Blue Moon Clone

[Mumathomebrew]

I've only just found this and it's too late because I've just made one, but shall be combing this thread to see what the differences are. I loosely based mine on E. Kraus recipe for a 6 gallon batch and downscaled for a 4L batch to fit in a demijohn. To use up remainders of malts we had so we can get in some more. It went like this:-

3L tap water for mash at 65-68*c, then 2L for sparge/mash2, then 1L for sparge/mash3
(because I'm doing this in kitchen pans)

177g Maris otter
233g Vienna
71g Munich
318g Pale wheat malt
80g Scotts oats
3g Goldings @60'
peel of one ordinary orange @10'
1.5tsp coriander powder (not new) @10'
Irish moss @10'
SG before boil 1.-38 - SG after boil 1.050
Windsor yeast

Fills a demi up to the shoulders with room for krausen

It smelled very nice during the boil and is fermenting vigorously already. I ran the figures through the efficiency calculator and it said 73.22% but I'm not entirely sure what that means to a recipe quite yet, nor do I know if I have the same malts as their calculators.

 

[nilo]

I've only just found this and it's too late because I've just made one, but shall be combing this thread to see what the differences are. I loosely based mine on E. Kraus recipe for a 6 gallon batch and downscaled for a 4L batch to fit in a demijohn. To use up remainders of malts we had so we can get in some more. It went like this:-

3L tap water for mash at 65-68*c, then 2L for sparge/mash2, then 1L for sparge/mash3
(because I'm doing this in kitchen pans)

177g Maris otter
233g Vienna
71g Munich
318g Pale wheat malt
80g Scotts oats
3g Goldings @60'
peel of one ordinary orange @10'
1.5tsp coriander powder (not new) @10'
Irish moss @10'
SG before boil 1.-38 - SG after boil 1.050
Windsor yeast

Fills a demi up to the shoulders with room for krausen

It smelled very nice during the boil and is fermenting vigorously already. I ran the figures through the efficiency calculator and it said 73.22% but I'm not entirely sure what that means to a recipe quite yet, nor do I know if I have the same malts as their calculators.

Few comments:
- I think you will realize that you need more orange peels to impart flavor. But just experiment to you taste.
- I would drop the Irish moss completely. Blue Moon supposed to be hazy
- On mashing efficiency, 100% efficiency on an all grain system happens when all starches are converted into sugars during mashing. That means perfect milling, perfect PH, perfect amount of enzymes at right temperatures, perfect sparging. Let's say a grain bill would produce a 1.080 (80 points) wort at 100% efficiency. If your wort however ends at 1.050 (50 points), your efficiency would be 100*(50)/(80)=62.5%, It indicates how well you are converting and extracting the sugars, For us home brewers with small batches, no much impact. Large batches however, high efficiency translates into savings on grain bill.

Someone please correct me if I messed up on efficiency.

 

[marchuk96]

+2 on the first 2 comments...I felt the reccomended amounts from Wayne's recipe very underwhelming...I added quite a bit more in to mine when I did it and in the end I was close to what blue moon tastes like...I do not have the exact amounts in front of me but it was probably close to 1.5-2 times the original amount on both coriander and orange...the coriander is supposed to be the star so be careful with not overdoing it with to much or orange or adding in more orange than coriander...coriander should remain the bigger addition

And def no need for the irish moss...let the haze rock!!

Few comments:
- I think you will realize that you need more orange peels to impart flavor. But just experiment to you taste.
- I would drop the Irish moss completely. Blue Moon supposed to be hazy
- On mashing efficiency, 100% efficiency on an all grain system happens when all starches are converted into sugars during mashing. That means perfect milling, perfect PH, perfect amount of enzymes at right temperatures, perfect sparging. Let's say a grain bill would produce a 1.080 (80 points) wort at 100% efficiency. If your wort however ends at 1.050 (50 points), your efficiency would be 100*(50)/(80)=62.5%, It indicates how well you are converting and extracting the sugars, For us home brewers with small batches, no much impact. Large batches however, high efficiency translates into savings on grain bill.

Someone please correct me if I messed up on efficiency.

 

[nilo]

marchuk96, if this is a Blue Moon on your avatar, nice looking beer right there

 

[marchuk96]

marchuk96, if this is a Blue Moon on your avatar, nice looking beer right there
View attachment 670387

It is not...that was an ipa i made years back...I believe this is a pic of my blue moon clone

 

[Carolina_Matt]

the coriander is supposed to be the star so be careful with not overdoing it with to much or orange or adding in more orange than coriander...coriander should remain the bigger addition

Interesting, I made the Lunar Shock recipe from Morebeer for my wife. She loves blue moon, and she thought it tasted great. They only use 1.7 grams of coriander, and 2 ounces of sweet orange peel (which is about 56 grams, if google isn't lying to me). To be fair, it's supposed to be a combination of Blue Moon and Shocktop, so maybe Shocktop has a different ratio.

