Blue Moon Grand Cru

As I said before, I'm partial to Belgian styles, so when I saw that Blue Moon had put out a grand cru, I was interested in trying it, especially since I like their regular label quite a bit.  Grand cru is more of an umbrella term than a specific style, but the grand crus that I've come across so far have all fallen into the high-abv Belgian wheat category, including the two batches of cru that I brewed myself.

The Blue Moon Grand Cru came in a larger bottle, so my husband and I each got a nice tall glass out of it, and there was a significant amount of yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle, so my guess is this beer would've been a good one to tuck away in the cellar for a couple years.

If you've ever had the regular Blue Moon Belgian wheat ale before, this is basically the same brew, but more intense.  It's a beautiful golden-orange color with a half-inch, well-retained head.  There's a fairly high level of carbonation that keeps the head going, but such a high level of carbonation seems more fit for a soda than for a beer, so it detracted from my enjoyment a bit.  When it did eventually settle, it left little to no lacing on the glass.  8/10 for appearance

The aroma is very pleasing but subdued.  Most of what you smell is a solid wheat base, with notes of orange and a slight hint of coriander (if I didn't know what coriander smelled like from making cru in the past, I wouldn't have been able to pick it out, since it is a very faint hint).  There's also a very mild hint of banana from the yeast.  23/30 for aroma

The taste is less than I expected it to be, to be honest.  Based on the packaging, appearance, and aroma, I expected this to have a richer, fuller, more complex taste than it actually has.  The upfront taste is more bitter and dry, and there's little aftertaste.  The wheat body of the beer does come through nicely, as does the orange, but it is very difficult to detect the coriander or any of the yeast characteristics, partly due to the high levels of carbonation stinging the tongue.  In my opinion, the beer tasted a little young, like the flavors hadn't had a chance to mellow and blend well.  I think Blue Moon should have sat on it a bit longer before shipping it out for sale, or there should have been some flavor text on the label saying, "For best taste, allow bottle to age 6-12 months before enjoying."  Something like that, anyway, cause it had not had enough maturation time.  30/40 for taste

As I said above, it was over-carbonated from the bottle, giving it a sharp, dry mouthfeel that detracted from the beer and prevented the yeast profile from coming through.  On the plus side, there was a nice alcohol-warmth left behind with the aftertaste, and I'd expect that from an 8.2% abv beer.  6/10 for mouthfeel

If someone were to buy this beer for me, I'd absolutely drink it again, but for the money it cost and the mildly disappointing taste and mouthfeel, it simply isn't worth it.  I'd much rather enjoy the regular Blue Moon, which is just a better beer for the price than the BMGC.  7/10 for drinkability.

At 74/100, I wouldn't say that this is a "must try" beer, not by a long shot.  It's an enjoyable beer, but it doesn't merit the fancier bottle or the heftier price tag.  There are plenty of other grand crus that pack more flavor and more complexity for about the same price.

Cheers!