Blue Moon Caramel Apple Spiced Ale - Coors Brewing Company

Jadjunk

Georgia

2.93/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Part of the Autumn Variety Pack Release. "This copper-colored ale is crafted with caramel malts, cinnamon, and fresh apple juice to stir up the tastes of fall."

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a pint glass. Served in the mid 40ºs Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a copper cream white head, crisp creamy consistency and average retention over a maple orange body, mildly hazy with plenty of carbonation. Not a terrible head quality and the color shows some substance. 3.5

(Smell) Aroma is sweet caramel and bready malts overshadowed with a cinnamon applesauce complete with a faint green apple tartness. Pretty enjoyable if not all too predictable aroma as per the label. None of the aromas are unpleasing although the cinnamon apple aromatics easily overshadow the malt bill, leaning this beer towards a spiced cider at points. 3

(Taste) Quite heavy throughout on the cinnamon flavor, perhaps even more than the apple characteristics, which lie slightly underneath. Malt bill is not easy to determine based on the overall potency of the cinnamon apple profile. Strikingly dry finish which steals away the drinkability significantly. 3

(Mouthfeel) Dry, thin and somewhat tart. Not too clean based on the cinnamon character. Body is medium for the style and light/medium overall. Dryness should be turned up with an enhanced malt bill or a balance should be achieved by reducing the apples and cinnamon. 3

(Overall) Not the easiest beer to drink, the cinnamon and apple dominate the aroma, flavor and even mouthfeel of this beer, resulting in a dry, spiced boozy drink. There's lots of work to be done on this beer to balance out the caramel and apple flavors, because both are too dominant in this beer and reduce drinkability. I couldn't have more than one of these at a time, as my palate is nearly wrecked. In short, it's not for everyone and it isn't likely to be perceived to all as a beer due to the cinnamon and apple. 3

Coors Brewing Company's
Blue Moon Caramel Apple Spiced Ale
2.93/5.00

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 03:57:29 | More by Jadjunk

nukem5

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a rich dark color with a thick layer of tan foam on top. No lacing at all but really thick and creamy looking

S: Aroma is of malts apples cinnamon, great blend of smells and slightly like a candied apple.

T: Taste is a nice balance of flavors Cinnamon then apples and fading to malts.

M: Body is medium with a silky thick almost syrupy feel to it.

O: Overall a good beer for fall by the bonfire just chilling with friends or whatever. Great value for the low price really amazed this is a Coors product.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 02:29:34 | More by nukem5

vickersspitfire

Texas

3.05/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass, this beer is as clear as the evening sky on a quiet and warm summer night, its slightly disturbed by mild carbonation racing to the top, only to be hidden among the many densely packed bubbles forming the thick off white head. The aroma is rather light, but traces of brown sugar, raisin, pumpkin, caramel and a few spices do come through clearly. The taste is decent, some apple and cinnamon come through, a bit of alcohol can be tasted as it hits the back of your throat, and there’s plenty of sweetness I this beer, not as sweet as a Lambic, but it is there. Not a bad beer over all, I would mind having this a few more times.

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 04:09:24 | More by vickersspitfire

rfgetz

New Jersey

2.9/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear amber, little no no head. Nose has faint spices along with moderately sweet caramel malts. Taste brings the note of faint spice and faint apple juice with sweet caramel malts. Lighter side of medium bodied, lacking in carbonation. Lifeless beer that could benefit from a bigger dose of EVERYTHING. Noting horribley off putting, just bland.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 17:41:30 | More by rfgetz

Murrhey

Montana

1.85/5  rDev -39.7%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Reviewed live.

A- Absolutely no head. That's a big no-no. Auburn color with very high clarity. Unappealing.

S- Nutmeg, cinnamon, molasses, coriander, pumpkin pie, warm and spicy.

T- A whole lot of water. Spiced cider. Really may have waited too long on this bottle. Ick.

M- Water with the tiniest bit of carbonation.

O- I must admit I probably waited to long to review this bottle. It did NOT hold up well. I would like to review it fresher.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 05:00:23 | More by Murrhey

Kooz

New York

3.35/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Copper colored with some foamy white head that leaves a sticky lacing.

Smells like cinnamon, but not caramel or apple. I fear this wont be balanced well, but we shall see.

