Blue Moon Clone

[craigbrew]

When I first started making this clone I went to Lablepeelers.com and bought 1LB of sweet orange peel. Been using since, all most out. I have since saved some orange peels and dried them. I will use them next to see how that turns out.

 

[HopHouse]

Somebody may have already brought this up but one thing I am noticing as I re read all these posts about recipes for this clone I notice many of us (including myself) have been using domestic two row as our base malt. If you're like me you may have noticed the two row is creating a beer that is much lighter in color and doesn't have quite the same flavor profile as blue moon. Nilo's use of crystal (10L) is making up for this but I would have to argue isn't necessarily the same.


Wayne you may be able to speak more to this, but in Wayne's original recipe post, and on the blue moon website they state that they use "pale malt." Now I know the differences may be subtle but if you look at Great Western's Pale malt vs their two row the lovibond rating is different and as Wayne stated that is the malt that Sandlot began brewing blue moon with. My guess is that if we switched to using GW Pale malt instead of just any two row we get much closer to the color and flavor profile... The crystal idea is pointing in the same direction (adding some light toasted flavor) but crystal has a slightly different flavor than pale malt.

Wayne can you speak to this with more authority or am I off my rocker?

 

[jwalker1140]

Last night I did a side-by-side comparison with my latest attempt. For this batch I used 50% Briess 2-row 40% Weyermann pale wheat malt and 10% flaked oats. I thought the color was very similar in terms of how light or dark it was but the commercial BM had a nice golden hue that made mine appear slightly tan/grey by comparison. I'm not sure what would cause that. Maybe the flaked oats in mine? The color difference in mine I'm trying to describe is kind of like the color of oatmeal, which is what makes me think it could be the oats. Next time I'll probably replace the flaked oats with some combination of C10 and carapils like Nilo does to see if that helps.

I thought the bigger difference was with the malt character. The commercial version really seemed to have a pilsner aroma and flavor. I think Wayne1's revised version lists pilsner malt, and I think he's right on with that. The LHBS I normally shop at sells GW's pale ale malt as their cheap domestic base malt, so I'm pretty familiar with it. While I think it would give more color and a richer malt flavor than the Briess 2-row I used, I also think the beer still would be lacking that sweet pilsner character I think I was picking up last night.

So close, yet so far....

 

[adam01]

They really do sell 1 pound of orange peel ? Wow!

 

[nilo]

#12 brewed and tasted. Increased coriander a bit. Tastes great.
Recipes updated here

 

[DuckiesRevenge]

#12 brewed and tasted. Increased coriander a bit. Tastes great.
Recipes updated here

It might be my phone but I don't see number 12 on the sheet. Could you re-post?

 

[nilo]

It might be my phone but I don't see number 12 on the sheet. Could you re-post?

I just looked and it is posted to the google doc. Try to download the latest revision by clicking on the down arrow on the upper left corner of the page that the link I posted sends you. Let me know.

 

[KPSquared]

Ok. I tried the original recipe. I ended up with really low efficiency. Probably not enough crush for my first BIAB attempt. Like 58%. So I pressed on, pitched the yeast (US-05) directly on the surface. Had one pack that was at least a year old so I still used it but then added another new one. Figured it couldn't hurt. It never really did much. The yeast obviously did something because I'm down to 1.022 from 1.046 but there was never much krausen. Big thick cake on the bottom of the bucket now. I'm gonna give it a couple more days (it's only been 3) but I get the feeling it's done. The sample tasted not bad. Maybe a little bitter but I figure it'll mellow. Gonna rack it to a carboy because it's just in a pail with a loose lid right now. If I'm gonna let it sit for a couple weeks I really want an airlock on there for peace of mind.

Hope it tastes good even if the ABV is super low. Maybe it'll just end up as a good lawnmower beer for the summer. Just assuming the low ABV is from the low efficiency? What else could it be?

Probably not the best choice for a first all grain attempt and BIAB to boot.

Gonna try a black IPA next... Maybe try this one again when I get a little more comfortable with this system.

 

[eulipion2]

KPSquared, having successfully brewed the original recipe via BIAB and No-Chill, I'm guessing it's your process. I'll PM and see if we can work it out.

 

[KPSquared]

That would be much appreciated. I'm in no way discouraged though. I'm fairly new to this hobby but I've taken the RDWHAHB completely to heart.

 

[suprat78]

#12 brewed and tasted. Increased coriander a bit. Tastes great.
Recipes updated here

I am getting ready to make this, is 12 your favorite so far?

Thanks again for all of the research!

 

[nilo]

I think the coriander on #12 is more in line with other recipes, like Waine's #2, so I would go for that and adjust for your taste on future brews.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Brewed 10 gallon batch, 2 oz coriander and 2 oz. dried mandarin orange peel. Everyone that tried it said it tasted better than Blue Moon.

One Excellent Beer.

Thanks.

 

[JimRausch]

Brewed the AG version 4/14, with 1.5 tsp homegrown coriander seeds plus zest and juice from two oranges at T-5. Also added zest from one orange at 4 days prior to bottling and the juice from that one at bottling. Taste at 5/15 is very good. Nice light flavorful beer. I'll have to pickup a BM to compare.
Thanks Wayne!!

 

[Raven1469]

Here is Nilo's #8 compared to an actual Blue Moon. Blue Moon on the left (not much head left due to time needed to get camera) and Nilo's #8 on the right. Pretty close, though taste is a bit different. I actually like Nilo's better than Blue Moon. It's spicier.

