Witbier Austin Homebrew's Blue Moon Clone (AG)

[Lil' Sparky]

Recipe Type

All Grain

Yeast

Belgian Wit, WLP400

Batch Size (Gallons)

5.5

Original Gravity

1.046

Final Gravity

1.011

Boiling Time (Minutes)

60

IBU

14

Color

3.4 SRM

Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)

14

This seems to be a popular beer people like to brew and it's probably one of the best beers I've ever brewed - everyone loved it! It's AHS's recipe. I can't take any credit for it.

Ingredients
Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 50.0 %
3.00 lb Wheat, Flaked (1.6 SRM) Grain 30.0 %
1.00 lb Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 10.0 %
1.00 lb White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 10.0 %
0.50 oz Cascade [6.90%] (45 min) Hops 10.0 IBU
0.50 oz Cascade [6.90%] (10 min) Hops 3.9 IBU
0.18 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
0.18 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
0.35 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Belgian Wit Ale (White Labs #WLP400) Yeast-Wheat

Mash Profile
Name: Double Infusion, Medium Body
Mash Grain Weight: 10.00 lb
Grain Temperature: 72.0 F S
parge Temperature: 168.0 F
Sparge Water: 3.79 gal

Name Description Step Temp Step Time
Protein Rest Add 10.00 qt of water at 131.1 F 122.0 F 30 min
Saccrification Add 7.00 qt of water at 208.0 F 154.0 F 30 min
Mash Out Direct Heat to 168.0 F over 2 min 168.0 F 10 min

 

[kato]

Do you leave the spices in the fermenter after the boil?

 

[Kevin Dean]

This recipe suggests treating the spices like a hop addition. Myself, I tossed it in my hop bag and removed it when I was done, so it didn't go into the fermenter.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Yeah, I think I put them in the hop bag, too.

As a follow up, I've had several people request that I brew this again. It really is a good recipe.

 

[tgrier]

How did/does this compare to BM's Blue Moon Clone that is in the database?

It looks to have a simpler grain bill and different hops. I wonder how much of a flavor change it would be...

BM your thoughts?

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I haven't tried BierMuncher's version, but this one is definately good. I'd say just pick one and give it a shot.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

I am glad you like it. I cloned that one myself. Some people like it better than Blue Moon.

Forrest

 

[BierMuncher]

How did/does this compare to BM's Blue Moon Clone that is in the database?

It looks to have a simpler grain bill and different hops. I wonder how much of a flavor change it would be...

BM your thoughts?

Looks like a good recipe. I'd imagine the Cascade does well in a "spice" beer like this. The grain bill's a bit bigger, but mine was designed to be an all-day 3.4% session beer. This recipe looks t be more in line with BJCP guidelines.

I will say that it seems the orange and coriander look to be a lot less than my recipe. Course...I may just be developing an "immunity" to the coriander flavor.

 

[tgrier]

Well ... I made the AHS version today.

It smelled and looked really really nice. Well Done Forrest and AHS.

BM I am going to try yours next and then your SWMBO slayer

I really like the simplicy of the grain bill makes it easier to buy bulk.

 

[shagington]

I just brewed this recipe on the 27th of December. I can't wait for it to get done. I added .5 ounces of both the bitter and the sweet orange peels to give it a tad more orange/tangy flavor. My only concern is that my original gravity came out to 1.036. A bit worried. How long did you leave yours in the secondary?

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I usually go about 3 weeks in the fermenter (sometimes I secondary, sometimes I don't) before I bottle/keg. That should be plenty long enough. I'd say give it another week or so.

 

[shagington]

Awesome awesome... I just transferred to the secondary today. Right now I've got a gravity of 1.018. I had a nice little taste of it today, it was pretty much the light wheaty Blue Moon taste with a big citrus orange punch, due to the extra amount of orange peels I added. I'll give it a week in the secondary and that will be about 3 weeks fermentation. I think some nice tropical fruit, like kiwi or pineapple would add an awesome flavor to this beer. Thanks for the help!!

 

[cherry300zx]

hey guys whats going on im about to make this tonight my question was when should i add the coriander and orange zest?

 

[BierMuncher]

hey guys whats going on im about to make this tonight my question was when should i add the coriander and orange zest?

I add between 10-15 minutes left in the boil.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Right. It's listed at 15 mins. I guess that's when I threw them in there.

Thanks for catching that one BierMuncher!

 

[cherry300zx]

thanks, i was just wondering because guys I talked to at the store where I bought my stuff from said to throw it in after fermentation is finished

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I think you really need it at the end of the boil to extract all of the flavor.

Nice to know you know where to go for the straight-shooting, no BS, tell-it-like-it-is, who's your daddy, truth about the matter.

 

[Fire_travels]

Just a quick ques... first, my SWMBO DOES NOT LIKE BEER but she told me tonight that she would like to try one again like Blue moon! so I was thinking this sounds like a it might get me to the beer she knows, but what do you think about using some grapefruit peel and/or juice to make it fit her tast a little better?

 

[Lil' Sparky]

If that's what she likes, I'd add it to the glass/bottle. I wouldn't put it in the entire batch.

 

[scinerd3000]

0.18 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
0.18 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 15.0 min) Misc

what exactly is the difference?

 

[Lil' Sparky]

One's sweet, one's bitter.

That's my smart ass way of saying "I don't really know" They probably come from different kinds of oranges.

 

[northbound]

I see the recipe calls for flaked wheat. Can I replace it with malted wheat, and/or cooked hard wheat berries?