Next time I'll add a lot more coriander and less orange.

 

[balrog]

And, from experience, watch out for differences in flavor intensity of coriander.
I bought a big ole 10oz coriander seed pkg and have learned I really have to up the amount to get the coriander flavor. You have been warned.

 

[Wayne1]

Sources of spices vary greatly. We used a local (Denver, CO) spice shop that ground the coriander daily.

You can intensify the flavor if you toast the seeds before you grind them. The amount of spice used will be determined by the preferences of the brewer. Try X amount for the first batch and then vary for the next by experience.

Cheers!

 

[balrog]

Sources of spices vary greatly. We used a local (Denver, CO) spice shop that ground the coriander daily.

You can intensify the flavor if you toast the seeds before you grind them. The amount of spice used will be determined by the preferences of the brewer. Try X amount for the first batch and then vary for the next by experience.

Cheers!

Thanks @Wayne1 that is interesting about the toasting. I will def try that next batch.

 

[Westin]

Hi all. I’m just finishing up a batch of Belgian white myself. Today is two weeks after bottling so I’m looking forward to trying it later today.
5 gallons
20 grams of orange peel (5g @ 15’ 10g @ 60’)
30g of coriander seed (15g @ 15’ and 15g @60’)
That tip about toasting prior to addition makes a lot of sense I’ll have to try they next time.
Here’s a video I made about the brewing this latest batch. Have a look and let me know what you think. Thanks

 

[balrog]

I would think putting anything in 15m into a 1 hr boil would boil off the flavor and aroma oils.

 

[Westin]

I would think putting anything in 15m into a 1 hr boil would boil off the flavor and aroma oils.

Ok balrog thanks for the tip. So maybe just a larger addition just before coming off the boil? I appreciate the advice.

 

[balrog]

I would add all flavor/aroma at/near end of boil, yes. Personally, I do 5m from flame out. I've not done enough rigorous testing to determine 15m 10m 5m 0m differences.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Yep, the oils in coriander contain a lot of the same flavour compounds as C hops in particular, so probably best in the whirlpool.

 

[marchuk96]

I would think putting anything in 15m into a 1 hr boil would boil off the flavor and aroma oils.

I believe this is exactly why I found things to be pretty lack luster after flameout so I did add some while chilling and then again as like a dry hop

 

[luizartur]

I would add all flavor/aroma at/near end of boil, yes. Personally, I do 5m from flame out. I've not done enough rigorous testing to determine 15m 10m 5m 0m differences.

Agree with you. All I've read about it call for a 5min addition, these 5min being needed for sterilize the coriander seeds. IMHO, any other late addition - whirlpool or dry hopping - would require it to be sterilized beforehand.

 

[balrog]

Sorry to be overly word picky, but "sanitize" is the best you can hope for, especially with organic matter like orange peel and ground coriander. By the way, I do grind mine in a coffee grinder, rather than dropping the seeds in whole, thinking it will release the flavor better.

 

[luizartur]

Sorry to be overly word picky, but "sanitize" is the best you can hope for, especially with organic matter like orange peel and ground coriander. By the way, I do grind mine in a coffee grinder, rather than dropping the seeds in whole, thinking it will release the flavor better.

You're right! To "sterilize" one would need an autoclave. Sanitize would be the right word, tanks for the advice, once English is not my mother language!!! And I also grind the coriander seed but I use a pestle (I guess) instead.

 

[SSR]

New to brewing, I have used Wayne's #1, Nilo's # 8 and Nilo's #12 recipes. Out of them I really like Nilo's # 12 and have brewed it twice. It has great color and tastes almost like Blue Moon. Though none of them smelled good, may be related to something I'm doing wrong. Anyhow thanks for sharing them.

 

[nilo]

What you mean "doesn't smell good"? lack of a specific aroma, orange, spoiled beer, what?

 

[SSR]

What you mean "doesn't smell good"? lack of a specific aroma, orange, spoiled beer, what?

Kind of spoiled beer, but it tasted good.

 

[Jag75]

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

Next time you brew try this out . I seriously cant keep people out of it . Keg kicks way too fast .

4# 2 row
4# wheat malt
2# flaked wheat
.25# flaked oats

.5oz Amarillo @ 30 min
.5oz Amarillo @ 15 min
1oz coriander @ 5 min
1.25 oz valencia orange peel @ 5 min
1oz Amarillo flame out

 

[rtstrider]

Has anyone tried tossing in the spices at flameout? I just can’t get what I’m looking for and was wondering if tossing them in at flameout would preserve a good bit of flavor/aroma since it wouldn’t be boiled off? Also in theory the boiling temp at flameout SHOULD sterilize the spices right?

