Blue Moon Belgian White: Appearance
Hazy orange hue (too dark for the style). Translucent with some fine carbonation visible. Pours to a small, white, soapy head which nearly completely dissipates and leaves no lacing.
Blue Moon Belgian White: Smell
Sweet orange scent, but reminiscent of artificial flavoring. Not much authentic Belgian character to it.
Blue Moon Belgian White: Taste
Blue Moon is usually scoffed at by craft beer enthusiasts, and for good reason. But a lot of us forget that the beer serves a purpose of being a stepping stone from fizzy yellow beer to good beer. And in that capacity, this beer is great. As an actual Belgian White it’s far from a good example of the style. While there’s nothing particularly wrong with the palette here, there’s nothing especially good about it, either. The flavors seem a little inauthentic and what’s there is too simple and mild.
Upon my first swig I was immediately reminded of a pumpkin beer. The orangepeel and coriander spices are noticeable right away. They create for a zingy sensation, though they seem to fade away rather quickly. Through the middle there’s a sweet, almost sugary taste of orange flavoring akin to orange-flavored soda (not rich like orange juice concentrate). It finishes with a surprisingly dull, grainy taste not unlike that of a macro lager, which is actually quite baffling. Personally, I’m not offended by this palette, but it has a long way to go to truly impress me.
Blue Moon Belgian White: Drinkability
Say what you want about the taste, but it’s hard to dispute the fact Blue Moon is highly drinkable. Even drinking it indoors on a cold winter’s night it’s remarkably refreshing. The mouthfeel is on the thinner side and noticeable crisp, but not fizzy. It leaves just a slight pasty aftertaste, though it’s easily tolerable. It doesn’t seem to take full advantage of its 5.4% ABV weight. I’m sure they could deliver the same palette on a lighter, more sessionable body. But it is drinker-friendly for sure.