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I'm not a wheat expert. My guess is there would be some difference, but I'm not sure what it would be. Can't get your hands on any flaked wheat?

 

[budbo]

I see the recipe calls for flaked wheat. Can I replace it with malted wheat, and/or cooked hard wheat berries?

I brewed this recipie using malted wheat instead of flaked. It came out great! (late post because that keg just got in the keggerator)

 

[Jilaman]

I am getting ready to brew the AHS Blue Moon Clone partial mash, Should I grind the coriander before adding it?

And should I make a starter for this?

Also, what should I do to change the recipe to make this a Late Addition for the Wheat Liquid Malt Extract, should I add approx 2lbs of the LME at beginning of boil and the rest for last 15 min? or should I not change the recipe?

 

[Lil' Sparky]

I am getting ready to brew the AHS Blue Moon Clone partial mash, Should I grind the coriander before adding it?

You don't have to grind it. You can break it up with a hammer.

And should I make a starter for this?

It's probably a good idea. The last time I brewed this, I didn't and one of the vials wasn't viable. I had to swap some volume between the carboys to get the 2nd one going.

Also, what should I do to change the recipe to make this a Late Addition for the Wheat Liquid Malt Extract, should I add approx 2lbs of the LME at beginning of boil and the rest for last 15 min? or should I not change the recipe?

I've never done an extract batch. From what I understand you would add it all at the end, but you have to adjust the hops addition to compensate for the higher utilization. You may want to post that question in another forum if nobody answers here.

 

[GunnerMan]

Sounds good, I think if I were to brew it I would cut the sweet peel quantity in half though. I had BM a long time agao and it tasted great but recently I had it and the orange flavor in it tasted way to powerful for me.

 

[dmbRedGetta]

Alright, I'm a complete newbie when it comes to homebrewing (I've only done 3 batches thus far, all from the boxed kits), but this is something I really want to work at and improve on. The first time I had a Blue Moon I really disliked it (that was back when I thought Corona was good, though). The other night I had one again and it's moved to the top of my list. Of course, now I want to make my own. Can anyone help me decipher the recipe? As you probably know, the kits tell you exactly what to do and when, so looking at this recipe it might as well be in another language.

 

[Lil' Sparky]

This is an all grain recipe, where you mash and sparge the grains before the boil. I'm going to assume if you don't understand the recipe that your first batches have been extract. My suggestion would be to order the extract recipe kit from austinhomebrew.com and brew it up like you're used to.

 

[Austinhomebrew]

My suggestion is to try it first then change what you want. If you change the recipe, the results are on you. Most people like my recipe better than Blue Moon. I contemplated dumbing the recipe down so it would taste closer to Blue Moon but people like it too much.

Forrest

 

[dmbRedGetta]

Oh, I didn't mean that the recipe itself was complex, but that I've only been exposed to extracts like Lil' Sparky guessed. So you make an extract version of this recipe? I think I'm going to stick with those for now since I have everything to do them and so I can get more familiar with the brewing process.

Thanks for the pointers, though -- I just checked out the site and I see you have a Beck's clone as well! I'll definitely be checking out the site more later. Thanks!

 

[walke2jd]

Could this be brewed using a batch sparge instead of the double infusion? This is going to be my first AG and Im not familiar with double infusions.

Also, would I need to adjust the temps/times any if I did batch sparge?

Sorry for the newb questions, and thanks in advance.

- Jason

 

[Lil' Sparky]

walke2jd - welcome to the forum.

Your terminology is a little jacked up, but I think I understand your question. You can do a single rest at 154' (this would be called a single infusion mash), as opposed to a step mash. I've brewed this both ways and the results have always been great. The temp of the strike water you add to the grains to reach 154' will vary depending on your setup. I'd try 165-167' - that should get you in the ballpark.

Sparging refers to the step when you rinse the sugars from the grains after you're done mashing. You can sparge using any technique you like. I recommend batch sparging, because I think it's a little easier.

 

[walke2jd]

Thanks for the info. And yes, Im still trying to get the lingo down. Im brewing this tomorrow, so Ill update you guys on how it turns out later.

Thanks,
Jason

 

[Darwin18]

I'd like to make this for my next brew, however I'm wondering where you got the bitter/sweet orange peel and coriander from? Would I be able to find these at a Trader Joes/Whole Foods/Harris Teeter?

 

[Lil' Sparky]

You should be able to get them from any homebrew shop. I usually order most of my extra ingredients from www.austinhomebrew.com. I'm not sure about the places you mentioned.

 

[walke2jd]

So i brewed this 3 days ago and for my first brew session and first ag attempt, I think it went great. My og was a little low (1.038) but from what Ive read, that isnt the end of the world. I didnt take into account all the heat the mash tun would suck up, so I ended up mashing at around 150' and just upped the time to 1.25 hrs to compensate.

Anyways, It began bubbling great on day two, with constant bubbles through the airlock. Now on day 4, its slowed to a bubble every 5 seconds or so. Is it normal for fermentation to slow down so quicky? Im used to wine which has pretty steady fermentations, so just wondering.

Thanks for all your help. - Jason

 

[KerryD]

I'm 3 weeks in and my final gravity is reading 1.015-016 over the last couple of days.

Should I bottle?

 

[Lil' Sparky]

Yeah, it's probably done. How did the sample taste?

 

[KerryD]

Yeah, it's probably done. How did the sample taste?

I'm not a big fan of this beer... it's for the wife, but damn... it's good!