 

[Jag75]

Has anyone tried tossing in the spices at flameout? I just can’t get what I’m looking for and was wondering if tossing them in at flameout would preserve a good bit of flavor/aroma since it wouldn’t be boiled off? Also in theory the boiling temp at flameout SHOULD sterilize the spices right?

What exactly are you not getting . What are you doing atm?

 

[NitrogenWidget]

Has anyone tried tossing in the spices at flameout? I just can’t get what I’m looking for and was wondering if tossing them in at flameout would preserve a good bit of flavor/aroma since it wouldn’t be boiled off? Also in theory the boiling temp at flameout SHOULD sterilize the spices right?

I brewed this twice and ended up almost doubling how much I put in the second batch because the flavor wasn't there.

 

[Jag75]

Are you guys using fresh coriander and peel?

 

[rtstrider]

I brewed this twice and ended up almost doubling how much I put in the second batch because the flavor wasn't there.

I've tried 2 oz fresh orange peel at 5 min 1 oz dried orange peel at 5 min and still no go. I actually reached out to a friend on this that is a chef and picked their brain. I ended up approaching this as...how would YOU do this if you were adding the zest to a tea? Would you boil it or just steep it like a normal tea. They resoundingly said DON'T BOIL! So I'm going to play with a flameout addition next time. Now I added around .75oz of Bigelow chamomile tea at flameout and that's DARN tasty. If anyone is brewing this soon mind giving the Orange peel flameout addition a shot?

 

[Jag75]

I've always added fresh ground coriander and orange peel that last 5 min of boil . The orange really didnt pop until I used McCormicks velincia orange peel . It's in a glass bottle . Amazing difference between that and just orange peel that's been dried up .

 

[toadie]

Why not try 1 oz orange peel in a sterile bag after fermentation. Leave it for a week or longer. The aroma alone is amazing.

 

[balrog]

Frankly the most orange I ever got made it very much an orange shandy beer, and I zested two oranges, covered with a little vodka for 3-4 days, poured through sanitized hopsock to put tincture into keg.

It was too much, but then everyone has different tastes. Some people like lima beans for instance.

But they are wrong.

 

[toadie]

That's interesting. I freeze my zest and take my chances! Eventually I might have to throw beer away. I've heard of people rinsing with starsan but I wonder if the vodka really extracts the oils.

Also, for what it's worth, I like a radler while floating down rivers.

 

[balrog]

The vodka absolutely extracts flavor (so I presume oils). Works with lime also.

 

[toadie]

I'll give it a try. As you can guess i've used grapefruit which was good and i've tried meyer lemon which was also pretty good.

 

[balrog]

It is very easy to go over the top and part of what makes the Blue Moon so great is the balance it strikes, primarily with the coriander that makes the flavor pop. People think orange but I believe it is more coriander, then a recognizable citrus orange floating in there, all balanced on the wheat and 2row light malt flavor.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

I've tried 2 oz fresh orange peel at 5 min 1 oz dried orange peel at 5 min and still no go. I actually reached out to a friend on this that is a chef and picked their brain. I ended up approaching this as...how would YOU do this if you were adding the zest to a tea? Would you boil it or just steep it like a normal tea. They resoundingly said DON'T BOIL! So I'm going to play with a flameout addition next time. Now I added around .75oz of Bigelow chamomile tea at flameout and that's DARN tasty. If anyone is brewing this soon mind giving the Orange peel flameout addition a shot?

Guess what?
I keep good notes for my brews because I can't remember every detail and after looking, I did in fact put the coriander and orange peel in at flame out for my 2nd batch.
1.25 OZ of each.
tasted like bluemoon with an orange wedge squeezed into it.

2 of us drank 3 gallons on the first day at the lake house.

 

[toadie]

Strange question but why do people not use local coriander? Would brewers have had access to Indian coriander when it was first used?

 

[Jag75]

One of the best tinctures I've made was orange peel and vanilla beans soaked in vodka .mmmmmm it's like a 50/50 bar

 

[cederbusch]

I´m giving a Blue Moon clone a go today. I have both Danstar Nottingham and Kveik in stock. Never tried Kveik before and I´m very curious if this yeast would add some nice citrus tones to the beer or if this will be a of-taste. What do you guys think?

 

[Jag75]

I´m giving a Blue Moon clone a go today. I have both Danstar Nottingham and Kveik in stock. Never tried Kveik before and I´m very curious if this yeast would add some nice citrus tones to the beer or if this will be a of-taste. What do you guys think?

Never tried but keep us posted .

 

[iahebert]

Sources of spices vary greatly. We used a local (Denver, CO) spice shop that ground the coriander daily.

You can intensify the flavor if you toast the seeds before you grind them. The amount of spice used will be determined by the preferences of the brewer. Try X amount for the first batch and then vary for the next by experience.

Cheers!

Any chance you can tell us which spice shop? I'm in Centennial and think I want to do this next.