Well, this is the doing of the beer’s creator, Keith Villa. For a long time, beers, especially Mexican beers, have been garnished with lime. This was the case with Blue Moon when it first hit bars. The point of adding lime into beers is to improve the flavor and aroma of the beer. This technique was a game-changer and still exists today in many bars.
However, Villa was not impressed by the effect of lime on Blue Moon. He felt that lime was not able to improve either the aroma or the beer’s flavor. As a result, he suggested another garnish that’s better than lime for this particular alcoholic drink — oranges!
They were out of place in bars, and Keith would even personally hand oranges to bartenders. While many considered it unnatural, Keith was convinced orange slices would work miracles on the beer, considering it already had a citrus hue. He was spot on! Since then, it has become a tradition to add orange slices and juice to Blue Moon instead of lime.
Having orange in beer is a little weird. But you have to admit that it is weird in a pleasant manner. We can’t read minds. So if you’re wondering how oranges made their way anywhere near a glass of beer in the first place, you already have your answer!