Blue Moon Clone

[Wayne1]

What are you making? Blue Moon or something else?

To get the flavors of a Blue Moon clone, which is what this thread is about, the yeast to use is SafAle US-05, Wyeast 1056, or White Labs WLP001. I , personally, see no need to use liquid for this recipe when the US-05 works so well.

The suggestion of US-04 was for people who have brewed the recipe as suggested and wanted a bit more sweetness and yeast character.

Anything else will not be close to Blue Moon. As I have stated many times in this thread, make the recipe using the ingredients and techniques described here. After that batch is done, taste it and THEN change whatever you want to fit your tastes.

If you want to make some form of Belgian or other fruit beer, great. But that is not for this thread.

 

[bratrules]

Sorry if it seems like i hijacked this thread but i want to know if using Safbrew t-58 would yield a similar product to blue moon. But clearly that's not the case sorry again.

 

[gregkeller]

Alright. I did this as per the original recipe, except for the fact that i didn't have enough corriander. I had around a half a jar in my spice cabinet, threw it on the scale and only had around .5 oz. I had planned on 1 oz, and .33 oz of sweet orange peel. So i scaled the orange peel back to 1/4 of an ounce. So wasn't quite on the 3:1 ratio originally called for. This stuff is awesome 2 weeks after brewing. I kegged it sunday, 15 days post brew, with a FG of 1.011. OG was 1.053. It tastes killer, warm and uncarbed. Can't wait to try this cold and bubbly. I used 50% 2 row, 40% white wheat, 10 % oats. I can't wait for this stuff to carb up.

Seems like a lot of the differences people have been experiencing is due to the type of orange used. I used 1/4 ounce of sweet orange peel from Austin Home brew. I ground it up in my magic bullet and added it to my boil with 10 minutes left. No lack of orange flavor in the finished product and it's not overpowering in the least. I would imagine that anyone trying it would get the orange from it, but not think it was too much. I'm not sure about the corriander as it's not a flavor i use too much. I probably could have bumped it up to .75 oz and been good. Once this carbs i'll do a side by side with blue moon, but even if it isn't a direct clone, it's good.

 

[tre9er]

I zested three clementines (tangerines, essentially) and used 1oz. of coriander ground medium in the coffee grinder. Both were added near the very end of the boil, 10m orange and 5m coriander I believe. My batch was small, about 4g into the FV. OG 1.040ish, 2 weeks on WL Belgian Witbier yeast in primary, FG 1.010 last night, bottling tonight. SRM is in the 3-4 range, cloudy, citrus aroma, coriander and orange def. still coming through flavor. I siphoned to FV, had lots of trub.

 

[brewit2it]

Alright. I did this as per the original recipe, except for the fact that i didn't have enough corriander. I had around a half a jar in my spice cabinet, threw it on the scale and only had around .5 oz. I had planned on 1 oz, and .33 oz of sweet orange peel. So i scaled the orange peel back to 1/4 of an ounce. So wasn't quite on the 3:1 ratio originally called for. This stuff is awesome 2 weeks after brewing. I kegged it sunday, 15 days post brew, with a FG of 1.011. OG was 1.053. It tastes killer, warm and uncarbed. Can't wait to try this cold and bubbly. I used 50% 2 row, 40% white wheat, 10 % oats. I can't wait for this stuff to carb up.

Seems like a lot of the differences people have been experiencing is due to the type of orange used. I used 1/4 ounce of sweet orange peel from Austin Home brew. I ground it up in my magic bullet and added it to my boil with 10 minutes left. No lack of orange flavor in the finished product and it's not overpowering in the least. I would imagine that anyone trying it would get the orange from it, but not think it was too much. I'm not sure about the corriander as it's not a flavor i use too much. I probably could have bumped it up to .75 oz and been good. Once this carbs i'll do a side by side with blue moon, but even if it isn't a direct clone, it's good.

If you read further in the thread you will see Wayne corrected those amounts so .5 oz corriander is plenty (it's actually too much for me actually, I use .25 oz per 5 gallon batch). The amount of orange peel isn't going to be enough to get much flavor. I use .5 oz which is on the low end, but I think it is .8 oz or so to match the original recipe ratio. Just go through the thread quickly looking for Waynes posts and you'll see where he talks about the different types of dry orange peel and corrects the amounts for a 5 gallon batch.

 

[Paxsman]

I brewed Nilos #4 the other day. I hit the numbers perfectly...well almost, my mash was .75 degrees low. We tested at two weeks and I will say "wow this is almost perfect". We compared the clone to a Blue Moon and this is what we found.
Our beer was slightly darker.
Good head retention.
The body was very close.
Our beer has a fruitier taste on the front with a perfect finish.
Our beer was slightly under carbonated. Keep in mind this is at two weeks in the bottle.
Our overall opinion is, if the fruity front end mellows this will be remarkably close to the real thing.

So based on what I've read the fruity taste does mellow over time. What has everyone else found?
Thanks for everyone's hard work...this may become my house beer.

