Blue Moon clones over the past few years. I followed your recipe this time. I trust it will turn out well. Final gravity was 1.052.
Click to expand...

I've made several variations of BM clones, but I'd have to say, Wayne's original recipe here is my personal favorite. I let it sit a bit to condition, but I think it's great. :mug:
 
Alright, I ordered the grains for this, so it is on deck, soon. I'll order the coriander and Valencia orange peel when I get closer to a confirmed Brew Day.

This is a 1-gallon batch, which hasn't yet been attempted, to my knowledge; I'll post on results, and if it turns out well, the recipe can be used by other small-batch brewers.

As I recall, it was decided that both the coriander and the Valencia orange peel are to be ground when weighed before adding to the boil? If not, let me know.

Thanks -

Ron
 
Alrighty - all ingredients have arrived and this brew is ready to go at the first opportunity that I have. I am looking forward to brewing it as a nice fall/winter beer.

Per the advice I have been reading, I plan to be using rice hulls, 1/10 of a pound, for this 1-gallon batch. I've never used rice hulls before, but as I recall they go right into the mash, along with everything else.

If that is not the case, please let me know.

When I do start this brew, I will open a new thread on it and post a link to it here.

Thanks again to all, especially Wayne!

Ron
 
@Wayne1 or @nilo -

Please forgive my newbie ignorance, but is there a reason for the 90-minute boil?

For a 1-gallon batch, would you say (best guess) that I should do a 90-minute boil, or would a 60-minute boil be advisable?

I know that 1-gallon batches aren't your normal thing, but I'd be very grateful for any guidance -

Ron
 
Ron,

Sorry for not responding right away. I spent the last two days brewing 1000 gallons of Cream Ale ;)

For such a very small batch, I do not see any reason to boil for 90 min. On larger scales I always boil for 90 min to get the evaporation amounts I want. This will serve to condense the brew and drive off any volatiles.

In the 15 bbl system, I run between 6-8% evaporation. So roughly, I boil off 31 gallons over the course of 90 min. On my homebrew system I run around 10% boil off. I will suggest you boil a couple of gallons of water for 60 min to find out your evaporation rate and use that to calculate the amount of water you need to start with.

You will also have losses in transfers from kettle to fermenter and from fermenter to bottles. Add those numbers into your calculations to determine what volume to start with to end up with 1 gallon of beer.

Good luck,
Wayne
 
Wayne1 said:
Ron,

Sorry for not responding right away. I spent the last two days brewing 1000 gallons of Cream Ale ;)

For such a very small batch, I do not see any reason to boil for 90 min. On larger scales I always boil for 90 min to get the evaporation amounts I want. This will serve to condense the brew and drive off any volatiles.

In the 15 bbl system, I run between 6-8% evaporation. So roughly, I boil off 31 gallons over the course of 90 min. On my homebrew system I run around 10% boil off. I will suggest you boil a couple of gallons of water for 60 min to find out your evaporation rate and use that to calculate the amount of water you need to start with.

You will also have losses in transfers from kettle to fermenter and from fermenter to bottles. Add those numbers into your calculations to determine what volume to start with to end up with 1 gallon of beer.

Good luck,
Wayne
Click to expand...

Hi, Wayne, and no worries - it's been a busy weekend for me. The cream ale sounds interesting! I tried one from Crow Peak Brewing Company in Spearfish, South Dakota, and really liked it. One of these days, I'll try making it. :)

I get what you're saying with the volume and losses as relating to the boil and transfers, and I'll keep it in mind with this. Thanks for the advice, and double thanks for being available to guide folks in their efforts. I'll do my best to do justice to this project. :mug:
 
@allan67 - hey, Allen -

I haven't made it yet, but hope to in the beginning of October sometime...by the end of the month, for sure!:mug:
 
Just opened my bm clone as per waynes posted recipe and i must say im very happy with the results. I dont have one for a side by side comparison but from memory it is pretty spot on . Its very fresh and tasty. May or may not get better with a little time if it lasts long enough. [emoji481]
 
I'm looking at getting into home brewing and want to start with a Blue Moon clone to get my wife onboard with what will likely become my new obsession.

