Blue Moon Clone

[CTS]

FINALLY!!!! I have been waiting over 10 years to get this beer here, this is what started my craft beer craze after a trip to Grand Forks.

No idea why the name change but whatever. Mmmmm blue moon!!

http://www.molsoncoors.com/en/news/...blue-moon-is-coming-to-canada-as-belgian-moon

View attachment 1452328477634.jpg

 

[BLuck]

Brewed 3 weeks ago like this:
Planned for 5.5gal into fermenter.
5lbs pale 2-row
4.5lbs white wheat
1lbs flaked oats

Mashed at 154F for an hour. Boiled 60 min with 1.25 oz Hallertau.
1 oz corriander at 10 mins
1 oz valencia orange peel at 5 min.

Messed up my volume calculation somewhere and missed efficiency so ended up with 6 gallons to fermenter with lower OG 1.041 vs planned 1.052. Got distracted and chilled before measured and didn't have time to reboil longer so just filled fermenter.

Fermented 3 weeks at 66 up to 70 fermenter temp with S-05. FG 1.011.

Sample tasted a bit thin and watery with whitish appearance vs regular blue moon. Carbing in keg now, will see how it ends up. Might brew a bigger version to blend if doesn't improve after carbonation. Or will just drink it up with juice or something and brew it again later.

 

[noggins]

I just finished brewing this, I probably messed up the coriander and peel measurements but oh well, that just means I'll have to keep brewing it until I get it right :]

 

[shadows69]

Brewed 3 weeks ago like this:
Planned for 5.5gal into fermenter.
5lbs pale 2-row
4.5lbs white wheat
1lbs flaked oats

Mashed at 154F for an hour. Boiled 60 min with 1.25 oz Hallertau.
1 oz corriander at 10 mins
1 oz valencia orange peel at 5 min.

Messed up my volume calculation somewhere and missed efficiency so ended up with 6 gallons to fermenter with lower OG 1.041 vs planned 1.052. Got distracted and chilled before measured and didn't have time to reboil longer so just filled fermenter.

Fermented 3 weeks at 66 up to 70 fermenter temp with S-05. FG 1.011.

Sample tasted a bit thin and watery with whitish appearance vs regular blue moon. Carbing in keg now, will see how it ends up. Might brew a bigger version to blend if doesn't improve after carbonation. Or will just drink it up with juice or something and brew it again later.

I use 10 grams of corriander. I think 1 Oz is way to much. Next time I make this I'm going to crush the oats with the grain, I was just throwing the oats in without crushing them. There is a thread on here about crushing the oats.

 

[shadows69]

Brewed 3 weeks ago like this:
Planned for 5.5gal into fermenter.
5lbs pale 2-row
4.5lbs white wheat
1lbs flaked oats

Mashed at 154F for an hour. Boiled 60 min with 1.25 oz Hallertau.
1 oz corriander at 10 mins
1 oz valencia orange peel at 5 min.

Messed up my volume calculation somewhere and missed efficiency so ended up with 6 gallons to fermenter with lower OG 1.041 vs planned 1.052. Got distracted and chilled before measured and didn't have time to reboil longer so just filled fermenter.

Fermented 3 weeks at 66 up to 70 fermenter temp with S-05. FG 1.011.

Sample tasted a bit thin and watery with whitish appearance vs regular blue moon. Carbing in keg now, will see how it ends up. Might brew a bigger version to blend if doesn't improve after carbonation. Or will just drink it up with juice or something and brew it again later.

I use 10 grams of corriander. I think 1 Oz is way to much. Next time I make this I'm going to crush the oats with the grain, I was just throwing the oats in without crushing them. There is a thread on here about crushing the oats.

 

[shadows69]

1oz = 28.3495 grams just as reference

 

[neverfadeaway86]

It took about 5 days of reading but I made it through all 109 pages !! I think I should have a home brew as a victory toast.

I was looking for a good Blue Moon clone to make for my Cousins Birthday next august and it appear I've found the Holy Grail for said beer.

I will be trying a few of the recipes as I have about 6 months to get it nailed down
MANY thanks to Wayne and Nilo for all of the valuable information !

 

[noggins]

This came out fantastic! Thanks Wayne!

View attachment 1456783622404.jpg

 

[Brentk14]

We brewed a 15 gallon batch of this on Sunday and it went great. Here's what we did...

