Blue Moon Clone

[homebrewer_99]

Any extract versions?

Blue Moon Ale Clone

5 lbs. Extra Light DME
2½ lbs. Orange Blossom Honey
1 oz. Hallertauer pellet hops (4½% - boil 45 minutes)
½ oz. Hallertauer whole hops (2.4% - steep 10 minutes)
1 oz. Coriander Seed (crushed - ½ boil 10 min, ½ steep 10 minutes)
1 oz. Orange Peel (zested fresh and dried, steep 10 minutes)
500 ml Wyeast #1214 Belgian Abbey yeast starter

Specifics:
Recipe type: Extract
Batch Size: 5 Gallons
SG: 1.059
FG: 1.010
Time in Boil: 45 minutes
Primary Fermentation: 7 days
Secondary Fermentation: 9 days

Not my recipe. Just something I saved in my library.

 

[J8D]

Thank you!!!!

 

[J8D]

So I am scrapping the extract idea, allowing my brewing testicles to drop. Having completed two partial grains, I will attempt my first all grain batch(single infusion as indicated by Mr. Wayne) . I don't have any high end software yet, but based on the previously listed grain bill, and a free on line program I found, I have come up with the below. If anyone with better programs (and the smarts) could ensure I am on the correct path, I would appreciate it. Higher math is a weakness (I'm a Marine).
----------------------------
6 gallon yield

6 lb 2 row pale
4.8 wheat malt
1.2 flaked oats

rice hulls

1.25 oz Hallertau Mittelfruh 60 min
1.25 grnd corriander 10 min
.33 tsp 10 Valencia orange peel 5 min

Wyeast 1056

single infusion 90 min @ 150 to 153

OG 1.056
FG 1.017
IBU 17
ABV 5.4

Okay assuming the above is good to go, I have the following questions:

1. How much water for the mash and what temperature (I believe it should be at around 166 to heat the mash tun (cooler) and counter the temperature of the grain)?

2. How much water for the sparge and at what temperature?

3. Is my boiling time (60) alright? I saw another gentlemen went 90 min.

4. If my mash drops below 150, should I add hot water to bring it back up?

5. How much rice hulls?

6. Wasn't sure what the "Chico Strain Yeast" Mr. Wayne referred to is. Is the 1056 a good alternative as used by Cookiebaggs good to go?

7. Yeast starter (never used yet either)?

Thanks for any input.


Semper Fi,

J8D

 

[Wayne1]

I feel you are aiming for too high a gravity, but it is your beer.

What do you plan to mash in? A cooler with a false bottom?

If you use a cooler you should transfer the 166 water into the cooler for 10 mins. Bring it back to the hot liquor tank (kettle) and heat it back up to 166 again again before you send in in the mash tun with the grain.

Running the numbers in BeerSmith:

Use about 0.5 lb Rice Hulls

Mash in with 4 gallons of water at 166 F. You should hit 154 for mashing. Hold that for 60-90 min. With a cooler you should only drop 1-2 degrees F.

After that time is done add 2.2 gallons of 196 degree water to the mash to raise temps to 168 F. Hold that for 10 min.

Use 4.6 gallons of 168 F water to sparge.

Aim for 8.4 gallons in the kettle. Boil for 90 min. You should end up with 6-6.5 gallons left in the kettle. Cool to 70 F as quick as possible and transfer to fermenter.

Try for 5.5-5.75 gallons in the fermenter.

Any of the 1056/S-05/California Ale versions will work. SafeAle S-05 will be the easiest. Just rehydrate the dry yeast in 80 F water around the same time you start to boil. It will be ready to pitch when the wort is done boiling.

Good luck. Feel free to ask more questions here or PM.

My Father-in-Law served in Korea with the Marines right about the time my wife was being born.

My Dad was 5th Army, 84th Chemical Mortar Btln. during WW2.

Thanks for your service.

 

[J8D]

Wayne1,

I am shooting for your original numbers. I would appreciate you getting me on track as it relates to what you originally posted. I shot you a PM. Thank you!!!


J8D

 

[Sizz]

Blue moon is pretty good. I've done about 8 batches so far, slowing trying to adapt the recipe into more of a hoegaarden. If anyone figures out hoegaarden, you can have my first born.

 

[Wayne1]

You might want to start another thread about this.

You can also search for the many times this has come up in the past.

A home brewing beer and wine making civilized discussion community. Also with beer/wine/mead/cider discussion, beer reviews, pub talk, and general chit-chat. - Search Results for hoegaarden recipe

 

[Wild Duk]

Sorry about bringing up an old thread, but has anybody brewed this lately. I'm interested in a Wheat beer grain bill with just a standard ale yeast. 1056 or something. I really enjoy commercial versions of different wit's and hefe's. But every time I brew one up using a Belgian wit or wheat yeast, or hefe yeast, my beer has off flavors that I do not like. And since the grain bills are all very similar when I brew them, I'm assuming its the yeast that I am using. I've tried fermenting warmer and cooler, and still have undesirable flavors.......