My problem following this thread is that I'm a complete Newb, I found the recipe off the google drive link, but I didn't see the setup/directions (for the process) can anyone point me in the right direction??
 
Hi, BB -

You've come to the right thread. The author of this clone was one of the people who originally developed Blue Moon. I've got the ingredients to make it, but have a couple of other beers to brew before I get started.

In order to answer your questions, the folks here will need a little more information. What size batch do you plan on brewing, and what equipment do you have?
 
I'm looking to brew 5 gallons of as close to blue moons I can make at home. I've got two 5 gallon glass carboys, a 5 gallon standard home brew kit plastic fermenting bucket and a 5 gallon bucket with spigot, siphon, 7 gallon stainless steel pot, propane burner, airlock etc. I make wine at home, but I'm new to beer and I drink beer more than I do wine; mostly because making beer at home is awesome and I want to learn!
 
I currently only brew 1-gallon batches, but it looks to me as though you're set up pretty well.

For your grains, you need a ratio of 50% American Pale 2-Row (5 pounds for 5 gallons), 40% American White Wheat (4 pounds for 5 gallons) and 10% Flaked Oats (1 pound for 5 gallons). You want to use American grains, not Belgian. For hops, you need Hallertau Mittelfruh.

Two key ingredients that you will need are Valencia orange peel (from McCormick) and ground coriander (the freshest possible); these are what give Blue Moon its distinctive character.

Those who brew 5-gallon batches are probably better qualified to provide the amounts/times for the hops, orange peel and coriander; but if no one provides them, I'll look through my notes and attempt some math.

The yeast you want to use is Safale S-05.

Hope this helps! :mug:

Ron
 
Baldwinbrewery said:
I'm looking to brew 5 gallons of as close to blue moons I can make at home. I've got two 5 gallon glass carboys, a 5 gallon standard home brew kit plastic fermenting bucket and a 5 gallon bucket with spigot, siphon, 7 gallon stainless steel pot, propane burner, airlock etc. I make wine at home, but I'm new to beer and I drink beer more than I do wine; mostly because making beer at home is awesome and I want to learn!
Click to expand...

Everything you need to know about the ingredients is on this thread, it will be as good if not better. For brewing instructions check out YouTube vids on basics, mash temps, time 60 min boil, cool wart to at least 70 degrees then pitch yeast. It's a pretty straight forward recipe.
 
I brewed this a few weeks ago and had it in the keg about 4 days now. I have a very strong coriander flavor. I used 1 Oz. Crushed for 10 minutes. Will this tame down any?
 
Bsbrew said:
I brewed this a few weeks ago and had it in the keg about 4 days now. I have a very strong coriander flavor. I used 1 Oz. Crushed for 10 minutes. Will this tame down any?
Click to expand...

Did you do a 5G batch? I'll assume so if you kegged in a 5G keg. But, maybe not....... Regardless, I think I'd cut back on the coriander with a light flavor like you are creating with this clone.

The coriander flavor may round out some as the beer mellows with time under refrigeration. I typically see dominate flavors become more subtle with lager conditioning. I use coriander and salt in Gose sours, but have started using Grains of Paradise in lieu of coriander in Witbiers. A professional brewer suggested I try GOP which I did, and I have not used coriander in a Wit since then.
 
Bsbrew said:
I brewed this a few weeks ago and had it in the keg about 4 days now. I have a very strong coriander flavor. I used 1 Oz. Crushed for 10 minutes. Will this tame down any?
Click to expand...

It should mellow somewhat with time, but ideally you should start low and increase amount over few batches. Also, how you use the coriander plays a major role on how much flavor it will impart. For instance, I used 0.375oz cracked in a ziplock bag and it turned good for my taste. 1oz crushed on a spice grinder (assuming this what you did) would add much more flavor.
 