20 lb Pale Ale
16 lb White Wheat
4 lb Flaked Oats

1 oz Nugget 60 min
6 oz sweet orange peel 10 min
1 oz Whole Coriander crushed in coffee grinder 10 min
2 oz lemondrop whirlpool
1 oz Jarrylo whirlpool

My twist was adding aroma hops at the end to see if I could get lemon and some orange or citrus out of them. My family is split 50/50 on putting orange in, or lemon, so I wanted to see if we could incorporate the aroma of both, and accentuate the flavor when adding an orange or lemon. It smells amazing at this point, but ended up quite a bit darker than Blue Moon. I was worried about it ending up lighter with 2 row, so I went with pale ale malt. I couldn't attach the photo for some reason, I'll try again later. I can't wait to try this beer.

 

[sfouant]

After months I was finally able to read through this entire thread. This is my first post as a result Thank you so much for everyone that has contributed to this thread and shared their knowledge thus far.

I've brewed Wayne's original recipe twice now but still haven't been able to get the body quite right. I'll keep working on it, perhaps mashing at the higher temps (~158F) as others have suggested.

I did happen to come across this article from May of last year in which Keith Villa was interviewed. In it he says something really interesting - "The next big difference is that we use steel-cut oats in our beer that give a nice, nutty flavor to the beer and a chewy, creaminess to the body. A lot of craft brewers inspired by Blue Moon who now make Belgian whites use pre-gelatinized oat flakes, which gives it a completely different taste."

Perhaps this is the secret to achieve the balance and the body that we've all been searching for?

Here is a link to the entire article - How Blue Moon made ‘craft beer’ meaningless

 

[TorMag]

So where in this thread is the actual recipe that people are using? Don't want to have to read the whole thread.

 

[beernbourbon]

So where in this thread is the actual recipe that people are using? Don't want to have to read the whole thread.

Very first page. It's only 55 pages, you'll be ok. Sometimes that which we desire requires sacrifice [emoji12]

 

[TorMag]

Very first page. It's only 55 pages, you'll be ok. Sometimes that which we desire requires sacrifice [emoji12]

What? This is page 110, nor is there a recipe on page 1

 

[jjw5015]

Here's the page with a bunch of different versions. I believe 8 was picked to be the closest.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxL7TXS8tHPsNWM2YmQ1YTYtMGY1YS00YjJjLWE5ZDktMmQ2ODdmMzljNDUz/view

 

[sfouant]

Here's the page with a bunch of different versions. I believe 8 was picked to be the closest.

Actually, I believe Nilo states that he believes #12 is the closest, but a lot of people have said the flavor profile is a little off due to the use of the Crystal.

I would be interested to find out what the results would be like if using a similar recipe to Wayne's original with perhaps the Steel Cut Oats as Keith Villa claims they use to make Blue Moon. Nilo used starch to obtain the body, haze and mouthfeel but I'm thinking that the use of Steel Cut could deliver similar results.

 

[sfouant]

What? This is page 110, nor is there a recipe on page 1

Wayne posted his original recipe on page one, post #6 -

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=671567&postcount=6

He also has a modified recipe which I will have to dig up.

 

[TorMag]

Wayne posted his original recipe on page one, post #6 -

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=671567&postcount=6

He also has a modified recipe which I will have to dig up.

Thanks, did not see it there.

 

[shadows69]

Toasted oats = steel oats? Maybe?

 

[sfouant]

Toasted oats = steel oats? Maybe?

I definitely don't think toasted oats are the same thing as steel cut oats. Steel cut oats are whole oat groats which have been chopped into two or three pieces... they don't go through the pre gelatinization process so they require more work. They can be found at any regular grocery store.

 

[shadows69]

I was just wondering. We have quaker steel oats at our stores. I use the quick 5 mins oats in my Blue Moon clone.

 

[sfouant]

I was just wondering. We have quaker steel oats at our stores. I use the quick 5 mins oats in my Blue Moon clone.

Yep, the quick oats are the pre-gelatinized... basically the same thing that you get at the brew shop sold as "Flaked Oats"... but the steel cut oats are what Keith Villa claims they use. I've been reading up on it and it will likely require some pre-cooking to prepare them... perhaps a cereal mash. But since I've done Wayne's recipe twice now and haven't really seemed to get the body or mouthfeel, I'm hopeful this will make the difference. I will also be bumping up the oats to about 14% based on some of the research I've done...

