Blue Moon Belgian White
Denver, Colorado
Unfiltered wheat ale spiced with orange peel and coriander, 5.4% ABV. Retail labels list 168 calories, 14g of carbohydrate and 1.9g of protein per 12oz.
- Ingredients / botanicals
- water, barley malt, wheat, oats, hop extract, orange peel, coriander, ale yeast
- Congeners
- Moderate
- Histamines
- High
- Polyphenols
- Moderate
- Sulfites
- Low
- Tannins
- Low
- Sugar
- Moderate
- Additives
- Low
- Calories
- 162
- Carbs
- 14g
15.1g ethanol at 5.4% ABV. 106 from alcohol, 56 from carbohydrate.
In its favor
- ✓Familiar, approachable witbier
- ✓Lower hop load than an IPA
What to watch
- !Wheat and barley both contribute gluten
- !Unfiltered, so more yeast and protein remain
- !168 calories is high for a mainstream beer
Factor by factor
Congeners Moderate ▾
Byproducts of fermentation (methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols). Strongly linked to hangover severity; darker, less-distilled spirits carry more.
Histamines High ▾
Produced by bacteria during fermentation/aging. Trigger flushing, headaches, congestion in sensitive drinkers. High in red wine, beer, aged spirits.
Polyphenols Moderate ▾
Plant compounds with antioxidant activity. Slightly protective at low doses but at high concentrations may worsen hangover via tannin/quercetin reactions.
Sulfites Low ▾
Preservatives (SO₂) added to wine and some beers. Common trigger of headaches, asthma, and allergic-type reactions.
Tannins Low ▾
Astringent polyphenols from skins, seeds, barrels. Bind proteins, slow alcohol clearance, and aggravate dehydration-style symptoms.
Sugar Moderate ▾
Residual sugar amplifies hangover via blood-sugar swings and dehydration. Liqueurs and cocktails are the main offenders.
Additives Low ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
Blue Moon is a warm-fermented wheat ale, so it carries more of the ale-yeast chemistry than the lagers on this site, though it is less extreme than a classic hefeweizen. Retail labels list 168 calories and 14g of carbohydrate per 12oz at 5.4% alcohol, and the site’s formula (ethanol plus 14g) gives about 166.
That makes it one of the highest-calorie mainstream beers here, about 70 calories more than Miller Lite. The brewer does not state sugar on the label, so only the text figures are given.
Blue Moon Belgian White questions
How many calories are in a bottle of Blue Moon Belgian White? ▾
About 162 calories in a 12oz bottle at 5.4% ABV. 106 come from the alcohol and 56 from carbohydrate.
How many carbs are in Blue Moon Belgian White? ▾
14g of carbohydrate per 12oz bottle. The producer does not publish a sugar figure, and in beer most of that carbohydrate is unfermented starch and dextrins rather than sugar.
Is Blue Moon Belgian White gluten-free? ▾
No. Blue Moon Belgian White is brewed from wheat and barley and never distilled, so the gluten stays in the glass. It is not safe for coeliacs; look for a beer brewed from sorghum, rice or millet instead.
Does Blue Moon Belgian White give you a bad hangover? ▾
Blue Moon Belgian White scores 6/10 on the SpiritFacts Hangover Index, against 6/10 for beer overall. The main drivers are its histamines.