For the first time ever, the Aldi people actually talked this one up to me. Sorta. Here’s more…

No lion (see what I did there?), Kinroo Blue Belgian White Ale from Aldi is supposed to be just like Blue Moon. The namesake beer and the one that launched a rather successful brewery, Blue Moon is known for being the one you put an orange in when you serve it, I guess. Blue Moon is a Belgian White Ale. Belgium used to own a good chunk of Africa; Kinrooi is a place in Belgium; the imagery on the front of the box and bottle are rather Safari-esque; I have explained my joke with no less than three semi-colons.

Enough. To the review.

Kinroo Blue Belgian White Ale Review

I mentioned above that they talked this up at Aldi. Yup, I was at the checkout and, while the beer was being scanned, the Aldi person actually said “that’s our answer to Blue Moon.” So I don’t think they’re trying to hide that fact. The similarities are pretty obvious, no? Orange peel. Coriander. The word “Blue.” Belgian. (Except this one is actually imported from Belgium. Score one for Dave’s lineage!)

Taste

What’s crazy about this? Easiest thing to do is to share my notes from the Facebook page from a couple weeks ago. (Along with a friendly reminder that you should totally become a fan of Metasip on Facebook.)

Gee, I pretty much wrote the whole review, right?

A couple footnotes to that Facebook post: I’m not kidding, any sort of white ale gives me a headache. Blue Moon is notorious for doing so.  But I enjoy it and I’ll go out on a limb and say I have an above-average “palate memory.” It’s a knock-off and that’s okay.

Profile

HOWEVER…I’m a little off when it comes to the ABV comparison – this one has a little less alcohol than Blue Moon. Kinroo Blue is 5% ABV, so you could technically drink more in a sitting than Blue Moon, whose 5.4% could be enough to knock you over the edge. (Maybe THAT’S the reason for my headaches?)

FYI, on the Untappd site, which we like, there are some reviews of Kinroo Blue, which is, indeed, brewed in Belgium by Brouwerij Martens in Bocholt, Belgium.

Value

See above – $6.99 for a six-pack. Works for me.

Metasip Grade: B+

Probably because Blue Moon is enjoyable – but not outstanding. And this beer is enjoyable and a better value than Blue Moon, and, if a shade more than a buck a beer is your speed for a Blue Moon, this is about right. Way above average, but not worthy of an “A” rating.

As always, let us know if you disagree.