 

[shadows69]

I saw in the store yesterday... steel cut oats quick oats made in 3 mins according to the label. Made by Quaker oats. This maybe a better option if it doesn't require pre-cooking.

 

[Brentk14]

We brewed a 15 gallon batch of this on Sunday and it went great. Here's what we did...

20 lb Pale Ale
16 lb White Wheat
4 lb Flaked Oats

1 oz Nugget 60 min
6 oz sweet orange peel 10 min
1 oz Whole Coriander crushed in coffee grinder 10 min
2 oz lemondrop whirlpool
1 oz Jarrylo whirlpool

My twist was adding aroma hops at the end to see if I could get lemon and some orange or citrus out of them. My family is split 50/50 on putting orange in, or lemon, so I wanted to see if we could incorporate the aroma of both, and accentuate the flavor when adding an orange or lemon. It smells amazing at this point, but ended up quite a bit darker than Blue Moon. I was worried about it ending up lighter with 2 row, so I went with pale ale malt. I couldn't attach the photo for some reason, I'll try again later. I can't wait to try this beer.

Still can't figure out how to attach images on here. I try to add the attachment and it comes back with an error every time I try to upload. Any ideas or tips?
Anyways, I'm here to give an update on my first attempt at this beer. To start with, I made 15 gal, and it is almost gone. Everyone really likes this beer. The late hop additions worked perfectly in my opinion, and everyone who has tried it plain, and then with their choice of fruit (Lemon or Orange) preferred the plain, as it had enough flavor and aroma.
As for me, I am never satisfied with what I've made, so I pick little things out to tweak next time. I used sweet orange peel on this, but I definitely taste bitter, and it is that citrus bitter that you get from rinds, not hops. I think I'll try to find a better source for the sweet orange peel going forward. Also, I feel like the coriander is a little stronger than I'd like. I am going to cut it in half next time, and still grind it in my coffee grinder. I'll also probably switch to the 2row next time instead of the pale malt, just to lighten it up a bit (I wish I could post the picture to show what I am talking about here).
All in all, I am super happy with how this turned out. I am going to be making another 15 gal batch of this end of May, early June for our 4th of July family reunion, and I am sure it will be consumed quickly.

 

[shadows69]

I bought steel oats hoping to try that with my recipe on Sunday.

 

[Wayne1]

Just for fun here is a photo of a wit I made at work.

This is made with the same ratio of grains and spices I first posted about.

This is a bit different in that I used a wit yeast and used a large amount Lemondrop hops in the whirlpool and dry hopped.

If any of you are around Denver, stop in at Station 26 Brewing Co and try a glass.

 

[thunderwagn]

Just for fun here is a photo of a wit I made at work.

This is made with the same ratio of grains and spices I first posted about.

This is a bit different in that I used a wit yeast and used a large amount Lemondrop hops in the whirlpool and dry hopped.

If any of you are around Denver, stop in at Station 26 Brewing Co and try a glass.

Looks and sounds delicious! I need to find some time to make it down that way.
I've brewed your original with great results, and also brewed it with t-58 which was also mighty tasty.

 

[Brentk14]

Just for fun here is a photo of a wit I made at work.

This is made with the same ratio of grains and spices I first posted about.

This is a bit different in that I used a wit yeast and used a large amount Lemondrop hops in the whirlpool and dry hopped.

If any of you are around Denver, stop in at Station 26 Brewing Co and try a glass.

Lemondrop hops in this beer are amazing. We loved what it did to our batch.
Do you serve it with an orange or lemon, or just as is?

 

[Wayne1]

No garnish. Just beer

 

[Helly]

Just for fun here is a photo of a wit I made at work.

This is made with the same ratio of grains and spices I first posted about.

This is a bit different in that I used a wit yeast and used a large amount Lemondrop hops in the whirlpool and dry hopped.

If any of you are around Denver, stop in at Station 26 Brewing Co and try a glass.

Sounds and looks awesome.

 

[sfouant]

Just for fun here is a photo of a wit I made at work.

Wayne, that looks amazing. It looks like it has some nice body to it.

Have you given any thought to my findings earlier that Keith apparently uses steel cut oats, and do you think that would make any difference?