Blue Moon, exposed

Eric Koeppel |

Blue Moon, you saw me eating a cone.
Blue Moon, you saw me eating a cone.

Any Wisconsinite will tell you that Blue Moon ice cream is a staple in the world of frozen dairy treats (and kinda tastes like Froot Loops). But where does it come from? And how is it made? Ice cream scholars have spent decades searching for answers, but this intriguing article on WhooNEW shares some interesting theories on the mysterious flavor’s origins.

A less likely theory claims that the flavor was created at Sherman’s Dairy Products in Michigan, but us Wisconsinites know that’s not true. A more likely theory is that it was created by an Australian flavor-genius in Milwaukee named Bill “Doc” Sidon. However, both theories have their holes.

The article also provides a list of possible flavors that make up Blue Moon and discusses an ingredient called “castoreum.” A common food additive used for flavoring, castoreum is apparently secreted by beavers’ butts when the furry critters mark their territories. If this is the case, I guess I could see why they would want to keep the ingredient a secret.

Even more interesting, however, is the fact that out of all of the online recipes intended to replicate the Blue Moon flavor, one anonymous recipe on Food.com by a first-time poster has apparently nailed it. Could this be the true Blue Moon recipe leaked by some sort of Slugworth-like ice cream factory spy, or even by the original flavor-maker her/himself? WhooKNOWS.