A brief bitter bite recedes into a strong cinnamon flavor with hints of caramel behind it. Aftertaste is apple and cinnamon; by this point the cinnamon tastes powdered--almost, but not quite, gritty.

Fll-bodied with good mouthfeel. There's no bite and it foams up nicely. There's a nice warmth in the aftertaste too.

I like this beer and would hope that it becomes a regular seasonal. Nice offering from Coors.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 01:43:08 | More by Kooz

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.2/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a crystal clear medium copper in color with moderate to heavy amounts of visible carbonation and some golden hints when held up to the light. The beer has a finger tall dense off-white head that slowly reduces to a medium patch of thin film with the majority of the surface of the beer covered by a very thin film and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: The aroma of this beer is sweet with some moderate notes of caramel malts with some light fruit (apple) and spices (nutmeg really stands out).

T: Upfront there are strong flavors of caramel malts with some light sweetness and some light fruits (apple) as well. There are lots of spice notes - nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger.Very light amounts of bitterness in the finish but it fades quickly.

M: Slightly less than medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Smooth.

O: A little too sweet for my palate but still enjoyable - they achieve what they advertised, there is a definite subtle hint of caramel apples and spices. Easy to drink and was a hit with several of my NYC area evacuees (and hosts).

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 21:47:48 | More by dbrauneis

garymuchow

Minnesota

3.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Aroma is mostly a nutmeg spice. It's not too strong or overpowering but it masks whatever might lie underneath
Brilliantly clear autumn amber. Tan fizzy head that settles out in relatively short order.
The finish is rather watery. A soft spice (nutmeg) again, start to finish. Not much caramel to speak of - it's definitely in the back ground. Soft and comfortable feel enhanced by a soft carbonation. Sweetness lies more in a light fruit (- the apple maybe?).
Inoffensive and simple and easy to drink. Nothing I'd seek out. Has an autumn feel.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 01:10:39 | More by garymuchow

mckenziac

3/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a Samuel Adams Boston Lager glass. Taken from a Blue Moon seasonal variety pack.

Appearance: Pours a translucent, light brown color. Has a small, foamy head that dissipates quickly leaving little lacing.

Smell: Smells strongly of fall spice, especially cinnamon. Has a hint of raw apple smell to it as well.

Taste: Starts with a medium hoppiness and a lot of cinammon spice. Finishes spicy with caramel malts and a hint of that same raw apple.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, but a little lacking in body.

Overall: A pretty standard spiced beer. Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to it's pretty intriguing and promising name. The cinnamon so overpowers any apple flavor that you really would have a hard time telling this apart from any other seasonal spiced beer. Still, kudos to Blue Moon/Coors for taking a stab at it.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 03:25:11 | More by mckenziac

DrinkingDuck

3.55/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance- A clear reddish-brown color with an off white head of about 1 inch. Light visual effervescence.

Smell- Caramel and Cinnamon immediately noticeable with apple and hints of yeast secondary, all lingering throughout, even after the finish.

Taste- Caramel, spice, and malt initially presenting with light apple taste presenting immediately after, blending together on the taste buds to create the Caramel Apple taste as stated in the name.

Mouthfeel- Light Body, with medium carbonation. Almost no alcohol warmth contributing.

Overall- A decent attempt on a liquid version of the seasonal Caramel Apple favorite with cinnamon and nutmeg added in the mix.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2012 16:44:01 | More by DrinkingDuck

Pegasus

Texas

3/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Clear deep amber gold with a large white head which slowly fades., thin glass-coating lace, and faint carbonation.

Aroma: Very sweet and spicy, reminiscent of pumpkin pie, with cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and caramel. I am not able to detect any apple notes in the aroma.

Taste: Opens with a flourish of caramel and spices, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and a backbone of caramel. As the taste progresses, the spices seem to gain a slight punch. Towards the close, there is a little mild herbal bitterness. Finishes with spicy flavors and a faint metallic note.

Mouth feel: Smooth, soft, and pleasant.

Drinkability/notes: Its not in the same class as Dogfish Head, or any other craft brewer of the first rank, but its not bad. Given a choice between this and a macro lager, Blue Moon Caramel Apple Spiced Ale wins hands down.

