Blue Moon Winter Sample Pack 2014: Blue Moon Belgian White

Brewed By: Miller Brewing Company (MillerCoors) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin   

Purchased: 12oz bottle from the Blue Moon Winter Sampler 2014 bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Belgian White, 5.4%

Reported IBUs: 9

DAE Macro sampler packs?

Over the past few years of penning horrible blog reviews, I have never actually reviewed one of America's classic beers: Blue Moon Belgian White. I did review their god-awful Grand Cru once upon a time, but how about some of their more seminal releases? I couldn't pass up on the Winter Sampler Pack for 2014. This thing cost about $15, and comes with five unique beers. Well, five really, because who hasn't had the Belgian White? About MillerCoors aka Blue Moon:

Blue Moon was first brewed in 1995 at one of MillerCoors' R&D arms; in a sandlot, in Denver, Colorado, by Keith Villa. Keith Villa is an OG player these days. He's off judging beer, and talking about his PhD in brewing from the University of Brussels. There's a PhD for everything these days. Seriously though, it's Blue Moon. Read the Wiki. 

Blue Moon's Belgian White is the classic beer that you can find at terrible chain restaurants like Applebee's and Chili's. You might also find it at TGIFridays. This beer is literally a classic American craft staple, regardless of what people on forums like "BeersAdventures" and "RapesBeers" might say. Blue Moon is brewed with orange peel, oats/wheat malts, and the usual shit you'd find in a Belgian White. This beer is Keith Villa's pride, and Keith Villa is MillerCoors' Stepford Wife. 

Blue Moon Belgian White

For a MillerCoors' product, this beer is vibrant and orange, and hazy and unfiltered. It actually looks like a legit wheat beer, or at least until the head dies off and you are left with orange juice. Then again, this is a Witbier, not a Hefe.

The aroma is all sorts of conflicting. You get wheat, orange, and honey -- but the aroma is very thick. It smells pretty sweet, and takes a turn towards cereal, with some Fruity Pebbles, and fake spice. It's kind of how I imagine an extract batch of a Witbier would smell.

Witbiers aren't really my bag in general, and Blue Moon tends to highlight a lot of the things about the style that I don't love. For 5.4%, Blue Moon is fairly dense and heavy. It's also fairly sweet. This beer dials up the saccharine juices, and reminds me of apple juice. It tastes like something made from extract, or something that could be further fermented out. In the taste is juicy orange, Fruity Pebbles, some bubble gum, artificial clove that is cloying, and lots of wheat. The saccharine edge isn't overly enjoyable, and the fake spice goes over-the-top in ways that rival Hoegaarden. 

Despite some of the flaws that Blue Moon has, it has a full body that is pretty substantial at 5.4%. The complexity is bottom-of-the-barrel, but the saccharine orange and Fruity Pebbles sweetness is obnoxious enough to stand up to the heartburn inducing foods you might find at such chain restaurants like Chili's, Applebee's, etc. This is a fully utilitarian beer, something beyond the monotonous Pale Lagers likely to be on tap wherever you go, but not nearly as interesting as many other beers. I mean, I'd take a Sapporo over a Blue Moon Belgian White 9/10 times. This is truly a MillerCoors product...the saccharine sweetness reminds me of Miller Genuine Draft, and the relatively uneventful transition from orange/wheat, to a spicy/salty middle, to the bubblegum/wheat back end isn't impressive. And yes, Blue Moon is definitely slightly salty in its attempt to do spice. Salty like semen. Yum.

Rating: Average (2.5/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. Blue Moon isn't offensive enough to hit that below-average stride, and this beer actually does sort of pull off the style. It's a bit cloying on the sweetness, but the slight brine/semen/salt note that is probably supposed to be coriander spice actually adds an interesting dimension...oh shit, I'm fishing here. Or phishing. Ha, the jokes on you! Seriously though, I would never go out of my way to buy a 6-pack of Blue Moon, but this is a serviceable beer on tap. I've had this beer while out to many a shitty chain restaurant with family and friends. This is a great beer to shove an orange in, and call it a fucking day. This is my Chili's beer. 

Random Thought: The Blue Moon Grand Cru was hilariously bad. Maybe that's why I don't see it on shelves anymore. 

