What Does Blue Moon Taste Like: A Comprehensive Taste Profile Review

What does Blue Moon taste like? If you’ve seen a beer with an orange slice, chances are you saw the beer called Blue Moon.

Today, we will discuss this citrus-flavored alcoholic drink, why a wedge of orange comes with a glass of it and some other details.

What Does Blue Moon Taste Like?

Blue Moon Belgian White has a pleasant, wheat-like, sweet taste, with citrus bursting through the spicy coriander flavor. As you can expect, it’s as good as it sounds!

While orange is heavily advertised with this product, do not mistake the beer for an orange juice-based drink. Blue Moon is a beer, so it still retains the bitterness of the alcoholic drink. However, the hop bitterness level is at a low level.

This beer’s unique taste is further accentuated when orange slices or juice are added to the drink. Its bitterness doesn’t linger or leave an aftertaste and it doesn’t interfere a lot with the beer’s refreshing and citrus notes. Since it tastes sweet, people consider it a good beer for new drinkers and beginners.

– What Kind of Beer Is Blue Moon?

The categorization of beer is one of the determining factors of beer taste. Often, beers of the same classes have similar tastes. As such, we will examine the kind of beer that Blue Moon is.

There are two broad types of beers — lagers and ales. The former is by far the most common in the United States, but there are still some excellent ales out there. The difference between a lager and an ale is the fermentation technique brewers use in their manufacturing process.

Ales are beers manufactured using top-fermenting yeast at warm temperatures (60˚–70˚F). Meanwhile, lagers are beers brewed using bottom-fermenting yeast at cold temperatures (35˚–50˚F). Since Blue Moon beers are brewed using top-fermentation, they are categorized as ales.

There are different types of ales. Deciding which category a beer falls into can be a bit tricky. Usually, factors like bitterness, color, gravity, alcohol content and the craft beer ingredients are considered.

According to the standards of Blue Moon beers, they are considered Belgian witbier, which is a type of Belgian ale.

– Is Blue Moon the Same as Belgian Moon?

Yes, depending on where you are from. In Canada, Blue Moon is referred to as Belgian Moon. This is because, during the launch of the beer, another popular beer in the country had blue in its name. The beer’s name is Labatt Blue, and to avoid any confusion, MillerCoors, Blue Moon’s manufacturers, adopted the name Belgian moon.

There have been claims that this story isn’t entirely true, but that’s what MillerCoors states, and we’re rolling with it. Either way, it doesn’t change the fact that Blue Moon is Belgian Moon. The only difference between the two is their nomenclature.

– What Does Blue Moon Taste Like Compared to Guinness?

Guinness is another very popular ale. It is similar to Blue Moon as they are both ales. But unlike Blue Moon, Guinness is an Irish Stout. Another major difference is their taste profiles.

Guinness is one of the darkest and most bitter beers on this planet. That’s a stark contrast to Blue Moon, which is flavorful and sweet. If you drank Blue Moon after Guinness, people will forgive you for calling it a sweet orange juice!

– Blue Moon Ingredients

Blue Moon Belgian White is brewed with the following key ingredients:

• Malted barley
• White wheat
• Oats
• Coriander
• Valencia orange peel

All of these ingredients play a role in the eventual taste of the beer.

The sweetness of wheat that you can taste when you take a sip is due to the presence of that very ingredient in the beer. Most ales use wheat as opposed to rice and corn in lagers. Brewmasters also use oats in manufacturing this beer. The result is a creamy anchor to the beer and the subtle sweetness of oat.

Belgian ales are renowned for their use of spices in beers to add a special spiciness to the beer’s taste. When it comes to Blue Moon, the spicy taste comes from the coriander. Aside from coriander, the other spices commonly found in Belgian ales include cumin, chamomile and cinnamon.

Lastly, there’s Valencia orange peel that is responsible for the citrus notes in the beer. Some people further garnish the beer with orange slices or juice when serving the beer. This amplifies the citrus flavor. As a result, you pick up more than just a hint of citrus.

