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Author Topic: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer  (Read 4681 times)

Offline IMperry9

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Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« on: August 04, 2015, 11:11:08 am »
Hey guys I have just been asked by my girlfriend to brew a beer to her tastes. Her favorite beer is a blue moon Belgian White so that's what I am going for. It doesn't have to be identical by any means but to be similar. After browsing the web for a couple days here is what I came up with.

Grains:
   • 5lbs Belgian Pilsner malt
   • 4lbs White Wheat Malt
   • 1lbs Flaked Oats
   • Added rice hulls to prevent stuck sparge- I have never used these before so what is the best way to use these and how much given my grain bill.
Hops:
   • .5oz Willamette @ 60min**
   • .25oz Willamette @ 10min**
   • 1oz Coriander(crushed) @ 5min
   • 1oz Sweet orange peel @ 5min
   • Zest of 1 orange added @2min

Belgian Wit Ale WLP400
   • Pitched at ~68F
   • Expected Attenuation ~76%

Stats:
   • IBU:10.468
   • SRM: 4.52
   • OG:1.051
   • FG:1.012
          ABV: 5%

Any feedback would be awesome, I have never done this style of beer or brewed with wheat so thanks for any help! Cheers.
A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure.
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Offline Stevie

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2015, 11:19:55 am »
You will want to sub a good amount of the wheat malt with flaked wheat.

Offline Iliff Ave

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2015, 11:24:38 am »
Looks pretty good to me. That grain bill is my exact wit recipe. Blue Moon has never tasted 'Belgian' to me so you may want to consider a different yeast unless you think that she would enjoy more of a traditional wit flavor.

I have never had an issue with wheat causing stuck sparges although I don't think I have ever gone more than 50%. You may not need rice hulls at all but they obviously can't hurt...
« Last Edit: August 04, 2015, 11:32:43 am by goschman »
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Offline erockrph

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2015, 12:24:51 pm »
Blue Moon has never tasted 'Belgian' to me so you may want to consider a different yeast unless you think that she would enjoy more of a traditional wit flavor.
Agreed. It's been a long time since I've had Blue Moon, but I'd be tempted to go with WY1010 instead of a traditional Belgian Wit strain. I'd also lean towards domestic 2-row instead of Pils if you want a closer Blue Moon clone.
Eric B.

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Offline jtoots

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2015, 12:49:03 pm »
You will want to sub a good amount of the wheat malt with flaked wheat.

could you explain why?

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #5 on: August 04, 2015, 12:49:53 pm »
Blue Moon has never tasted 'Belgian' to me so you may want to consider a different yeast unless you think that she would enjoy more of a traditional wit flavor.
Agreed. It's been a long time since I've had Blue Moon, but I'd be tempted to go with WY1010 instead of a traditional Belgian Wit strain. I'd also lean towards domestic 2-row instead of Pils if you want a closer Blue Moon clone.

+2.  Or even WY1007 - it's super clean. Agreed with using 2 row and some flaked wheat as well.
Jon H.

Offline Stevie

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #6 on: August 04, 2015, 01:26:57 pm »

You will want to sub a good amount of the wheat malt with flaked wheat.

could you explain why?
Traditionally a wit will have a large amount of unmalted grains. I have no idea if blue moon is the case, but I know hoegarden is somewhere around 30% flaked wheat.

Offline dmtaylor

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #7 on: August 04, 2015, 02:07:23 pm »
Flaked wheat will help guarantee cloudiness like the real Blue Moon has.

I'd drop the sweet orange peel.  It will only add bitterness.  The zest is a good idea though as it will add actual flavor and aroma, especially if you reserved it for bottling time instead of the boil.

That's all I'd change.  Looks like a great recipe as-is.  You can play with the yeast or malt origin a little based on others' feedback, optional in my book, as you're pretty much there.  Good luck.
Dave

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Offline IMperry9

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #8 on: August 04, 2015, 03:27:02 pm »
Thanks for the advice everyone and after hearing what you guys have to say I think I will make a few little changes. After looking more into the sweet orange peel I think I am going to drop that. That being said do you think the orange flavor/aroma will come through enough with just the zest added to the boil? Would anyone add more zest to the secondary?
A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure.
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Offline dmtaylor

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #9 on: August 04, 2015, 03:29:56 pm »
It would probably get lost in the boil.  Save for end of fermentation.
Dave

The world will become a much more pleasant place to live when each and every one of us realizes that we are all idiots.

Offline jeffy

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #10 on: August 04, 2015, 03:32:24 pm »
Why not have her try a few more authentic examples of the style and then decide on the yeast?

I sometimes add coriander and citrus zest to taste after fermentation.
Jeff Gladish, Tampa (989.3, 175.1 Apparent Rennarian)
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Offline IMperry9

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #11 on: August 04, 2015, 03:38:41 pm »
Alright so I plan on moving the coriander seeds and zest to the secondary fermentation stage. I want to use the typical wit yeast to get a general feel for the beer it produces. I don't plan on nailing this beer first try. after this first attempt I can tweak and adjust to her desire ;P
A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure.
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Coming up:
SMaSH Rye Pale Ale
Chocolate Rye Stout
Milk Stout

Offline dmtaylor

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #12 on: August 04, 2015, 03:44:07 pm »
WLP400 is great stuff.  Tastes like pear, maybe just the slightest hint of black pepper, very slight.  If fermented too warm it might go towards bubblegum, so keep it in the 60s.
Dave

The world will become a much more pleasant place to live when each and every one of us realizes that we are all idiots.

Offline IMperry9

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #13 on: August 05, 2015, 07:07:21 pm »
I have finalized my recipe... for now haha. I seem to change my mind so often when I am designing a recipe because of other's feedback and experiences.

Grain bill:
* 5lbs Castle Pilsner Malt 1.6L
* 4lbs Rahr White Wheat malt 2L
* 1lb Flaked Oats
* 8oz Rice hulls

Hops/Boil Additions:
* .5oz German Brewer's Gold @ 60min
* Zest of 1 Orange, 1/2 Lemon @ 5min

WLP400 as stated before

I will add more zest to the secondary if it feels like it needs more but I wanted to try it in the boil first.
I switched to brewer's gold because I have them on hand and I think they will work well with the yeast. What temp does anyone recommend fermenting at? I was thinking 66F would keep the bubblegum flavors in check.
A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure.
Kegged/Bottled: N/A
Coming up:
SMaSH Rye Pale Ale
Chocolate Rye Stout
Milk Stout

Offline Iliff Ave

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Re: Commission brew/Blue Moon style beer
« Reply #14 on: August 06, 2015, 10:53:29 am »
In my American Wheat, I used about an oz of orange zest at the end of the boil. That is usually about 5 oranges.

I see a lot of recipes with zest from 1 orange. Maybe my threshold for zest is super high since I using 5 times as much a most recipes...
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