Samuel Adams White Lantern

Brewed By: Boston Beer Company in Boston, Massachusetts 
Purchased: 12oz bottle from the 2013 Sam Adams Winter Classics variety pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2013
Style/ABV: Witbier/Belgian White, 5.5%

Reported IBUs: 10

Tonight I'm knocking out the rest of the new beers from the 2013 Winter Classics variety pack. About Sam Adams:

The Boston Brewing Company/Sam Adams is, of course, the brain child of Jim Koch (and Harry M. Rubin and Lorenzo Lamadrid). Founded in 1984, Jim Koch got the ball rolling after college when he decided to resurrect and brew his favorite family recipe. That recipe belonged to his great-great grandfather, Louis Koch, and dates back to the 1870s (where it was brewed in a St. Louis brewery). That infamous family brew is the Sam Adams Boston Lager, of course. You can read more about the history of the Boston Brewing Company HERE, or check out their website HERE.  

The White Lantern is a Belgian-style Witbier/White brewed with Spalt Spalter Noble Hops, and two row pale malt, wheat malt, and Ida Pils malts. Clocking in at 5.5% ABV and 10 IBUs, this beer features the addition of tangerine and orange peel, coriander, and Grains of Paradise.  

Samuel Adams White Lantern

The beer pours into a hazy orange body, and kicks up one or two fingers of sea foam white head. In bright light, the beer is a gorgeous orange color, with jets of carbonation rocketing upwards. There's some lacing on my glass, and the bright white head is sustaining nicely. 

The aroma on this beer is very subtle, with lots of wheat, coriander and lemon, orange peel and orange, a hint of clove, a hint of the Grains of Paradise, and lots of wheat-grain wheat punch.

Ehhhh...this is shaping up to be my least favorite of the 2013 Winter Classics. You get a wash of malty wheat with some Grains of Paradise/Coriander driven spice, hints of lemon and orange, and lots of bready wheat. There's a good amount of lemon asserting itself in this beer, and some hints of grass along with the wheat. It just tastes like it is missing something...but it's not offensive and it is on point for the style.

I love my Grains of Paradise and Belgian Whites. This beer is okay. It's drinkable at 5.5%, has a nice balance of wheat malt and lemony spices, and a dash of orange peel too boot. It is the perfect vehicle for the holiday season, despite having average complexity and average palate depth. The mouthfeel is light-bodied with high levels of carbonation and creamy density. Up front: wheat and Grains of Paradise; that rolls into coriander and lemon with more wheat; back end is trailing lemon/orange peel, and the finish is malty. 

Rating: Average (3.0/5.0 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Average on this. It's not offensive, it's not amazing, it's par the course. But, definitely an appropriate Winter/holiday beer. I would pair this beer with some glazed ham or Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner. I could see this going well with sweet potatoes and pineapple. 

Random Thought: And now...the Cherry Chocolate Bock

Pipeworks Paradisiac

Brewed By: Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, IL  

Purchased: Big ass 750ml bottle (Batch #173) bought at West Lakeview Liquors in Chicago, IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Witbier/Fruit Beer, 7.5%
Reported IBUs: ?

It's thirsty Thursday, and also Unofficial Pipeworks Thursday™. They keep brewing them...I feel like tonight's beer is going to be all sex, unlike last night's tepid Date Sugar Yeast Magik. Oh yeah, and I guess today was IPA day. Because that's cool. To celebrate IPA day, I'm going to not be drinking an IPA. So anarchy. So anti-conforming. So fucking brave. About Pipeworks:

Pipeworks has humble roots. The brewery was founded in Chicago in 2011 by Beejay Oslon and Gerrit Lewis. The duo were both homebrewers that met while while working at West Lakeview Liquors. In 2011, they began to raise money for their brewery using the online Internet site, Kickstarter. Olson and Lewis were both educated at De Struise Brewery in Oostvleteren, Belgium. With that knowledge, and the money from their kickstarter, Olson and Lewis created a unique brewery that is smaller in size, and intended to brew smaller batches of beer. The company's motto is "small batches, big beers." And indeed, since the brewery has been around, they've been releasing a lot of one-offs and small batch releases. At one point - and maybe still - the goal was the release a new beer every week. You can read more about the brewery at their website HERE.

Tonight's beer is a Witbier brewed with strawberries and kiwis. These are like three of my favorite things, so I have some high expectations here. The back of the bottle reads:

"A last rite for spring, born under a black sun. Part collaboration, part tribute, and all Balance. An alchemical brew, we've taken our Amchur and Sumac spiced Foolish Wit past its threshold by adding fresh Kiwis and Strawberries to create Paradisiac, a beer to stake your thirst during the hottest months, or when you're out collecting desert roses. The sun is coming, soon to drown us in astral fire...are you prepared?"