Frequently Asked Questions

– Can You Drink Blue Moon Without Orange?

Yes, you can. Orange is a garnish for the beer. As with all garnishes, it is not a must in the beer.

There is no doubt that orange accentuates the beer’s flavor. Note that, in general, the beer has a hint of citrus. The only purpose of adding an orange is for improving the flavor. In other words, you will still taste the citrus flavor even without the orange garnish. And some people may prefer it this way.

– Is Blue Moon a Good Beer?

Blue Moon beer is one of the top-selling ales in the world. Bad beers cannot reach this feat. It also tastes very nice, has a moderate ABV, and offers a unique beer flavor. All of that makes Blue Moon a good beer.

– Why Is Orange in Blue Moon?

Well, this is the doing of the beer’s creator, Keith Villa. For a long time, beers, especially Mexican beers, have been garnished with lime. This was the case with Blue Moon when it first hit bars. The point of adding lime into beers is to improve the flavor and aroma of the beer. This technique was a game-changer and still exists today in many bars.

However, Villa was not impressed by the effect of lime on Blue Moon. He felt that lime was not able to improve either the aroma or the beer’s flavor. As a result, he suggested another garnish that’s better than lime for this particular alcoholic drink — oranges!

They were out of place in bars, and Keith would even personally hand oranges to bartenders. While many considered it unnatural, Keith was convinced orange slices would work miracles on the beer, considering it already had a citrus hue. He was spot on! Since then, it has become a tradition to add orange slices and juice to Blue Moon instead of lime.

Having orange in beer is a little weird. But you have to admit that it is weird in a pleasant manner. We can’t read minds. So if you’re wondering how oranges made their way anywhere near a glass of beer in the first place, you already have your answer!

– How to Drink Blue Moon Beer With Orange

Knowing that orange goes well with Blue Moon is one thing; knowing how to add it perfectly is another. The thing is, if you add too much of the citrus fruit, you will end up with an orange juice that’s on the bitter side. But if you don’t add enough, you’re defeating the purpose of adding oranges.

Adding just the right amount is key to a great-tasting beer. A twist of fresh orange juice is the way to go. So, do you squeeze orange in Blue Moon? If you don’t have orange juice, you can throw in an orange wedge. For the best results, ensure that you add orange juice to the cold beer. Enjoy!

Having orange in beer is a little weird. But you have to admit that it is weird in a pleasant manner. We can’t read minds. So if you’re wondering how oranges made their way anywhere near a glass of beer in the first place, you already have your answer!

– Is Blue Moon a Girly Beer?

Some people refer to Blue Moon Belgian White as girly because it is orange-flavored and relatively sweet. Another reason why it’s considered girly is the fact that this beer is creamy and smooth. Some people associate that texture with girls.

Either way, the notion that this beer is girly is ridiculous. There is no such thing as “girly” when it comes to beers. The last time we checked, beers did not have genders.

Many girls don’t like flavored beers and many men like them. The same applies to the smooth and creamy texture of the beer. Tagging a beer as girly will only stir up unnecessary controversy.

If you like the beer, irrespective of your gender, know that you are free to drink it.

Conclusion

Blue Moon is one of the best-selling ales in the United States today. In this Blue Moon beer review, we have overviewed how it tastes and here are a few important takeaways:

• Blue Moon has a pleasant wheat-sweet taste, with a hint of citrus notes and a unique spiciness.
• Blue Moon is a Belgian witbier, a special type of Belgian ale.
• The tradition of garnishing Blue Moon with garnish came from the creator of the beer himself in a bid to improve the orange flavor.
• Blue Moon has a subtle citrus flavor that is accentuated with an orange garnish.

If you enjoy flavorful, creamy beers with a hint of citrus, and at the same time, you don’t mind having an orange garnish, you will love Blue Moon. Remember that you can bring out the flavor, even more, when you garnish the beer the way Keith Villa suggested.