Malt beverages are made with barley as the primary ingredient and include beer, non-alcoholic beer, and flavored “malternative” beverages. Malt liquor is a type of beer with a higher alcohol content, while non-alcoholic beer has the alcohol removed. Malternatives are malt beverages with added flavors and are sometimes controversial due to their sweet taste.
Malt beverages include all beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, that are made with barley as the primary ingredient. In malt alcoholic beverages, the alcohol is fermented from the sugars derived from barley. The three main categories of malt beverages are beer, non-alcoholic beer, and flavored “malternative” beverages, such as hard lemonade or other carbonated alcoholic beverages.
Beer is divided into categories of ale and lager, top-fermented and bottom-fermented, respectively. Regardless of the mode of fermentation, all beer is brewed with barley as the primary ingredient, classifying it as a malt beverage. Although malt liquor may be confused with the term malt beverage, malt liquor is just one type of beer.
The malt liqueur was popularized due to its unique packaging, 40 oz (1.18 L) bottle, and its high alcohol content. Typically, malt liquors are made using barley as the base ingredient, although other fermentable sugars such as dextrose, corn, or rice can also be added. These additions increase the alcohol content and, as they are cheaper ingredients than barley, reduce production costs. Malt liquor tastes quite different from conventional beer because it is slightly hopped, therefore less bitter, and has a sweeter taste.
Non-alcoholic beer is a drink made in the same way as conventional beer, but the alcohol is removed so it can be consumed by those who do not wish to consume alcohol. Once the beer fermentation process is complete, the alcohol can be removed using heat. This is possible due to the fact that alcohol boils and then evaporates at a lower temperature than water.
Malternatives, also known as alcopops, are a certain class of malt beverages that are marketed to consumers who want to drink something other than beer, but in similar packaging. These malt beverages are created by brewing a base beer from barley and then removing all the characteristics that are usually associated with beer. All flavor and color resulting from the fermentation process is removed and replaced by other natural and artificial flavors, juices, sugars and distillates to create the flavor profile that is marketed to the public. This type of drink has been the subject of some controversy, due to the fact that their somewhat youthful appearance and sweet taste make people believe that minors are attracted to them. Some places have responded by taxing malternatives at a rate similar to what distilled spirits are taxed at.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
