If you like Beer, then you certainly should have heard about the famous Hefeweizen German beers. These beers come from small local breweries in Germany using beer hops and wheat as their raw materials.
All the water comes from small fountains, and there are local beer hops used to give extra bitterness. However, the wheat taste of Beer makes it possible for you to enjoy extra foam and a higher ABV compared to other beers.
Blue Moon, on the other hand, is a Belgian beer brewed in local breweries and packed in wooden barrels. It’s the closest Beer to the ancient ones since you have no grains but only wheat that comes from farms close to the breweries.
Let’s see the difference between Hefeweizen and Blue Moon, if there are any. Otherwise, you need to enjoy them both and accept the benefits they offer you all the time.
What is a Hefeweizen Beer?
The taste of Hefeweizen is very similar to the taste of Pilsner, but there is a difference in color. Also, the aroma differs from that of a traditional European Pilsner.
In terms of flavor and aroma, the bitterness profile is much lower than that of a traditional Pilsner. This Beer has a higher hop character with none of the dryness found in many American-made light lagers.
Hefeweizen is based on traditional wheat beer. Alcohol by volume is 5.1% (6–7% abv).
The brewing method is the same as with German Pilsner beers, with a mash temperature of 85–90 °C and a high proportion of hops added to the kettle.
A special yeast strain is used, and chemicals such as sulfur dioxide are added during fermentation.
The name Hefeweizen derives from the use of those chemical ingredients; however, these have been largely replaced by the addition of yeast nutrients during lager brewing processes.”
Do Hefeweizen Beers Taste Like Blue Moon?
If you love Blue Moon, you’re also going to love drinking Hefeweizen. The two beers are very similar overall, although Blue Moon is far more bitter and heavily carbonated.
Blue Moon is a beer made in Belgium using only local wheat and Beer hops to start the fermentation process. However, it does not contain too much alcohol, and that makes a huge difference between the Hefeweizen and the Blue Moon beer.
Why Everyone Wants to Have Hefeweizen Beers?
They are light, refreshing, and lively. The perfect thirst quencher for summer days. They’re a German-style lager beer, pale straw colored with a pronounced fruity aroma and flavor.
They are also known as “Saison” beers, and some people say it’s the best-known German brewed brew on account of its distinct smell and bouquet of citrus fruits such as lemon or grapefruit.
The use of yeast starter contributes to such an aromatic character, which distinguishes Hefeweizen from other beer types (pale ale, particularly wheat beer).
This German-style wheat beer has a fruity wheat flavor and is a bit dry, which makes it perfect for drinking at home. It’s known as a session beer, which means that each glass contains only 4% ABV (alcohol by volume) or less.
Hefeweizens are also unfiltered, so their bubbles come from yeast rather than carbonation. A European-style beer with the refreshingly clean flavors of a wine that are easy on the palate.
What Type of Beer Hops Are Used in Blue Moon Beer?
Blue Moon Brewing Company is one of the largest Belgian-style Abbey breweries in the US, spanning four locations in the Midwest.
Although they produce a variety of traditional Belgian ales (including Belgo-Style Ale and Wit bier), their flagship beer is Blue Moon, made with several Noble Hops varieties.
Lately, we have seen Miller experimenting with Blue Moon production in America. You can use American hops that taste like the Belgian ones, but the result will not be the same as the original Belgian Beer.
As a result, you know that water from Belgian fountains gives another superior taste to Blue Moon that you cannot find in other Hefeweizen beers, especially the ones that are not created in Europe.
Hefeweizen and Blue Moon Are German Wheat Beers?
Wheat beers were first produced in Germany. That happened because wheat was the only grain available in the area for ages.
After the European Famine in the Middle Ages, Belgium was one of the states to adopt wheat farming production since it was cheaper than other grains and malts.
That was when Blue Moon beer first appeared in Belgium when local brewers had constant amounts of wheat to create their beer wort and ferment it in the barrels using the same yeast as Germans.
As a result, both Hefeweizen and Blue Moon are wheat beers with similar characteristics and different personalities.
You need to search deeper to find the differences that lie in the beer hops and water used to produce these beers.
What is the Difference in Alcohol Concentration Between Blue Moon and Hefeweizen?
Both Blue Moon and Hefeweizen contain 5.1% volume of alcohol, but the alcohol level is much higher in Hefeweizen. Hefeweizen has twice as much alcohol as Blue Moon, so a typical Hefeweizen from a typical brewery will be about 7.3% ABV compared to 4.1% ABV for a Blue Moon.
Blue Moon and Hefeweizen are both beers, but they’re not considered to be the same type of Beer. According to the Beer Advocate website, Blue Moon is made with more wheat than barley malt.
The Beer has a color and flavor profile similar to wheat ale or wheat lager, which means it has a golden amber color and a slightly sweet finish like that of wheat bread. Blue Moon’s traditional style is brewed in the Belgian tradition with an array of spices, including coriander, orange peel, and ginger.
Final Words
You can have both beers as they are very close in taste. Wheat makes them have a bready taste.
Blue Moon is a lot scarcer than Hefeweizen since you can only find it in Belgium. Drink responsibly and ensure that you keep both beers chilled for increased joy and satisfaction!
