Off The Shelf

So there I was, walking down the aisle in the local Ralphs (a truly classy establishment, if you haven't been), looking for something new to try. Looking festive and Spring like (as in the season), I went ahead and picked up the not-on-sale Blue Moon Rising Moon Spring Ale. (Warning: Their website, though attractive, is full of troublesome and slow Adobe Flash.)

My advice is don't do it unless you're a die hard Hefe fan who likes your wheat beer malty. It's not a bad brew, and certainly more drinkable than any domestic fare I've sampled, but it just seems to be shy of the mark. You see, I was expecting something refreshing from a beer that calls itself a "Spring Ale", and the ingredients on the bottle gave the impression that it would be refreshing. "Kieffer lime leaves and lime peel for a smooth, balanced taste," it says, wrapped around the neck. You'd think I'd know better by now. The Germans had "purity laws" for a reason.

Rising Moon is not balanced. It's extraordinarily malty. In fact, almost like a cross between malt liquor and wheat beer. The hops are either uniquely malty themselves, or virtually non-existent, and it just makes this a someone boring, slightly sweet beer. The most interesting thing about it is the finish, where most of that lime leaf and peel flavor seems to settle. It's pleasant enough, and admittedly may have been a bit overpowering had it been the character of the whole bottle, but at least it would have had some character.

I like Blue Moon for their simple, pleasant, slightly sweet Belgian White Hefeweizen, but I'm afraid the Rising Moon Spring Ale fails to deliver anything exciting for the approaching season. Maybe it says something that this brew is affliliated with a certain American Superbrewery that also deals in such horrors as Zima. Try something else if you really want to ring in the Spring.

Beer's Best Friend
-Colin