I am (finally) brewing this tonight or tomorrow, depending on how things go. As stated before, this will be a 1-gallon batch, scaled according to Wayne's original recipe. I'm calling it Blauer Mond, a nod to my German roots.

Several have mentioned that it is good to use rice hulls in order to help with the sparge, so I will be trying this. I have never used rice hills before, but I can't see any down-side.

When I have time, I'll start a new thread as a sort of "brew diary" of the experience. I'll post a link to it here, for anyone who might be interested.
 
TasunkaWitko said:
I am (finally) brewing this tonight or tomorrow, depending on how things go. As stated before, this will be a 1-gallon batch, scaled according to Wayne's original recipe. I'm calling it Blauer Mond, a nod to my German roots.

Several have mentioned that it is good to use rice hulls in order to help with the sparge, so I will be trying this. I have never used rice hills before, but I can't see any down-side.

When I have time, I'll start a new thread as a sort of "brew diary" of the experience. I'll post a link to it here, for anyone who might be interested.
Click to expand...

@TasunkaWitko Well how did it go?
 
tzaccario said:
@TasunkaWitko Well how did it go?
Click to expand...

@tzaccario - Hey, thanks for reminding me. I was going to post a cross-link, for reference, but I forgot to do so. Here is the link to my experience with this, so far:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=596935

The brew went well, from everything that I can see. I am going to put it in the refrigerator in order to cold crash tonight, and plan to bottle it on Monday - or perhaps a day or so after that.
 
TasunkaWitko said:
@tzaccario - Hey, thanks for reminding me. I was going to post a cross-link, for reference, but I forgot to do so. Here is the link to my experience with this, so far:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=596935

The brew went well, from everything that I can see. I am going to put it in the refrigerator in order to cold crash tonight, and plan to bottle it on Monday - or perhaps a day or so after that.
Click to expand...

Awesome I will keep tabs on both posts for the first taste updates :mug:
 
TasunkaWitko said:
I am (finally) brewing this tonight or tomorrow, depending on how things go. As stated before, this will be a 1-gallon batch, scaled according to Wayne's original recipe. I'm calling it Blauer Mond, a nod to my German roots.

Several have mentioned that it is good to use rice hulls in order to help with the sparge, so I will be trying this. I have never used rice hills before, but I can't see any down-side.

When I have time, I'll start a new thread as a sort of "brew diary" of the experience. I'll post a link to it here, for anyone who might be interested.
Click to expand...

...and, here are the results, starting with a photo from 11 March 2017:

Blauer%20Mond%20-%2011MAR17.jpg


One thing to note - because of the very-much extended cold-crashing time (it was actually FROZEN for about 3 weeks, as well), this came out clearer than I think it is probably meant to be. Because of that, I think that the look is not quite what it "should" be, but it is still a beautiful beer as far as I am concerned.

I compared this side-by-side to the current Blue Moon, as well as to Beltian White, from Harvest Moon Brewing Company in Belt Montana. I found it to be better - in my opinion - than the current Blue Moon, and at least as good - in my opinion - as Beltian White.

Over-all, the Beltian White edged out the Blauer Mond as the winner, because a couple of mistakes I made resulted in a lesser-quality colour and head; but other than that, I think that I did a very good job with this, and I will absolutely be making this again, looking for improvement in my methods to result in a winner.
 
Made this using the ratios Wayne1 gave...and I have to say...it turned out BETTER than any Blue Moon I've ever had.
Wife and I are already talking about remaking it and changing nothing. Very balanced...neither the corriander or orange stands out over the other.
We really like it.
 
Well Wayne I tried your recipe that was about half way through this thread. I has to use Briess pale and white, that is what local store. At first I was unsure about the color of the beer. But after I added hops, peel, and coriander it looked better. I made a couple Gumball heads before this and the color is so much different. That's why I was unsure. Thank you for the recipe.
 

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