When I say Blue Moon, what's the first thing that comes to mind? For some, maybe the second full moon in a month, but for most of you, it is the beer served with a slice of orange in a pilsner glass. Labeled as a Belgian-style wheat ale, it is a good example of a witbier (white beer) with its cloudy appearance, orange and coriander taste and smell.
Now, who brews and distributes Blue Moon? The bottle and website (www.blumoonbrewingcompany.com) both claim it is the Blue Moon Brewing Company, but nowhere on the bottle or on the website will you find the name of the true brewer: the Molson Coors Brewing Company.
This isn't an accident, Molson Coors doesn't want you to know that it makes Blue Moon. It's their attempt to cut into the craft beer market, by downplaying the inclusion of their name in anything associated with the beer. Now they're not being deceitful (depending on how you define the word), they're just not providing you with information most of us don't care about.
Similarly, that iconic orange slice that comes with the beer is also a gimmick, not necessarily deceitful, but certainly skirting the edges of honesty. It was the idea of Keith Villa of Moslon Coors that thought people would purchase their beer more if it was advertised and served in bars with a slice of orange. It even says so on the bottle, “Bring out Blue Moon's natural spices by serving it in a Pilsner glass with an orange-slice garnish.”
Citric acid tends to destroy the beer's head, and is not needed to enhance the flavor of the beer. But people associate Blue Moon with a slice of orange, Keith Villa's gimmick worked, and Moslon Coors sold nearly half a million barrels of Blue Moon last year.
Now, I would probably be angrier if I didn't like this beer. It is refreshing, tastes of citrus and coriander with a little hoppy bitterness, and is readily available. Try it if you haven't already, or if there are slim pickings for alternatives. But forget the orange slice.
Luckily for me, Molson Coors gives me a reason to get angry: their Full Moon Winter Ale. “An Abbey ale...brewed with roasted malts and Dark Belgian sugar for a perfectly balanced taste,” they advertise on the bottle. This time, Molson Coors it trying to get a cut of the Belgian beer lover market.
It looked good when I poured it, with a dark red or amber appearance, minimal head, and smelling tantalizingly like malts.
Sadly, it falls far short of being a decent Belgian beer. It smells and tastes slightly malty, increasingly as it warms a little, but does not approach the sweet, malty level of good Belgian beers. I was disappointed, especially since I liked their Blue Moon. It seems that Molson Coors wasn't willing to stretch too far from their mainstream beer roots, and it really shows in this beer. All it really did for me was make me want a real Belgian Beer.
Molson Coors has other seasonal beers, including a Spring Ale with lime, an Autumn Harvest Moon Ale which is flavored with pumpkin, and a Honey Moon Summer Ale. I'd be willing to give them a try, but I'm not going to hold my breath with the knowledge that it's a Molson Coors beer, and when I know that the actual beers they are trying to mimic are out there.
Next week, I'll try out some stouts.
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