Blue Moon Released an Iced Coffee Blonde Beer

Some major players in both beer and coffee have, at one point, ventured into the spiked coffee space, including Pabst Blue Ribbon and La Colombe. Another big name — the MillerCoors-owned Blue Moon Brewing Company — joined the trend when they released their Blue Moon Iced Coffee Blonde beer in 2019, making them the largest brand to bring a pale coffee beer nationwide at the time. 

The Blue Moon Iced Coffee Blonde was first sold in the Blue Moon variety “Share Packs” before being available in six-packs. Billed as “a well-balanced blonde wheat ale with a touch of honey, brewed with fair-trade coffee beans that gives it a great coffee flavor and aroma,” the Iced Coffee Blonde was one of the top varieties when it was sold at the brewery’s taproom in Denver. Blue Moon worked with Denver-based Luna Roasters on the beer. Interestingly, they opted to use decaf beans, meaning unlike many other coffee beers (and hard coffees, especially), Iced Coffee Blonde didn’t provide any caffeine kick.

Although pale coffee beers have grown in popularity, traditionally, coffee tends to be used in dark beers like stouts and porters since both beverages have similar notes of chocolate and roasted bitterness. But Blue Moon is known for its wheat brews, so the brand accepted the challenge.

“Our Brewmaster John Legnard was inspired by the flavors of iced coffee but still wanted to create something uniquely Blue Moon to stand apart from the darker and heavier beers that are traditionally associated with coffee beers,” Bryan Ferschinger, vice president of Above Premium Brands for MillerCoors, told Food & Wine. “It was important for us to brew a coffee beer with a twist like our other Blue Moon brews. Our Blue Moon Iced Coffee Blonde is made with Mandarina Bavaria hops and has a golden straw appearance with bright coffee flavor and aroma for a balanced taste and clean finish. It is bright with a twist of flavor that anyone can enjoy.”

Ferschinger explained that it seemed like the right time to strike, as ready-to-drink coffee had seen double-digit growth over the five years preceding the release of their Iced Coffee Blonde, and coffee flavor was “inspiring products across many different categories from ice cream to granola.” While Blue Moon Iced Coffee Blonde doesn’t have the caffeine content of a hard coffee like La Colombe Hard Cold Brew Coffee — also a MillerCoors product — it still offered rich coffee flavor in an alcoholic beverage.