 

[shadows69]

I found that the bitter orange give it kind of a sour taste. Maybe next time only use sweet orange peel. Other then that It's not bad. Mine is on tap might be alittle different then being bottled.

 

[freshhoarse]

I found that the bitter orange give it kind of a sour taste. Maybe next time only use sweet orange peel. Other then that It's not bad. Mine is on tap might be alittle different then being bottled.

Zest some Valencia oranges. It really adds a nice complexity ....

 

[jwalker1140]

So based on what I've read the fruity taste does mellow over time. What has everyone else found?

I bottled an extract batch about one month ago. It had Wayne1's grain bill and Nilo's #4 orange/coriander amounts. I also think 3 oz of orange peel makes it too fruity, at least at one month out. If I brew this again I'll probably go with only 1 oz of sweet orange peel and no bitter. Less orange also may help the coriander comer through a bit more, which I would prefer. Either that or I need to buy some fresher coriander. I crushed the snot out of the seeds on brew day but they have been in my spice drawer for a year+.

 

[tre9er]

I used a coffee grinder on medium, maybe on the coarse side of medium. 0.75oz (eyeballed it). Zested three clementines but didn't get much from them...taste was there, though.

 

[zyx345]

I'm planning on trying a Partial Mash version of Wayne's recipe soon. Special thanks to jwalker1140 for helping me out on the ratios.

Is the general consensus on the Oats to boil them for 15 minutes as opposed adding them to the initial mash for better results?

 

[Wayne1]

Is the general consensus on the Oats to boil them for 15 minutes as opposed adding them to the initial mash for better results?

Not by me.

I suggest you brew two batches. One where you boil the oats and one where you mash them. Then tell us what YOU prefer.

Nilo's suggestion are for his system and his tastes. Mine are for mine. You won't know what your's will be until you try them both.

 

[nilo]

Not by me.

I suggest you brew two batches. One where you boil the oats and one where you mash them. Then tell us what YOU prefer.

Nilo's suggestion are for his system and his tastes. Mine are for mine. You won't know what your's will be until you try them both.

I agree. There is no "general consensus" about the oats. The thickness and taste of the final beer will vary depending on how you use it in the process.
I personally preferred the boil option ( I did both ways) because it produced a thicker beer that had a mouth feel closer to the commercial BM (to my taste).

 

[rjsnau]

I brewed Nilos #4 almost 2 months ago. Here is what I am noticing on my system:

1) Awesome head retention and lacing of the glass. By far the best of any of my 20+ batches

2) It is darker than blue moon with more overall flavor.

3) Body is right on

4) Mine has more orange flavor up front. Coriander is about the same from what I can tell.

5) Very easy to drink. It is going to be great during the Hot Phoenix summer.... if it lasts that long.

6) Overall I have to say that I prefer mine to the original. I like the extra orange flavor. I have seen a few people say this one is darker so if you really want to hit the color maybe back off the caramel malt a bit and if you want the orange flavor to be closer back off orange peel. Like I said though, I prefer this one to the original. I will try Wayne1's next time but I can promise that one of these will be my first beer ever to get a second and third batches!

 

[marmonduke]

I brewed #4 and also really enjoyed the flavor over the original but would like to get closer in color. It may be burried in the pages and pages but Wayne1 what SRM should I shoot for to get closer in color? 4 or so?

 

[zerotwofour]

I'm trying to figure out a Blue Moon Clone recipe.

Things I know about Blue Moon:

• Uses 2 Row Malt
• Uses White Wheat
• Uses Oats
• Doesn't use a Belgian yeast, uses a "standard ale yeast"
• Orange zest and coriander go in the last 3-5 minutes

Things I assume to be true about Blue Moon:

• Ale Yeast is Cal Ale (Chico) strain
• More orange than coriander

Things I'm trying to figure out:

• Ratio of grains
• Hop type and schedule
• Yeast strain
• Amounts of Coriander and Orange

Anyone have any nfo or ideas about this?

im currenty in the process of making a Blue Moon Clone and its day 5 of fermentation ive tasted the beer and so far it tastes like BLUE MOON!


only things i tweaked were i used citra as finishing hops and used fresh orange peel and added some honey just to make it my own twist


http://www.beertools.com/html/recipe.php?view=11028

theres the recipe i hope it helps u with ur guide line

 

[Wayne1]

I brewed #4 and also really enjoyed the flavor over the original but would like to get closer in color. It may be burried in the pages and pages but Wayne1 what SRM should I shoot for to get closer in color? 4 or so?

The last two batches I made calculated at 3.4 and 3.6L A lot will depend on what type of 2- row malt and who malts it.

zerotwofour,

If you continued reading the thread you would see that I give the exact recipe that was used to brew the original batch of Blue Moon. There are many variations through this thread as people try to adapt it to their equipment and tastes. One thing that is very certain is there should be NO finishing hops. Blue Moon is brewed with only one hop addition.

