Blue Moon Belgian White

September 9th, 2011 by in Disneyland Resort Beer Reviews, Walt Disney World Beer Reviews

Blue Moon is possibly the most controversial beer at the 2011 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. Why the controversy? The Craft Beer Collection is featuring Blue Moon as one of its eight craft beers; however, the Blue Moon Brewing Company is a part of the Molson Coors conglomerate.

Blue Moon was first brewed at the Sandlot, sort of a brewpub for the Blue Moon Brewing Company at Coors Field in Denver. Originally called Bellyslide Belgian Wheat, Blue Moon became a hit and Molson Coors put it into nationwide production. The Sandlot still brews Blue Moon mostly for its customers; most of the Blue Moon brewed for nationwide distributon comes from a nearby Molson Coors plant.

While Blue Moon does have some craft roots, the controversy remains among beer aficionados whether Blue Moon is a craft beer. I tend to think that it’s not, as the beer you and I are drinking is mass-produced in the same plant as Coors.

As for the beer itself? This witbier is a cloudy orange with a small, quickly dissipating head. Take a sniff and there’s a weak scent of wheat. Taking a sip light spices cross the tongue along with a hint of citrus, but mostly a wheat taste. It has light carbonation, and I find it to be a bit thin. Overall, this is supposed to be similar to a Hoegaarden as it’s also a Belgian white (and made in Belgium), and I’d much prefer it to Blue Moon. Overall, meh.

If you’re looking to have a witbier at the Food and Wine Festival, head on over to the Belgium booth and buy a Hoegaarden instead. Blue Moon is also served in a number of locations around the Walt Disney World resort year-round, so there’s no reason to feel bad if you don’t have one at Food and Wine.


  • T.J.

    You make some good points, but in many ways Blue Moon is just the tip of the iceberg for the craft brew drinker–when you consider how many breweries AB/Inbev has gobbled up, it’s hard NOT to pick up one of theirs (Leffe, Stella, and Hoegaarden are all owned by Inbev, for instance).

    Of course, there are varying levels to how much the initial brewery is messed with, but after watching Beer Wars on Netflix I stay away as much as possible. Really shows how ruthless the big beer companies can be, Anheuser-Busch especially.

    Still, a lot of folks may not care who owns the label, and that’s A-OK. For those who do, there are plenty of brews to enjoy at Disney that AREN’T owned by the Bud/Miller/Coors types if you feel like doing some research.

    Anyway, tangent there–but great post. Really enjoying the site.

    Reply

    • Scott Post author

      I don’t disagree with what you’re saying.

      Just to clarify, Blue Moon was never an independent brewery. In fact, the Blue Moon Brewing Company was invented after the fact, as The Sandlot (which has always been at Coors Field and owned by Coors) originally called the beer Bellyslide Belgian Wheat.

      I try not to make a big deal of who owns the brand; I’ve downplayed it in other articles (Shock Top comes to mind). In the end, if it’s a good beer it shouldn’t matter who makes it.

      For me, the tip of the iceberg was Abita since I’m from Louisiana. I didn’t like beer at all before I started drinking Abita. If I were to recommend a way for someone to start trying craft beer, I would recommend they seek out a local craft brewery and try some of their beers.

      Reply

      • T.J.

        I hear you.

        Speaking of a good witbier, I really enjoyed Abita’s Harvest Wit. It was at my local supermarket & picked it up on impulse (first Abita I’ve had).

        Been at Port Orleans the past couple days & tried the Amber, Turbodog & Purple Haze (enjoyed all but the last). I’ll definitely be trying the Harvest Wit & Amber again.

        Cheers!

        Reply

      • Ken Goyette

        I think Scott pointed out what I wish people would do. If people want to start with Craft Brewery don’t go for a Blue Moon (A Decent beer), but try to stay local. But Obviously coming from New England, where there are about 500 places making beers, and world class beers being made in almost every state, its easy. If you are in some states its tough, but there are always options for something more local than InBev/MillerCoors.

        That being said, the controversy is kind of overblown, and I wish beer geeks would see that. It’s beer, if you like Blue Moon great, drink it and enjoy it. If someone has a problem with that, I say just ignore them.

        Reply

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