Presentation: Packaged in a twelve-ounce brown glass longnck bottle with a twist-off crown, served in a Chimay chalice.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 15:43:43 | More by Pegasus

TempeBeerMan

Arizona

2.88/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a nonic pint.

A - Pours a crystal clear reddish brown with a sad little half-finger head which dissipated quickly. A hint of lacing. By the time the glass was half finished, there was not even a hint of head left.

S - Wow, is this one faint smelling beer. Getting a hint of green apple, and barely anything else, even when swirling the glass. Strange.

T - Caramel Apple sounds like an amazing idea for a beer. Only one problem, instead of "caramel apple" getting "red ale with a touch of cider". What you have here is a very generic red with a little fruitiness and a little cinnamon. Caramel malts, yes. Caramel flavored? No. Dissapointing. No real presence of other spices either.

M - Light bodied, medium carbonated, and just a little syrupy. Kind of coats the tongue.

O - Bland, boring, and mislabled. Seems just hastily or lazily put together. A misfire.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 05:21:38 | More by TempeBeerMan

TGZ32

Michigan

2.78/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours a dark copper brown

S: Smells like spices and you can smell the apple and carmel up front

T: Taste isnt so impressive, very 'bland-like' taste lacking the BAM! sweetness effect I think most were expecting when they read the title of the beer.

M: Average all around, not very impressive

O: Meh, this beer is a letdown to me, should be more sweet and apple-y ! Carmel apple?? come on!

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 00:08:53 | More by TGZ32

frankiepop

Pennsylvania

2.48/5  rDev -19.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

i really enjoy Blue Moon and their Pumpkin Harvest beer, but this Caramel Apple does not make it with me. Nice look, caramel apple scents, and all the notes were there. I even had a nice caramel aftertaste. But the beer lacked the necessary sweetness to satisfy me. So two big thumbs down from me here.

The beer goes well with some shitty new age music from Windham Hill Records

Serving type: bottle

09-08-2012 02:30:34 | More by frankiepop

puboflyons

New Hampshire

3.63/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle marked DEC2412-E051011453. Sampled on September 1, 2012.

The pour is a handsome looking reddish-brown with a long-lasting cream-colored soft head. Decent clarity.

The short description of the aroma is sweet but in more detail there are notes of baked apples, caramel malts, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and molasses.

The body is medium and smooth.

The taste and the aroma have much in common with sweet caramel malts, apple, spices, and a lower bitterness that lingers for a moment and then fades off. Altogether this is a decent offering from Blue Moon.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 19:59:23 | More by puboflyons

tjsdomer2

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev +22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Looks to me like apple cider. A bit of foam, not much carbonation.

Smell: Faint fruity hops with some caramel. It does smell like vaguely like a caramel apple.

Taste/Mouthfeel: You know what, I actually like this. Good flavor balances overall, especially since this mixture could have been a cloying mess. Theres initially a nice apple crispness and bite with some honey or caramel in the background. It's definitely beer.

Overall: Coors did a good job with this. Definitely a winner as far as novelty beers are concerned.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2012 02:33:22 | More by tjsdomer2

chrisjduncan

Virginia

3.08/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a beaitiful deep red with about an inch of head. Heavy aroma of apple and spice. Caramel is suspiciously absent in both aroma and taste, though I assume its being used more as a thickening agent, making it more beer than cider (which it succeeds in) and much smoother. Very fruity but not overpowering, though the aftertaste is a pleasant apple spice on the back of the pallete. Large gulps reveal more body, but this is really more of a sipping beer, and at that its very appley. Nice alternative to Pumpkin Ales of the season, though why one should want an alternative to Pumpkin Ales is beyond me. All in all, a very nice beer though I am not sure I would choose it OVER the Blue Moon Pumpkin which this year is fantastic.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 03:43:24 | More by chrisjduncan

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz.

Pours a deep, clear reddish orange with an orangish quarter inch head, fine, which dissipates to a lacing and remains there indefinitely.

Smells of caramel, cloves, cinnamon and a light vegetable bitterness.

Tastes of dry malt and light hints of clove, nutmeg and cinnamon. Vegetable bitterness in the aftertaste. Very late in the aftertaste there is finally a hint of something like caramel sweetness.

Medium to light body with light effervescence on the roof of the mouth.

