Blue Moon Grand Cru

Brewed by Coors Brewing Company (MillerCoors)
Style: Belgian Strong Ale
Golden, Colorado USA

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

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22oz bomber courtesy of tastybeer.

Pours a very hazy deep yellow like sickly urine. There is some brownish tones in there. Lots of yeast floaties. Big white, pillowy head has okay retention but no lacing to speak of. Carbonation is a bit low actually. The beer just sorts of sits there after a few minutes completely dead with no head to speak of. Aroma is sourdough bread, perfume, citrus peels, grain alcohol. Taste is not at all like a Saison or Tripel or any other of the high alcohol, blonde, yeasty, Belgian styles. Instead, this takes a lot like a shot of vodka added to an extra yeasty batch of Hoegaarden. It is certainly not bad, but the Imperial Witbier style just is not very becoming. There is too much cloying, big doughy/yeasty presence that crowds out the coriander and citrus. I was glad to try it, especially because our beer tasting crew has ongoing inside jokes about Blue Moon.

A: The pour is a somewhat hazy orange and straw color with a nice white head. S: Lots of spices (primarily coriander) and overly sweet oranges, not all that different from Blue Moon. A bit of sweet wheat and grain, too. T: The flavor is not quite as enjoyable as I had anticipated. Cloyingly sweet from what seems to be the oranges and wheat/grains. The spice notes are a bit more subtle and there is a bit of alcohol. M: The body is medium, or thereabouts, and the carbonation is in the same ballpark. D: This is not as good as Blue Moon, which is sort of against the purpose of this beer. Oh well, what can you expect from Coors?

2/11/11. 750mL bottle. Cloudy orange pour with a small fluffy off-white head that fades but lingers. Surprisingly light aroma that hints at orange and soap with a touch of grain. Sweet orange flavor that again hints at soapiness with a grainy undertone. Never would guess this was 8.2% though. Basically just beefed up Blue Moon.

For the past few weeks, the local Taco Mac chain has been serving up MYSTERY BEERS every Tuesday night in an effort to pare down their bottle selection. Each beer, which can range from a simple twelve ounce bottle to a large 750ml bottle is priced at $2.50 and served with a whimsical "TADA!" from the barstaff. That was how I first met Blue Moon Grand Cru. Appearance: Pours out a cloudy, straw-hued yellow body with a head that quickly settles into a lasting ¼ inch of white foam. Smell: Lightly sweetish nose smelling of crisp white wheat dosed up with citrus-scented orange peels. The coriander addition, though present in the aroma, is not particularly fragrant, only adding background peppery accents. While it is a tad boozy in the nose, it’s not as stinging as some of these imperialized witbiers. Taste: Initially, a taste of wheat with some unsalted saltine crackery tones and meager handful of sweet cookie crumbs. The spicy coriander is a bit more appreciable in the taste than in the smell. The citrusy inclusion of orange peel arrives on the tongue alongside some higher alcohols, giving a suggestion of triple sec. An iota of hop bitterness. Touch of yeastiness. Finishes drying, warming, and with a lingering of mild spiciness. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied lended some creaminess from the inclusion of wheat. Medium-plus carbonation. Drinkability: Generally, I’m not a particularly big fan of these amped up wits, though, thankfully, Coors didn’t ratchet this thing up into the 9-11% ABV territory and simply give their standard Blue Moon a slight nudge. Just as I’ve always thought their Blue Moon was okay, so, too, do I feel this Grand Cru is okay. Then again, it’s hard to get too angry with a $2.50 beer!

Bottle @ home. Pours an orange body with a bunch of sediment dispersed in the liquid. Light cream colored head. Light Belgian blonde aroma with a healthy dose of orange peel. Very citrusy flavor with a ton of orange peel. Light Belgian blonde flavor that’s very smooth. Somewhat yeasty flavor. Mildly sour, citrusy, orange-like finish and aftertaste. Seems like the flavor is made to be a light Belgian blonde with yeast and tons of orange peel to confuse consumers into thinking they’re drinking something authentically Belgian. Overall the beer isn’t too bad but it’s just a bad imitation.

bottle from Mr.G’s in Plano, TX. cloudy yellow with a white head. yeast, wheat, spices and esters on the nose. decent on the palate with a big flavor of yeast and fruit.

25.4oz Big Bomber – Some store – Olympia, WA
Aroma – Light Belgian aroma and very light fruit aromas.
Appearance – Golden orange in color, Hazy with a light head.
Flavor – Has a very light Belgian flavor and very dry and flat in the flavor profile. The fruit flavors are light and the yeast is light also.
Palate – Super Dry finish with a nice Mouthfeel.
Overall – As compared wit the regular Blue Moon that was much better this was too dry and really not for the masses and is for a very small sect of Belgian drinkers. Not a hit and more of a huge miss. Not worth 10 bucks.

2009 edition bottle bought in Evanston Wyoming. Pours a clear golden color with a medium white head and some particulates, not filtered for sure. A sweet nose of yeast and dry fruit. The flavor is a decent wit; oranges, dry yeast and sweet malts, not warm, actually easy to drink. The palate is a bit low for the style. Decent.

The aroma is spicy with black pepper, citrus, wet dog, wheat, and alcohol. The appearance is a nice cloudy gold with a medium head. The taste is like the aroma with more fruit and spice than was detectable in the aroma. The palate is smooth. Overall a very nice beer.

In the bottle from Total Wine Tampa. At $4.99, this is a great deal on a not-so-great beer. Oddly, this has a massive chunk of yeast in the bottle. I’d say a full one-third of this beer is yeast sediment. It’s a bit insane and makes this bear nearly undrinkable. The color is gold, but it is more like gravy due to the yeast slurry. I’ve pitched full batches of barleywine with a smaller slurry. Has some orange flavors, but mostly an odd chemical taste. I’m glad that I did not purchase this disaster of a beer at the Beertopia price of $11.99.