Now if you like the flavor that finishing hops give, that is great but it is NOT Blue Moon and should not be referred to as a clone. It can be a tribute or based on, but a clone is as close as possible to the original. This thread is mainly about how to get as close as possible to Blue Moon.

 

[nilo]

I couldn't find a photo of #4 side by side with the real BM, but below is #3 side by side, which should be actually a little darker than #4. Clone in on the right.
So yes, I also believe you need to fine tune the grain bill , specially the crystal amount, to account for the variations of SRM.

 

[good11s]

Dammit! now I have to brew this one too!

 

[bmock79]

I couldn't find a photo of #4 side by side with the real BM, but below is #3 side by side, which should be actually a little darker than #4. Clone in on the right.
So yes, I also believe you need to fine tune the grain bill , specially the crystal amount, to account for the variations of SRM.

So my local brew shop only had bitter orange peel. Any thoughts on what to do for the sweet? He suggested fresh orange but didn't know what type or how much to use anybody have thoughts?

I know to use the zest only and not the pith. Using fresh, should I use more than two oz's, less, or equal amouts?

Cheers,
Ben

 

[Christer]

Use fresh navel zest, even the dried "sweet" you get from lhbs often are whole peel so can be quite bitter.
Maybe the zest from 3-4 oranges depending on size.

 

[nilo]

I tried both 2 and 3 fresh orange peels in my first two recipes and found that 3 oranges was better, for my taste. I added the peels to the primary, not the boil, as I didn't want to evaporate all the aromas. I later started using just dried peels from my LHBS (to the last 10min of boil) and figured it was easier and still provides good flavor, not same aroma as the fresh though.
Try both and see what you like best.

 

[bmock79]

I brewed a version today similar to some of the recipes posted in this thread.

Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8.0 oz Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 1 4.5 %
4 lbs Pale Ale (Crisp) (4.0 SRM) Grain 2 36.4 %
4 lbs Wheat Malt, Pale (Weyermann) (2.0 SRM) Grain 3 36.4 %
1 lbs Caramel Malt - 15L (15.0 SRM) Grain 4 9.1 %
1 lbs Oats, Flaked (Briess) (1.4 SRM) Grain 5 9.1 %
8.0 oz Carapils (Briess) (1.5 SRM) Grain 6 4.5 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 7 15.3 IBUs
0.50 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 10.0 mins) Spice 8 -
0.50 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 10.0 mins) Spice 9 -
0.50 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 10 -
1.0 pkg SafAle English Ale (DCL/Fermentis #S-04) Yeast 11 -


I also added a .5oz of a freshly zested orange at flameout.

The LHBS didn't have any crystal 10 so I used a pound of crystal 15 not sure who malted it. I believe it was crisp 15.

I mashed the oats instead of boiling.

The o.g. came to 1.053

 

[mredge73]

I did Nilo #4 2 weeks ago. Followed recipe exact except for the oats; I mashed them.
Does mashing the oats contribute to a higher gravity beer (unfermentables)?
My OG was 1.06 and FG was 1.02. I am just trying to figure out why mine is a bit different.
The hydrometer sample is very tasty by the way.
My first time using 04; it fermented quickly (about 4 days) but won't budge any more. I am at 2 weeks now and ready to transfer. I just expected it to dry out a bit more.

 

[gregkeller]

I brewed the original version, mashed the oats, and my final gravity came out at 1.011. So the oats shouldn't have caused the high FG.

By the way, mine is really good. I don't know if i'd change anything in the original recipe other than playing with the spices to find something that works for your system and gives you the flavors you want.

I really am a fan of the original proportions. I think i'm going to use it to try a strawberry wheat that a couple friends have been asking for.

 

[mredge73]

I did another batch today; original recipe.
The last one is not fully carbed yet but is very tasty (Nilo 4).
I just put the new one on top the yeast cake from the last batch.
I tried a few new techniques this time; in doing so I overshot my water by about a gallon.
So my OG will be 1.04. I boiled the oats as well just to see if it will make a difference.
The original calls for much less spices. Should still be tasty, I will report back in a few weeks.

 

[Nmillard]

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.

There is a hoegaarden recipe in a book called Home brewers gold written by charlie papazian that I brewed and it turned out pretty darn close. I had to go buy some hoegaarden seeing as I had never tried it to compare . I originally brewed it cuz the wife wanted blue moon man was I way off. I would think that maybe if I used the same recipe and used an ale yeast instead it might get it closer. I can dig the book out and post the recipe if someone is interested.

 

[Nmillard]

If this is already in this thread I am sorry for asking again but I am new to brewing and I am only doing extract and my wife is begging for blue moon. Is there a method for changing these recipes into extract. I'm not looking for a miracle or something that is spot on just a tasty close clone to blue moon in an extract recipe thanks.

 

[petrostar]

Millard, yes this recipe is converted to extract in this thread. Check the first few pages.

 

[Wayne1]

Nilo converted one of his versions to extract here

Spices are not listed. Check the later threads for suggestions on what and how much spice to use.