F10-01-01-14: Blauer Mond

Label inspiration: it has to be a blue moon, right?

I like Blue Moon and I figured I'd try a Mr. Beer recipe that might come close to it. This is one of Mr. Beer's most popular and praised recipes, but for some reason the company discontinued it.

Mr. Beer’s Witty Monk recipe (discontinued)

REFILL INCLUDES:
2 Cans Witty Monk Witbier HME
2 Packets Dry Brewing Yeast (under lid of HMEs)
1 Packet No-Rinse Cleanser

My additions:

½ pack of Mr. Beer's Booster

¾ C of pure honey (Target brand)

ABV: 6.1%(4.7% plus the Booster and honey additions)

Brewed the beer on August 25, 2013. I really worked on the sanitation process this time, especially since I had been having trouble with my batches of late. I even used Craft Meister oxygen brewery wash in the fermenter before using the one-step cleaner. Maybe that will help. 

I checked the Mr. Beer fan blog and it looks like a lot of people stick to a 2.5 week fermenting rule with this beer...

UPDATE: I had my AC on 72 but after a few days I noticed that the fermenter temp was 75, so I lowered the AC a degree or two and it’s been 74-75 for a few days now (a week later). I really don't like spending a gazillion dollars on AC just for better beer. In the past, I have used a new/not used litter pan, sat the LBK in that and added icepacks around it and switched them out every day. That worked for one of my favorite and better-tasting beers (Sweet*Spring), but I didn't try it with this one.

Bottled on September 10, 2013. I just used normal sugar for this second fermentation/priming. I used a teaspoon and the Mr. Beer funnel, but I don’t think it was as accurate as I wanted it to be…AND is was very messy. I put the bottles in the box and set them aside for a while.

NOTE: I soaked the bottles in Craft Meister for 24 hours or so, rinsed them, and then put them in the oven for a few hours to sterilize them. My oven was pretty dirty and, quite frankly, I may have left the bottles in too long. 

Placed bottles in fridge on September 26, 2013. Let the conditioning begin!

Tasted a bottle on September 28, 2013. I was too excited to let them rest so I tried one. It had a slightly orange-y, wheat-y Blue Moon-y taste to it but it was a little sweet. Guess I should've really paid more attention to the flavor when I tasted it prior to bottling. I won't toss it out yet.

October 19, 2013- Tasted a few more in September and still kept them in the refrigerator...until today. Even though the sweet flavor has settled a bit, I'm still not satisfied. Definitely disappointed. 

OVERALL SCORE: 2 out of 10. Could have been the temperature again, maybe I didn't let it ferment longer...who knows.