malt liquor

Comparison of 12oz longneck to a
40 of Country Club Malt Liquor

Malt liquor is an American term referring to a type of beer that has a high alcohol content and is therefore considered too alcoholic to be marketed as "beer." 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 (i.e. they are not very bitter).

Legal definitions

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'. 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 lighter than water.)

Some states do not define a category of malt liquors; in these states, beers labeled malt liquor are typically available, but the label simply identifies the product with the style, and has no legal significance. 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.

Examples

Colt 45, St. Ides, and Olde English 800 are popular malt liquors in the United States. The first 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.^[1] Country Club is now owned by Pabst and is still sold today, though its sales were eclipsed years ago by almost every malt liquor on the market.

Other high-alcohol styles of beer include ice beer, barley wine, Russian imperial stout, doppelbock, and certain kinds of Trappist beers, although these are typically brewed in more traditional styles.

Forties (40s) (FO-Ds)

In the American vernacular, a forty-ounce or simply forty, is a glass bottle that holds 40 fluid ounces (1.18 litres) of malt liquor or beer. Malt liquors are commonly sold in 40 oz (1.18 litre) 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 is not 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, St. Ides, Steel Reserve 211, Crazy Horse, Private Stock, King Cobra, Laser, Bull Ice, Schlitz Malt Liquor, Magnum, Hurricane, City Slicker, Big Bear, Camo, Evil Eye, and Little Kings Cream Ale. Many regular American beers are also sold in forty ounce bottles, including Ballantine, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller High Life, Old Style, Genesee, Rainier, National Bohemian, Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch Light, Coors Light, and Miller. Some are only available regionally.

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.^[2]

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.

Edward Forty Hands 

A game in which each player tapes a 40 oz. in each hand and then attempts to be the first to consume both bottles. The name of the game spoofs the movie Edward Scissorhands. If a player has one of the 40 oz. bottles removed before finishing, that player is disqualified. Thus, it is in the players' best interest to finish both 40's quickly, before severe need for urination sets in.

Societal trends

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 and unemployed.^[3] Moreover, in the United States, a disproportionate number of African Americans consume malt liquor. While approximately 13% of the United States population is black,^[4] studies have shown that approximately 28% of malt liquor is consumed by African Americans.^[5] Beginning in the 1990s, many brands of malt liquor began to aggressively target this market and used popular 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. ^[6]

References

1. ^ A Story without Heroes: The Cautionary Tale of Malt Liquor A History of Malt Liquor. April 30, 2005. Accessed on January 31, 2007.
2. ^ Florida Statutes, Title XXXIV, Chapter 563; see item (6)
3. ^ http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2005/malt-liquor-favored-by.html
4. ^ http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0884133.html
5. ^ http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/10.02.97/latino-drinking-9740.html
6. ^ CHUCK D: 'THIS ONE'S NOT FOR YOU', Entertainment Weekly, Sept. 27, 1994.

External links

• A thorough history of Malt Liquor
• An ongoing database of 40s w/ pics, reviews, & 40s in the media

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