So maybe a wheat grain bill and a standard ale yeast will do the trick.....

I have not yet brewed using American Wheat yeast 1010, maybe that will help.....

 

[Wayne1]

Sorry about bringing up an old thread, but has anybody brewed this lately. I'm interested in a Wheat beer grain bill with just a standard ale yeast. 1056 or something. I really enjoy commercial versions of different wit's and hefe's. But every time I brew one up using a Belgian wit or wheat yeast, or hefe yeast, my beer has off flavors that I do not like. And since the grain bills are all very similar when I brew them, I'm assuming its the yeast that I am using. I've tried fermenting warmer and cooler, and still have undesirable flavors.......

So maybe a wheat grain bill and a standard ale yeast will do the trick.....

I have not yet brewed using American Wheat yeast 1010, maybe that will help.....

I believe you are tasting the "off flavors" that the different yeasts are producing. Personally, I don't care for those flavors, either. That is why I was so enthused to taste the beer that became Blue Moon. It was clean, light and refreshing with no "funk"

Try your recipes again, but use Safale S-05 or Nottingham. Beer you brew for yourself and friends does not have to be stylistically correct. It has to taste good to you and be enjoyed.

Once a year I brew an American Wheat that is simply 2/3 pale malt and 1/3 white wheat. Low IBU, only one addition at 45 minutes. Safale S-05. This brew is very much enjoyed among my neighbors and friends throughout late July and August.

 

[Wild Duk]

Thanks for the input. I think i'm gonna try your suggested grain bill for Blue Moon. We'll see what changing up the yeast does for the final product. Blue Moon is definetely a good comercial beer, but I have also noticed that depending on where I order one, (Draft), sometimes they come out tasting a lot better then other places. I wonder if its a age thing with the current keg that the bar is pouring from. I've had some that were excellent, and some that I wanted to send back.....But didn't....
I'll let you know the final product turns out...

Thanks

 

[Wild Duk]

Have you ever tried brewing it using WYeast 1010.....American Wheat yeast???

 

[Wayne1]

The only yeasts I have used with this are 1056 and 1187.

 

[ekjohns]

wayne

did this come out tasting very very close to blue moon or is only similar using your system. I have gone through alot of clones only to find they dont taste like blue moon

 

[Cookiebaggs]

wayne

did this come out tasting very very close to blue moon or is only similar using your system. I have gone through alot of clones only to find they dont taste like blue moon

I know this question was for wayne but I've brewed this twice and both times it has been pretty much spot on.

 

[ekjohns]

awesome did anyone use pH 5.2 or DI or tap water?

 

[Wayne1]

As I mentioned early in the thread, THIS WAS the recipe used to develop the beer that became known as Blue Moon Belgian White. Use the recipe proportions and the exact ingredients, and you will end up with what we were making 15 years ago.

DO NOT use any "fancy" Belgian yeast strain. That is not Blue Moon. Do not use RO water or any extra brewing salts. That is not Blue Moon. We used carbon filtered, Downtown Denver water. I believe BeerSmith has the water profile. Blue Moon has also been brewed all over the country without much in the way of changes.

Try to find ground Valencia orange peel. If you can't the sweet orange peel sold in brew shops should come close.

Use only a single addition of noble, German hops.

Good luck.

 

[profarm]

Great thread!! And great info...but the Blue Moon that I have tasted is really "orangy". It just seems that such a small amount of peel in that recipe could not possibly deliver a huge orange taste... Just wondering

 

[J8D]

Wild Duk,

I used Wayne's recipe two times thus far. It is great. Although I went a bit high on the coriander and orange last time and it ended up tasting dry or a bit too acidic. So for my last batch I ended up adding a dash of sugar to my beer and it is right on. I used .75 ounces of coriander and .25 ounces of valencia orange. It was too much in my opinion OR something else gave me the early vitamin like bite. The first time I went with around 1 tsp of orange and 3 tsp of coriander. So I will find a happy medium this time. I may go around .50 oz of coriander and .16 oz of orange.

For five gallons I have been using the pasted recipe. I am going to brew it again this weekend but go out on a limb and try the witbier yeast. I know I will likely come back and use the safeale next time, but I want to see what the witbier yeast does to it. Good Luck!!!!!

