Malt liquor is a beer with a higher alcohol content than state regulations allow, or with added sugar or corn. It is often sold in larger containers and lacks the bitter taste of traditional beer. Some breweries are now producing ales with at least 12% ABV. Popular brands include Hurricane, Steel Reserve, and Panther.
Malt liquor has several definitions. It can be used to describe beers that have a higher alcohol content than state beer regulation allows, or it can refer to beer that has added sugar, corn, or other substances that increase its total alcohol content. Some people use the term disparagingly to mean an inferior beer, as it is often sold in much larger containers than traditional beer.
Legally, some places require beer to contain only a certain percentage of alcohol. To be officially called a beer, the alcohol level is normally based around 5%. Anything that exceeds this limit may be called ale, lager, or malt liquor. Such beverages may have a total alcohol content of 12% or more.
However, the number of breweries now brewing “ales” with at least 12% ABV is on the rise. Small breweries on the West Coast of the United States are especially likely to have several beers of at least 12% ABV. Thus, on the West Coast, there may be no distinction and beers with a higher alcohol content may not be referred to by this name.
Beers that have increased the alcohol content by adding extra sugar or corn are usually relatively sweet. Malt liquor lacks the bitter taste found in some beers because it has been sweetened and because it uses only a small amount of hops compared to other beers.
The first brands emerged in the 1950s in the United States and included Country Club and Colt 45. Malt liquor is often sold in a much larger bottle or container than traditional beer and is generally less expensive. It is often sold in 40-ounce (1.18-litre) bottles; traditionally, most beers are sold in 12 oz (0.35 l) bottles or cans. A slang term for the drink is “the forties,” due to the size of the bottle.
Pabst now owns Country Club beer and still brews it under the same name, even though it’s not a popular brand. Today’s most popular brands include Hurricane, Steel Reserve and Panther. Malt liquor is felt by many to be equivalent to certain poorly made wines that would have been drunk straight from the bottle and often consumed by those wishing to get drunk quickly.
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