Blue Moon Wheat Beer Review
May 15, 2009
Being based near London means that I can often find unusual beers for The Brew Club that wouldn’t normally be found by drinkers in the US. Occasionally I will stumble across an American Beer that piques my curiosity – such as Blue Moon Wheat Beer.
Blue Moon is an American ‘craft’ wheat beer lovingly brewed by artisan brewers at the ‘Blue Moon Brewing Company’. Indeed the brew was indeed created by the brewmaster – Keith Villa – at the Blue Moon microbrewery at ‘The Sandlot’ stadium in Denver, Colorado. However the success of the brew means that it is now mass produced by the microbrewery’s parent company – Molson Coors.
The beer was first known as ‘Bellyslide Belgian White’ when it was first brewed in 1995, but legal action by the Confederation des Brasseries de Belgique (The Confederation of Belgian Breweries) meant that the beer had to be renamed for fear of misleading consumers that it was a product from Belgium.
The recipe includes ‘White Wheat, Oats, Coriander and Orange Peel’ and while many wheat beers are sometimes served with a slice of lemon, Blue Moon encourages the addition of a slice of orange to further enhance the orange flavour. No thanks.
So, a healthy pour, a good, if cloudy head and a heavy nose of orange peel and coriander. The beer comes in 330ml bottles rather than 500ml bottles as is traditional for wheat beers in Europe, so unless Blue Moon make a smaller size wheat beer glass the brew would be somewhat lost in a traditional wheat beer glass.
The orange peel flavour comes through in the taste as well, the underlying flavour is sharp, if not tart, but refreshing for all that. The beer is unfiltered, which adds additional cloudiness and leaves a considerable sediment in the bottom of the glass.
This is a good wheat beer, almost a great wheat beer. In the same way that some craft brewers overdo the hoppiness of an ale, this is a little too ‘in your face’. I wouldn’t refuse it, particularly on a hot summer’s day, but if I was thinking about a wheat beer, I think I would go for Grolsch Premium Weizen or Kronenbourg Blanc.
Rating: 
Indeed Coors success with Blue Moon directly inspired SAB Miller to create Leinenkugels Sunset Wheat, which The Brew Club gave a healthy four star rating back in August 2008. More recently, Blue Moon beer has been in the spotlight as the beer that Officer Crowley will be enjoying at the “Obama Beer Summit”.
You can also checkout Blue Moon’s Harvest Moon, their Autumn Pumpkin Ale!
Posted in 3 Star Reviews, All Brews Reviewed, American Beers, Views from a Brit, Wheat Beers
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May 15th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
I’m not a huge fan of Blue Moon, but will often suggest it to unadventurous folks who subscribe to molson’s typical lineup. I particularly hate it when i go to a restaurant ans order this, as it’s the best I can get, and it comes with an orange in it.
I’d rather just taste the beer.
nate’s last blog post..Drive By Beer Reflections
May 15th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
This is the first “non-generic” i.e. bud, coors, miller beer that I ever liked and I have to say even after my recent love affair with it’s still one of my favorites. I do LOVE the added orange peel.. and I find that the difference between tap and bottled is pretty huge…. leaning towards the on tap side.
Chrissy Morin’s last blog post..Munchies for your Brews & your Denver Nuggets.
May 15th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I have gotten a friend into more types of beer and this was pretty much his gateway. He has tried some better white ales now but this is an easily accessible gateway beer.
Mike’s last blog post..St. Bernardus Prior 8
May 15th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
I’d agree its a decent beer, and sometimes its the best thing available @ many restaurants. Its another good gateway beer! I actually almost got it today with lunch, but I opted for a diet Coke! (Is that bad?)
Scott- The Brew Club’s last blog post..Monty Python’s Holy Grail Ale – A Beer Review
May 21st, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Blue Moon is a classic beer, perfect for showing coors and bud drinkers that beer doesn’t have to taste like, well…. bud.
I especially like their seasonal brews. The Spring Ale and the Havest Moon being my favorites of the bunch.
Wolfman-K’s last blog post..Demographics Survey
May 26th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
This is by far one of my fall back beers . . . if nothing else is available I either look for Blue Moon or Sierra Nevada. It is really not all that bad of a beer, especially coming from Coors!
Zach’s last blog post..Moylan’s Brewery: Cask Conditioned Double Kilt Lifter
May 26th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Thanks guys – It’s a decent choice for sure. @WolfmanK, we did do a review of the Spring ‘Rising Moon’ and I actually had one a few nights ago and it was a good brew too. They use a touch of lime that isn’t overpowering like other lime-flavored beers!
If you want to check out that review, here’s the link…
http://thebrewclub.com/2008/04/24/blue-moon-rising-moon-review/
Scott-TheBrewClub’s last blog post..Beer Review – Michelob Brewing Hop Hound
June 8th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Blue Moon was my first wheat beer. I have had many wheats since then and I consider Blue Moon to be pretty darn good. Not overly sweet and no odd aftertaste.
June 21st, 2009 at 10:32 am
Normally I’m a hop head, but as hot as we’ve had it this June here in the Pacific Northwest, Blue Moon (sans the orange) has been my beer of choice. Otherwise it’s all about the Fish Tale or Immortal IPA (until next week, when I decide something else is better).
July 30th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Blue Moon is tuns better than Bud or Red Stripe, not even close!!!! Blue Moon takes the gold at the Obama Beer Summit!
July 30th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Hm. OK thanks for stopping in. I would agree that Blue Moon is better than the Bud Light that the President chose to have at this ‘beer summit’ but can’t say anything about Red Stripe yet. Still, its good to see beer in a positive light.
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Beer Review – Virgin Islands Brand Island Summer Ale
August 1st, 2009 at 3:25 am
I just started to love Blue Moon. Add a fresh orange peel from the market and man is it tasty. One other really amazing combo is Blue Moon mixed with guinness beer – If order it at a bar ask for a black and blue.
Beer Glass´s last blog ..Five Essential Beer Glasses
August 1st, 2009 at 5:35 am
Black and Blue… I’m almost tempted to try it!
Bob the Brit´s last blog ..Cotton Socks
August 5th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
My favorite beer…and love Black & Blue’s!!!! I got my boyfriend into drinking Blue Moon and now we both love to grab a six pack and chill.
December 27th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
I was genuinely surprised at how good this was. I’ve not been a big fan of American brewed Belgian style wheats, so I didn’t think this one would be much better than the average. But, it is really good. The orange does come through a bit strong at times, particularly as the temperature goes up. But, for what it is, it’s pretty good. I rate it just below Sam Adams’ Blackberry Witbier, which is so far my favorite American witbier.
December 27th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Thanks Eric. I’ve been tempted to try the Sam Adams Blackberry Wit, but I’ve had more bad experiences than good with the berry-flavored beers, so I’ve always held off on trying it. Maybe I’ll grab a single next time just to see what its about.
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Home Brew Kits – The Final Review