Pipeworks Paradisiac

I'm curious how the kind-of-high ABV is gonna work out here. Anyway, the beer pours into a hazy straw/yellow/cloudy urine color, and kicks up a nice finger of white head. Huzzah! No carbonation problems here. The head is also sustaining quite nicely, with a centimeter of Witbier-esque haze on top. There's some nice lacing on this, and the beer looks much the same in bright light. As an aside...the artwork on the Duvel glass almost obstructs the appearance, but this isn't some classy DraftMag blog. 

The aroma on here is subtle but really nice. I'm getting dense orange, orange peel, lemon, and some unknown fruit denseness (I'm assuming the strawberry/kiwi). Honestly, I wouldn't place the strawberry or kiwi on the aroma in a blind tasting, so yeah. There's some mild wheat, straw, and malt density on the nose...maybe a touch of honey. Overall, it actually smells like a legit Belgian Wit.

Woah...this is creamy, with buttery wheat, and has some serious density. It almost reminds me of a cross between a Witbier and a Belgian Pale Ale. You get dense wheat and bubble gum, big mango...lots of mango and tropical fruit...bready malt thickness, orange peel, some lemon, straw...also, I swear I'm tasting some strawberry in this. Like fresh, cut up, in yo' mouth strawberries. Would I be able to pull out strawberries in a blind tasting? Probably not. But still. 

This is dense, with a medium body supported by lots of welcomed carbonation and creamy wheat. The alcohol is well-hidden, and this is very drinkable (maybe too much so) for 7.5%. Palate depth is good while complexity is so-so. The addition of the strawberries and kiwis is perhaps evident in the aroma and body, but that could just be the dense malt bill. You do pick up some hints of strawberry in the taste, but you also get a lot of other typical Witbier trappings. I'm getting big wheat up front, with orange peel, hints of lemon, light Belgian funk, and some clove; the middle rolls into more clove, tropical fruits and lingering peel; the back end is wheat, malt thickness, and some nice lingering biscuit/orange. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Decent Above-Average, and I would buy this again. I would also recommend this, especially in place of the current batch of Date Sugar Yeast Magik. I'm about to pair this beer with pizza, but this would go well with your usual Witbier trimmings. I actually really enjoy Belgian Witbiers in the Fall/Autumn. I find the big orange peel character to pair well with fall weather, whereas I associate the more banana/bubble gum flavors of a Hefeweizen with summer. The fact that this beer has a such a dense body and is somewhat warming leads me to believe I would really enjoy drinking it in late September or early October, preferably with some football. That said, you can't go wrong at around 10 dollars a bottle (I think), and the 750ml bottle is awesome. 

Random Thought: I'm so ready for Friday. Oh, too cliche? Okay, fuck. This weekend I will be in the boonies for a bachelor/bachelorette party, which means I'm going to be downgrading and most likely drinking something like Blue Moon. It's all fun in games up in here but the bar is about to get lowered. Don't take good beer for granted. 

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly

Brewed By: Unibroue (Sapporo) in Chambly, Canada  

Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2012 (maybe 2013?)

Style/ABV: White Ale/Belgian White, 5.0%

Reported IBUs: 10

It's been a while since I've had anything from Unirboue: 

Unibroue is a brewery out of Chambly that specializes in Belgian beers. The brewery was founded in 1990 by André Dion and Serge Racine. The duo invested in the failing brewery, La Brasserie Massawippi, and became majority shareholders. In 1991, they finalized the takeover of La Brasserie Massawippi, and completely merged with their company, Unibroue, in 1992. Dion became the President and CEO, and Racine becamse the board of directors. In 1992, the brewery released their first beer, Blanche de Chambly, and decided to specialize in Belgian brews. In 1993, the brewery moved to their cutting-edge microbrewery in Chambly, Quebec, and by 1994 the brewery was exporting beer to the U.S. and Europe. In 1991, Brewmaster Paul Arnott joined the company; trained in traditional, monastic Belgian brewing, he helped release new beers including the Éphémère series of beers. 