Average but not great spiced ale. Despite the caramel and apples in the name, neither is really present. The spices come through nicely though. The biggest problem is the flavor which is just a little bland. I expected this beer to be too sweet but it could actually stand to be a little sweeter. Overall, not a terrible beer, kind of interesting I guess, and something I will surely finish off, but Coors needs to work a little harder if they want to compete with the micros.

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 01:30:52 | More by Cylinsier

SometimesIfart

Michigan

3.43/5  rDev +11.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Pours ruby red with half a finger worth of head. Leaving no lacing. Smells of fresh baked apple pie crust, With some pumpkin thrown into the mix. Is this an apple pie in a bottle? Tastes like apple pie crust with a huge hit of cinnamon. Would be wonderful if it weren't for the MASSIVE sweetness that hits during the swallowing. The mouthfeel is of strong cinnamon, And an absolutely choking sweetness. Overall, this beer is just too damn sweet. Seriously, TONE IT DOWN. The flavors were pretty good though.

Serving type: bottle

08-10-2012 19:28:39 | More by SometimesIfart

shand

Florida

3.15/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a Sam Adams perfect pint.

My roommate brought home a Blue Moon Autumn sampler pack, and I couldn't help but try this one. It pours out a red-copper color with a tiny head. The aroma is heavily spiced, it smells like a generic pumpkin beer. The taste is, again, mostly spices. Cinnamon and nutmeg. There's a bit of clarity in the middle, with a fairly clean finish. The mouthfeel is light and highly carbonated, and the drinkability is good. Pretty uninspiring stuff. It's basically just a different spin on a pumpkin beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2012 01:47:40 | More by shand

TheSixthRing

California

3.1/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance - Pours ruby amber with an off-white finger width head. Decent retention. Results in a consistent, sticky lace.

Smell - Smells slightly medicinal or sugary soda like, with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. This smells almost dead on to the Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin ale.

Taste - Starts with a sugary sweetness, with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg hitting around midtaste. Subtle hints of apple. Underlying pie crust malt character from start to finish.

Mouthfeel - Light to medium body. Somewhat smooth. A tad undercarbonated for my liking.

Overall - They were going for a caramel apple flavor, and I'd say they missed their target. It tastes more akin to that last bit of apple pie crust that's left in the tin, with just a bit of the filling left on the piece. It gives you hints of just how delicious that pie was, but it leaves your craving completely and utterly unsatisfied.

Serving type: bottle

08-06-2012 02:52:13 | More by TheSixthRing

prodigo

Massachusetts

1.15/5  rDev -62.5%
look: 3 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1

Coming from a long time Blue Moon fan, this beer is probably the most disappointing thing I've experienced since the last Indiana Jones film. Saying this beer has a caramel taste is bold faced false advertising. You know when a beer is bad when you find yourself cringing on the approach of the bottle to your mouth. To me, this beer falls into the category that things like Steel Reserve live in. It's completely unacceptable. When I asked my friends to give me their thoughts on the beer, the FIRST words out of my friend's mouth were "Alien Feces". I capitalize this because it was so profound. I've seen this man tell me his girlfriend has cancer, and his eyes weren't filled with nearly that amount of conviction. This man was so stoic in the way he told me this, that the hairs on my arms stood up.

In closure, this beer is absolutely an embarrassment.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2012 22:13:41 | More by prodigo

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev +14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served in a Bruery snifter.

I wasn't sure whether to list this as a fruit beer, a spiced beer, or something else, so if anyone wants to change the style, feel free. Either way, I've been looking forward to trying this stuff since it was put out as a test batch a while back. It pours a clear amber-garnet topped by a finger or so of tenuous dirty-beige foam. The nose comprises cinnamon, caramel, and, way in the back, some light green apple flesh. Yeah, I could see that being spiced caramel apple. The taste focuses on the caramel and cinnamon, adding here and there some light clove notes. There's a vague sense of what may or may not be apple in there as well, but it may just be wishful thinking based on the label. Regardless, there's definitely some sort of fruitiness in there. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a seemingly grainy feel (it's really not grainy, but it seems as though some ground cinnamon is floating about in suspension...seriously...). Overall, this may not completely live up to the billing, but it does deliver on the spice, and, in that regard, it ain't half bad. I'd have another...

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2012 01:43:53 | More by TMoney2591