 

[RockyTop11]

Brewing this on Friday for the 1st time, this is what I am going with as of now...

Recipe: Blue Moon Clone #1
Brewer: Matt Hollingsworth
Asst Brewer:
Style: Witbier
TYPE: All Grain
Taste: (30.0)

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Boil Size: 7.05 gal
Post Boil Volume: 6.05 gal
Batch Size (fermenter): 5.50 gal
Bottling Volume: 5.15 gal
Estimated OG: 1.050 SG
Estimated Color: 3.4 SRM
Estimated IBU: 16.9 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Est Mash Efficiency: 79.4 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amt Name Type # %/IBU
8.0 oz Rice Hulls (0.0 SRM) Adjunct 1 4.9 %
5 lbs 12.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 2 56.1 %
3 lbs White Wheat Malt (2.4 SRM) Grain 3 29.3 %
1 lbs Oats, Flaked (1.0 SRM) Grain 4 9.8 %
1.00 oz Hallertauer [4.80 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 5 16.9 IBUs
3.00 oz Orange Peel, Sweet (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 6 -
0.50 oz Coriander Seed (Boil 5.0 mins) Spice 7 -
1.0 pkg American Ale (Wyeast Labs #1056) [124.21 Yeast 8 -


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out
Total Grain Weight: 10 lbs 4.0 oz
----------------------------
Name Description Step Temperature Step Time
Mash In Add 13.81 qt of water at 168.4 F 153.0 F 60 min

Sparge: Batch sparge with 2 steps (Drain mash tun, , 5.08gal) of 168.0 F water
Notes:
------
Using ground mccormick orange peel & Coriander Seed.

 

[HopHouse]

I don't know if these two bits have been shared but:

1) I just got finished reading the chapter on Witbier in "Brewing with Wheat" by Stan H (published by brewers publications). It has a short interview with Keith Villa (creator of Blue Moon) who gives a little bit of information regarding the recipe. Some of it is stuff we know (using a neutral ale yeast) but it's a bit more specific and may help us get closer. He states that they use Pale Malt, MALTED White Wheat (which he says is important that it's malted), and a portion of Oats. The interesting thing I found from this interview is that he says they use the same Enlgish Ale strain that they use in the British or English style beers at Sandlot. I'm wondering if this is WLP 002 or 007?

2) After searching the web for a few weeks, I came across a presentation Keith Villa did at NHC a number of years ago. In that he states that the percentage of oats in blue moon is very important in getting the mouthfeel and smooth quality blue moon has. I will have to double-check but I believe the number he stated was to use between 14-18% oats.

 

[jjw5015]

I know a secondary isn't needed for clarity, but has anyone done it to add more orange flavoring?

 

[nianticcardplayer]

Keeping it simple for my first attempt using wayne's #2 recipe and will report from there today is my brew day doing my first all grain.....wish me luck.....

 

[Chavi]

I made Wane's #2 about 2 months ago and now I am making Nilo's 11 tomorrow. I am very excited to make this again. Ill report my results.

 

[nianticcardplayer]

Ok I heated strike water to about 170 put into mash tun waited 15 minutes checked temp was about 165 put grains in went to 152ish on thermometer 45 minutes left in mash heating sparge water as I post this

Ended at about 150 sparge 170 for 20 minutes









Only one boil over so far 👍

 

[nianticcardplayer]

It's in the fermentor 1.050-1.051 ish for o.g.

 

[LongToddSilver]

Lots of firsts today for me. My first post, my first attempt at a Blue Moon clone, and my first all grain. I did a 5 gal BIAB and used Nilo's #12. I achieved an OG of 1.055 so I'm very encouraged with the way things have turned out so far. It's already bubbling 1 per second as I write this.

Wayne, thanks so much for all your contributions to this topic!!

 

[heathcom]

I made #11 last month, very very good. Made half with regular corn sugar and the other half with orange clove honey for priming. Very subtle differences but the honey has a nice thicker mouthfeel.

 

[WiseEyes]

Question, I just made this with Wayne's #2 recipe and it looked really good color wise. I was wondering are you guys grinding the orange peel to a powder or just throwing it in?

 

[nianticcardplayer]

Question, I just made this with Wayne's #2 recipe and it looked really good color wise. I was wondering are you guys grinding the orange peel to a powder or just throwing it in?

I used McCormak Valencia orange peel that was ground I put 1.5 ounces in and about .5 ounce of coriander color was good and could smell the blue moo there but was not as cloudy as a blue moon in a couple of weeks we will find out I started at 1.051 and ended about 1.010-1.009 hydrometer was bobbing up and down

 

[nilo]

DISASTER!!!
Going out on vacation and thought I should have few full kegs ready and waiting my return. Brewed a BM on the 9th, had it carbonated and first sample yesterday, delicious already
Increased CO2 back to 40psi , disconnected CO2 tank but forgot to remove the beer line to the tap. Few minutes later, coming to the garage I noticed something dripping from the fridge door, openned and there comes a wave of fresh and delighfull, delectable Blue Moon flushing out to the floor. 3/4 of the keg lost. Beer line popped out under 40psi. Totally my fault
Anyway, don't make the same mistake

 

[WiseEyes]

unfortunately, been there done that with a Irish Red Rye 2 years ago in my Keezer. Really was a nightmare trying to get 5 gallons of beer out of my keezer.

 

[WiseEyes]

What yeast did you guys use. I used slurry from an american-kolsch s-23 so technically speaking mine is going to be a Blue Moon Lager. I figure it should give it a clean taste to let the orange really shine.

 

[nilo]

S04, s05