In 2004, the Sleeman Brewery purchased Unibroue, and in 2006, Japan's oldest commercial brewer, Sapporo International, purchased Sleeman. Since then, Unibroue has been regarded as a global treasure, as they export their beer everywhere. They produce some of the best, high-quality beer in the world. These guys are one of my favorite breweries, and it's always a treat to drink their beer.

Tonight's beer, the Blanche de Chambly, is a Belgian Witbier. This one has been brewed since 1992, and clocks in at 5.0% ABV, and packs 10 IBUs. Brewed in the style of a classic Belgian White/Witbier, this one is described as spicy, with citrus, yeasty bread, coriander, clove, and wheat. Let's glass this up and see how it stacks up.

It's probably worth noting that last time I had this beer I wasn't hugely impressed...but I'm pretty sure I had bottle that wasted away on the shelf for a while. Although this is bottle conditioned, Witbiers aren't really meant to be aged far as I know.

Unibroue Blanche de Chambly

This one pours a super hazy, bright and vibrant, yellow/straw color. This beer is poppin', and looks hella good. That's douche bag frat boy for "would bang." This one kicks up a couple of fingers of white head. The head is cloudy and thick, ala a WHEAT beer. In bright light, this beer is a lemony-yellow juice color, and still has a nice haze. This beer has haze. You can see mid-sized carbonation bubbles moderately making their way upwards, and the head dissolved into a nice hazy cauldron effect. Really nice looking stuff.

The aroma on this is really nice....lots of clove up front, wheat, deep black pepper notes subtly sitting in the back, and lots of light/watery citrus. I'm also getting some pears, apples, plums, and other fruitiness. There's maybe a touch of biscuit as well. 

Wow...this one is juicy, tingly, and so light on the palate. I can understand why I regarded this beer as average when I last had it, but already I'm feeling the vibe here. There's a lot of juicy and refreshing orange in here, light citrus, suggestive apples and pears, tons of mild peppery spice and clove, and a bunch of big grainy and wheat notes. 

This is very complex and balanced for a 5.0% Witbier...and it's not cloying or weird like Hoegaarden can be on occasion  I'd say this has a light mouthfeel, with medium-high and dry carbonation. Palate depth is good and complexity ain't bad either. You get refreshing carbonation up front, followed by big juicy fruits, citrus, apples, and some clove/wheat; this rolls into clove, light peppery spice, more fruits, more wheat; the back end is clove, grain, tons of wheat, and has a dry, attenuating finish. Nice!

Rating: Above-Average (4/5 Untappd)

I'm feeling a Light Above-Average on this beer. I still feel like the palate on this is occasionally on the lighter side of things, but that's also what makes this beer so great. This is super quaffable, and you can easily put down 750ml of this without feeling bad. This is the type of beer to pair with mild cheeses, a salad, a fruit dish, or something light. Maybe fish or chicken? As with most of Unibroue's stuff, this is all around nice!

Random Thought: I'm feeling like I could go for some unlimited soup, salad, or breadsticks in my near future....hmmm...

Unibroue Éphémère Apple

Brewed By: Unibroue (Sapporo) in Chambly, Canada 

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2012

Style/ABV: White Ale/Belgian White (or a Fruit Beer according to RB and BA), 5.5%

I can't believe I haven't reviewed any of Unibroue's stuff yet! I've had their beers MANY times. I actually have some old tasting notes on a number of their beers, but I have not had the Éphémère Apple yet.

Unibroue is a brewery out of Chambly that specializes in Belgian beers. The brewery was founded in 1990 by André Dion and Serge Racine. The duo invested in the failing brewery, La Brasserie Massawippi, and became majority shareholders. In 1991, they finalized the takeover of La Brasserie Massawippi, and completely merged with their company, Unibroue, in 1992. Dion became the President and CEO, and Racine becamse the board of directors. In 1992, the brewery released their first beer, Blanche de Chambly, and decided to specialize in Belgian brews. In 1993, the brewery moved to their cutting-edge microbrewery in Chambly, Quebec, and by 1994 the brewery was exporting beer to the U.S. and Europe. In 1991, Brewmaster Paul Arnott joined the company; trained in traditional, monastic Belgian brewing, he helped release new beers including the Éphémère series of beers. 

In 2004, the Sleeman Brewery purchased Unibroue, and in 2006, Japan's oldest commercial brewer, Sapporo International, purchased Sleeman. Since then, Unibroue has been regarded as a global treasure, as they export their beer everywhere. They produce some of the best, high-quality beer in the world. These guys are one of my favorite breweries, and it's always a treat to drink their beer.

