Everything about Malt Liquor totally explained
Malt liquor is a North American term referring to a type of
beer with high
alcohol content. Malt liquor is distinguished from other beers of high alcohol content in that the brewing process is seen by many as targeting high alcohol content and economy rather than quality. However, this label is subject to the viewpoint of the brewer, as there are indeed examples of brews containing high-quality, expensive ingredients that brewers have chosen to label as "malt liquors" as well. In the
UK, similarly-made beverages are dubbed
super-strength lager.
Manufacture
Malt liquor is a strong
lager, and often
sugar,
corn or other adjuncts are added to the
malt to boost the beverage's alcoholic strength. These beers tend to be mildly
hopped (that is, they're not very
bitter).
Brewing and legal definitions
Malt liquor is typically straw to pale amber in color. While typical beer and malt liquor are both made primarily from barley, water, and hops, malt liquors tend to make much greater use of cheap adjuncts such as
corn,
rice, or
dextrose. Use of these adjuncts, along with the addition of special
enzymes, results in a higher percentage of alcohol than that which is typical for beer. Higher alcohol versions, sometimes called "High Gravity" or just "HG", tend to have the addition of
fusel alcohol, which gives off solvent or fuel like aromas and flavors.
The apparently confusing and inconsistent use of the term 'malt liquor' has to do with the vagaries of American
alcoholic beverage regulations, which can vary from
state to state. In some states, "malt liquor" refers to any alcoholic beverage made by fermenting
grain and water; in these states a
non-alcoholic beer may also be called a non-alcoholic or non-intoxicating malt liquor. In some states, products labeled 'beer' must fall below a certain alcohol content, and beers that exceed the mark must be labeled as 'malt liquor'. While ordinary beers in the United States average around 5% alcohol by volume, malt liquors typically range from 6% up to 9% alcohol by volume. A typical legal definition is
Colorado's Rev. Stat. ss. 12-47-103(19), which provides that:
» "Malt Liquors" includes beer and shall be construed to mean any beverage obtained by the alcoholic fermentation of any infusion or decoction of barley, malt, hops or any other similar products, or any combination thereof, in water containing more than three and two-tenths percent of alcohol by weight.
» (Note: alcohol percentages measured by weight translate into larger figures when re-expressed as alcohol percentages by volume, because ethanol is less dense than water.)
History
While
Colt 45,
St. Ides, and
Olde English 800 are most closely associated with malt liquors in the United States, the beverage itself is older than these products.
Clix is often credited as the first malt liquor made in the United States, granted a
patent in
1948. The first widely successful malt liquor in America was Country Club, which was first produced in the early 1950s by the M.K. Goetz Brewing Company, and marketed toward middle-class
whites.
Today though, malt liquors are marketed to an entirely different segment, resulting in a
stereotyping of the typical consumer. According to a study by
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in
California, malt liquor is the
alcohol of choice of the
homeless,
college students, and
unemployed. Moreover, in the
United States, a disproportionate number of
African Americans consume malt liquor. While approximately 13% of the United States population is black, studies have shown that approximately 28% of malt liquor is consumed by African Americans. Beginning in the
1980s, many brands of malt liquor began to aggressively target this market and used popular actors (like
Billy Dee Williams) or
rappers in their advertisements;
Ice Cube, for instance, appeared in radio advertisements for
St. Ides. Some rappers vigorously opposed this trend, feeling that malt liquor manufacturers were exploiting the African American community. For example,
Chuck D, of the group
Public Enemy, took a very strong anti-malt liquor stance and once sued St. Ides over an advertisement that sampled his voice without permission.
Forties (40s)
In the American vernacular, a
forty-ounce or simply
forty, is a
glass bottle that holds 40
fluid ounces (1.18
liters) of malt liquor or beer. Malt liquors are commonly sold in 40 oz (1.18
liter) bottles, as opposed to the standard twelve ounce (355 mL) bottle that contains a single serving of beer. American domestic "malt liquors" tend to be very inexpensive, although this isn't necessarily true for foreign imports that are also labeled "malt liquor."
Examples of malt liquors sold in forty ounce bottles include
Colt 45,
Olde English 800,
Mickey's,
Private Stock,
St. Ides,
Steel Reserve 211,
King Cobra, and
Hurricane.
Dogfish Head Brewery used to produce a high-end
bottle-conditioned forty called "Liquor de Malt".
At least for a brief period in the mid-
1990s, some brands of malt liquor, including Olde English 800 and Mickey's, were available in even larger, 64-ounce glass bottles. In the
United States, 40 oz bottles are not permitted in some states, such as
Florida.
Cozies
Much like 12oz beer cans, 40s may also be used with "cozies" to keep them cool. One common complaint from regular 40 consumers is that the malt liquor gets too warm too quickly and becomes undrinkable. Cozies keep the beverage cold and very drinkable.
Traditions
Tipping: Stereotypically, in American hip-hop culture, a small amount of malt liquor is poured onto the ground as a libation or sacrifice, commemorating a dead friend or relative. Also "Pour Some for the Homies" is often spoken during pouring a small amount of the top of a 'forty' on the ground, in recognition of deceased friends or relatives who were close. See libation.
; Edward Forty Hands: A game in which two 40 oz's are duct-taped into each player's hands, who attempt to be the first to consume both bottles. The name of the game spoofs the movie Edward Scissorhands.
International
While American malt liquor brands are rarely, if ever, exported to Europe, superficially similar inexpensive high-alcohol beers are available in many areas there; these include the "super-strength
lagers" such as
Tennents Super and
Carlsberg Special Brew in the United Kingdom, and in France the "bières fortes" Amsterdam Navigator, Amsterdam Maximator and
Bavaria 8.6.
However, one must note that high alcohol beers (
the ales of the Trappist monks in particular, and other beers influenced by them) have a strong tradition in
France and
Belgium, thanks to the particular techniques developed to fabricate them. These techniques leave a full body in the resulting beer, due to the fact that no alpha-amylase enzyme is added to use up the dextrines which are the components responsible for the fuller body and complex aroma of European high-alcohol beers (other examples of this are the
bock beers of Germany and Austria and the
barley wines of the United Kingdom). Hence the products lack the urban stigma of bums' drink and are considered instead a specialized kind of drink with its own estimators and connoisseurs.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Malt Liquor'.
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