While technically not a craft brewer because they are owned by Miller-Coors, Blue Moon does offer craft beers. I’m not sure whether they are still small-batch beers but they did start that way at their on premise brew pub at the Colorado Rockies ball field.

Blue Moon isn’t a substitute for a great craft beer – I’d choose a Dogfish Head, Avery or Bell’s over Blue Moon any day, but if you’re interested in introducing an American-style Light beer drinker to better beer then Blue Moon is a good option.

I recently grabbed the 12-pack Winter Sampler for my family Christmas party. My family consists of people with varied beer palates, from mild to wild. A few think that Miller Lite is the pinnacle of beer but others think only a Belgian Quad is worthy of holiday cheer. I thought that the Blue Moon sampler would be a nice middle of the road choice for all.

The Blue Moon Winter Sampler consists of 4 beers of each of 3 styles: Blue Moon Belgian White, Pale Moon Belgian-Style Pale Ale, and Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale. All three of the beers are fairly mild at 5.6 to 5.7 ABV. Blue Moon offers sampler packs throughout the year, with 8 beers in it being constant: Blue Moon and Pale Moon, the third beer changes depending on the season.

Blue Moon Belgian White: the “normal” version of the brand. This is the one you’ll see served with an orange slice in most bars and restaurants. They call it a Belgian-style wheat beer. It’s pretty good and I haven’t found too many White Ales that I like much better. Like most wheat beers it is a good summer beer.

Pale Moon Belgian-Style Pale Ale: this was the first time I had tried this one. It had a fairly strong unmistakable Cascade hop aroma, but not as much hop flavor as the aroma lead me to believe. Despite that it was fairly well-balanced. It was pleasant, but fell short of what I think of when I hear the term “Pale Ale”, especially in craft beer circles. I would drink another if someone offered me one, if I found it on sale, or if I was buying it for a cookout, but I wouldn’t pay premium prices for it. But it was different from most pale ales you’ve ever tried and I’d recomm

Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale: this was my favorite of the bunch by far. It was rich, a little spicy, and frankly seemed perfect for a Christmas Eve get-together. I have never had a true Belgian Abbey Ale, though I’ve drank a couple of Belgian Dubbels and Trippels in the past, so I imagine this beer might fall a little short of other beers in the style. But I thoroughly enjoyed the two that I drank and I’m thinking about tracking down more.

Review Submitted By: Dan Hounshell