Tonight's beer, the Éphémère Apple, is basically a Belgian Witbier. Technically, this beer is brewed with apples, or apple juice (according to the bottle). Thus...it seems to categorically fit into the Fruit Beer category. But why? Witbiers are brewed with sweet orange peel, chamomile, and other spices. Why not throw a little apple into that mix..and does the apple really disrupt the "stuff" that is a Witbier? The bottle says: "Ale brewed with apple juice, coriander, and orange peel." Hmmm.

Didn't Satan warn us about this?

If you roll over to the Éphémère Apple page, you can read all about this beer. I really like Unibroue's website, and they give a ton of info on the beer. This beer is described (stylistically) as a "white ale brewed with apple must." The nose is described as having a mouth-watering bouquet of Granny Smith apples, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. The flavor sounds a lot like a Witbier, with a balance of fruit and spice, sweetness, and some apples. This clocks in at 10 IBUs and packs a pleasant 5.5% ABV.

According to Unibroue, the label depicts a fairy, an ephemeral spirit, that is associated with the fruits picked at the peak of ripeness during harvest. She has been on a number of fruit beers from Unibroue, including their: apple must, cranberry, blackcurrant, peach, and raspberry. The apple version debuted in 2002, and is the most popular of these beers. Recommended food pairings for this beer include apple desserts, cheese, pork, duck, or fruit crepes. Lastly, this beer has the potential to age for up to 2 years (yay! bottle conditioning), but is best served as young as possible. This beer may develop some desired flavors as it ages (honey, candied fruit), but the apple flavor will likely drop out a bit the older it gets.

With that said...let's glass this, and see how this fruity take on a Belgian White holds up.

My bottle says best before 11/14/13...so it's safe to assume it's spent some time on the shelf at the store. That's my one gripe with Unibroue's beers, and it's not even a gripe against Unibroue...stores need to rotate fresh bottles. I digress. This one pours all foam...and the foam was creeping out of the bottle as I opened it. That may be my fault, as I kicked up some of the yeast in the bottle a few hours before opening it. The beer pours with 4-5 fingers of foamy, cloudy, whipped head. The head is white, and is made up of large bubbles. The beer is a pale straw/hazy yellow/cloudy urine color. When held to bright light, the head is clearly white, the body of the beer is a hazy straw/yellow, and there is a ton of visible carbonation rising upwards. This beer is effervescent and lively for sure. I'm going to opt to not pour in the yeast sediment...at least not yet.

The farther away your nose is, the more apples you get. I'm getting apples mixed with Belgian yeast, coriander, Witbier funk, and spice. I get really sharp green apples, candied apples, sugary apples, Granny Smith apples, and apple lollipop/candy. When I shove my nose into the glass, I get some nice grain, Pils malt, clove/vanilla, wheat, some floral aromas and honey, and tart apple.

Unibroue Éphémère Apple

The taste on this is really nice. Really subtle apple notes cut through the entire palate, and around them is a really nice Belgian Witbier. Up front is big wheat malt, then big apples kick in, followed by more wheat, hints of citrus, grain, coriander, light lemon cake, sparkling apple juice, Pils malt, and a clean grainy finish with some apple. This doesn't overdo the apple, and really works at a subtle level.

At 5.5% this is incredibly drinkable. This has a light to medium-light mouthfeel, is creamy, smooth, effervescent, and refreshing. The head duration is great, with a finger's worth of head still hanging around. And carbonation is still rising upwards. Palate depth is good, and complexity is okay for the style. Up front you get wheat, apples, Pils malt; this rolls into wheat, grain, coriander; the back end is apples, Pils malt, dry grain, and a crisp finish. Really clean, balanced, refreshing; this uses the apples to enhance the style, rather than beating you over the head with fruit.

Rating: Above-Average

This is a Strong Above-Average beer, and one of my all-time favorite Witbiers. The apples play off the coriander, Pils malts, hints of lemony citrus, and grainy notes in such a wonderful way; it's really subtle and well-done. This is a refined brew. It's also incredibly drinkable...and apples and Fall go together so well. It's not peeling my panties off in the complexity department....so I'll have to come back someday and reevaluate this beer with time and wisdom under my belt. Until then, pair this fantastic beer with apple desserts, apple pancakes, blintzes, or even with cheesy soup. This is good stuff, and definitely worth checking out.