========================
Batch Size: 5.000 gal
Boil Size: 6.500 gal
Boil Time: 0.000 s
Efficiency: 71%
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.012
ABV: 4.6%
Bitterness: 15.3 IBUs (Tinseth)
Color: 6 SRM (Mosher)

Fermentables
=================================
Name Type Amount Mashed Late Yield Color
Pale Malt (2 Row) US Grain 5.750 lb Yes No 79% 2 L
White Wheat Malt Grain 3.000 lb Yes No 86% 2 L
Oats, Flaked Grain 16.000 oz Yes No 80% 1 L
Rice Hulls Adjunct 8.000 oz Yes No 0% 0 L

Hops
================================
Name Alpha Amount Use Time IBU
Hallertau 4.0% 1.100 oz Boil 1.000 hr 15.3 (been subbing Mt Hood)

Yeast
===============================
Name Type Form Amount Stage
Safale S-05 Ale Dry 1.667 tbsp Primary

 

[ekjohns]

i was wondering the same thing about the small amount of orange peel, but it is dried so maybe that is quite a bit more when fresh? still 0.33 teaspons seems crazy low! but its seems that people are doing it and it comes out good

J8D
are you saying that 0.75 oz or cor. and 0.25 oz of orange peel is too much and 3 tsp or cor. and 1 tsp of orange is too little?

 

[Wayne1]

The information I posted is based on the original recipe of Blue Moon. It is directly scaled down from a 15 bbl batch. To end up with 465 gallons in the serving tank, I used 32 oz. of dried Valencia orange peel from the Denver Spice Company in the kettle.

Spices don't always scale linearly. You may have to experiment a bit to get the flavor you want in your version of it.

Personally I don't care for the flavors that wit yeast brings to the beer. That was why I enjoyed making this version. Again, it is YOUR beer. Make it as YOU like it. What I tried to do in this thread was to document what Blue Moon started out as and why.

IMHO Blue Moon should be thought of as an American White Beer and not as a Belgian Wit. Something new, not a corruption of an existing style.

 

[ekjohns]

wayne1 you have def helped out more than any thread i have seen thanks for that

 

[J8D]

J8D
are you saying that 0.75 oz or cor. and 0.25 oz of orange peel is too much and 3 tsp or cor. and 1 tsp of orange is too little?

J8D
are you saying that 0.75 oz or cor. and 0.25 oz of orange peel is too much and 3 tsp or cor. and 1 tsp of orange is too little?

I "believe" it was too much because I got a vitamin or champagne like initial bite. So I added just a smidgeon of sugar (1/8 tsp) per glass (big glass) and it takes it off. I also DO NOT put a slice of orange in it. I looking back, my intial recipe was actually .33 tsp to 1.25 tsp. I wanted more so I kicked it up to the .75/.25 oz. I am going to brew it this weekend and find an in between.

Also comparing teaspoons to ounces was kind of dumb of me. A teaspoon of a dried, ground spice is barely even registering on the scale. There is six teaspoons of ground pepper in an ounce. Assuming the spices a similar in weight, I did a huge increase of almost three times as much spice for my second batch. You would be absolutely safe (and delicious) with the initial small amount.

 

[Sizz]

I noticed age has a huge effect. How long are you letting it sit before tapping it? I wait about 2-3 months after kegging my wheats.

 

[J8D]

Sizz,

I didn't wait very long. Right now the brew is around 3 months old (kegged). I agree though that it gets good later on. However, with my most recent, time has not affected the initial bite.

 

[ekjohns]

J8D how did the recent beer turn out with the spice additions (wondering how much you used)

 

[ekjohns]

WoOt! I finally get to leave a usefull post ready for it....
Mccormicks which is in every grocery store sells veincia orange peel preground for only a few bucks!

 

[ekjohns]

brewed this over the weekend as follows (sorry for the poor format)

5.5 gal

5.5 lbs american 2-row
4.5 lbs white wheat malt
1 lb 2 oz quick cook oats
1.3 oz hallatuer hops 3.8% 90 min (actual boil time 120 min)
3 tsp crushed corriander (7 min)
1.5 tsp dried ground valencia orange peel (7 min)

Mash at 151 for 75 min
sparge 166 for 15 min

target OG 1.057
measured OG 1.057

Yeast US-05 ferm. at 72-74 F (woould prefer 70-71 but AC in not on yet in the apartment)

Primary 1 week
secondary 2 weeks
Keg for 3 weeks

 

[Wild Duk]

EKJohns,

Did you brew this up using the McCormicks ground valencia? Do you think that the 1 teaspoon was enough?

 

[ekjohns]

Yes i used the McCormicks and no i dont think it was enough as i couldnt really smell the orange but i was afraid to add more. I tryed another blue moon clone that called for orange peel and marmalade with in the ferm it smelled like blue moon with the orange already added. If i was to do it again i would prob add more orange peel but i have yet to taste it so right now its just a guess

 

[Jawbox0]

Yes i used the McCormicks and no i dont think it was enough as i couldnt really smell the orange but i was afraid to add more. I tryed another blue moon clone that called for orange peel and marmalade with in the ferm it smelled like blue moon with the orange already added. If i was to do it again i would prob add more orange peel but i have yet to taste it so right now its just a guess

I used almost that same recipe last summer and it turned out great. The only difference is that I grated the zest off of four oranges and a grapefruit and put that in at flameout. I also added 1T of all purpose flour just to make certain it had a good haze.