Malt liquor discussion and recipe thread.

Oh man, just tried my first Steel Reserve (Hmm) after quite a while, and I was wondering "how do they get such a high abv beer (8.1%) and sell it for such a cheap price? ($1.19/ 24 oz)" Are there a ton of cheap adjucts in this? Are they selling at cost? Will this make me go blind? I really have no idea.

Obviously the price reflects the taste of the beer, but it does indeed have the ability to get you F'd up after a couple. A lot of people must drink malt liquor, because there would be no one selling it if no one drank it, and I do not think that it is a hobo-only beverage. Someone's buying it. Fess up.

The point of this thread is to discuss the favorites and least favorites in the malt liquor world. It is not necessary to point out the superiority of "non-malt liquor" beers (craft or even BMC beers) because it is obvious. There is no question that there are other beers way better than malt liquor. I just want to hear different opinions, and maybe get a few recipes and see how they compare to other homebrew recipes.

Some malt liquor beers that seem to be favorable in some ways...
-Mickeys
-Steel reserve (it's okay I guess, to me anyways (8.1% in MI, 6% in TN )
-Big Bear

Some malt liquors that I believe are the devil...
-Camo silver can (or any Camo for that matter)
-King Cobra
-Hurricane

Some questions that I would like answered...
-Most of these are lagers right? How would they compare if brewed with ale yeast?
-Do companies brewing these beers use lower quality (cheaper) malts? How do they compare to the malts normally used?
-Some of these malt liquors say that they use hops on the side of the can. Are they lying?
-What other aspects of malt liquor should I know about (Really, will I go blind)?

Edumacate me.

Also, I just wanted to say that I really do not like malt liquor that much. It is something that I will try occasionally, but it seems so different from everything else that is out there. Maybe not in a good way, but I would like to find out a little more about it. I am actually curious to find out what makes malt liquor "malt liquor."

darkestdays said:

-Most of these are lagers right? How would they compare if brewed with ale yeast?

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They would have far too much flavor :cross: srsly...they use the lager yeast to minimize the flavors and make it as clean and flavorless as possible.

darkestdays said:

-Do companies brewing these beers use lower quality (cheaper) malts? How do they compare to the malts normally used?

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Yes, they use cheap malts, such as 6-row, and use cheap adjuncts, usually corn or rice. It helps thin the beer down, again minimizing flavor and making for a more full fermentation and a drier beer.

darkestdays said:

-Some of these malt liquors say that they use hops on the side of the can. Are they lying?

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Of course they use hops. Malt Liquor still needs some balance. It's just a beer. "malt liquor" doesn't really mean anything.

See here: Malt liquor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

darkestdays said:

-What other aspects of malt liquor should I know about (Really, will I go blind)?

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Nope. It's just a heavier american-style lager. Budweiser actually makes their beer in high gravities and then dilutes it down. This is just diluted down less.

darkestdays said:

Edumacate me.

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You has been edumacated.

DeathBrewer said:

They would have far too much flavor :cross: srsly...they use the lager yeast to minimize the flavors and make it as clean and flavorless as possible.



Yes, they use cheap malts, such as 6-row, and use cheap adjuncts, usually corn or rice. It helps thin the beer down, again minimizing flavor and making for a more full fermentation and a drier beer.



Of course they use hops. Malt Liquor still needs some balance. It's just a beer. "malt liquor" doesn't really mean anything.

See here: Malt liquor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Nope. It's just a heavier american-style lager. Budweiser actually makes their beer in high gravities and then dilutes it down. This is just diluted down less.



You has been edumacated.

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Edumacation has been processed.

You should have posted your fav/ least fav.

BTW I've been trying your partial mash technique, and all I have to say is thank you! I've been getting around 75% efficiency. You look like a metal head in your PM thread. If that's true, then you should come see Chimaira and Killswitch with me. :rockin:

If I'm poor from buying ingredients and drank too much and caused my pipeline to go dry, I really don't mind Mickey's in the 40oz bottle. It's not that bad. Better than BMC and DIRT cheap. 40oz is around $2.50 I think. But that situation usually never happenns.

Funny thing though, in any other container besides the 40oz, they're disgusting....well...more disgusting.

DeathBrewer said:

they use the lager yeast to minimize the flavors and make it as clean and flavorless as possible.

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I used to love Mickey's Ice - but it had two unique tastes: champagne, or skunk's ass.

How is it that you are naming malt liquors and didn't mention "O.E."? :cross:

St. Ides FTW!

















j/k

I don't really mind the occasional 40 (edward 40 hands ftw), I usually stick with either Steel Reserve, Mickeys, or King Cobra.

an interesting drink I made up while drunk.

Blue Steel:
12oz Steel Reserve
2oz blue curacao

it is actually pretty good.

darkestdays said:

Edumacation has been processed.

You should have posted your fav/ least fav.

BTW I've been trying your partial mash technique, and all I have to say is thank you! I've been getting around 75% efficiency. You look like a metal head in your PM thread. If that's true, then you should come see Chimaira and Killswitch with me. :rockin:

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Probably can't make that show but I am volunteering to be the DD if we go to see Destruction and Krisiun on Monday.

:rockin:

I'd have to go with Mickeys for malt liquor

Ya know... one of these days I need to pick up a mickeys and see what my taste buds think of it now...

Back in the day, I was a mickeys and mgd'er.


Yup. I just admitted I used to like mickeys and mgd.

Damn rogue followed by afpelwein followed by centennial blonde making me honest.

Jeez... Even when I was a taste-impared teenager, I drank the green grenades with nose plugged. Uck.

I will admit though, there was a time when I honestly believed Miller High Life to be the Champagne of Beers.

curtis97322 said:

Damn rogue followed by afpelwein followed by centennial blonde making me honest.

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Hijacked: I can't wait for my apfelwein. (sigh) 5 more weeks.

llazy_llama said:

Jeez... Even when I was a taste-impared teenager, I drank the green grenades with nose plugged. Uck.

I will admit though, there was a time when I honestly believed Miller High Life to be the Champagne of Beers.

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Yeah, it's strange. The little bottles taste WAY worse than the 40's.

i still enjoy a tallboy or two of schiltz malt liquor when i'm at the bike polo court.

i appreciate people's enthusiasm for their own beers, as well as great craft beer. i love the good stuff as much as just about anyone can, and have been lucky to drink many many times my fair share of it over quite a few years (i'm still relatilvely young).

still, i have no trouble enjoying some alcohol-style corn fluid now and then as well, i appreciate it for what it is. honestly i feel sorry for those who don't allow themselves to enjoy life's simple pleasures because they don't measure up to life's greatest ones.

JBooze said:

How is it that you are naming malt liquors and didn't mention "O.E."? :cross:

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Oh man, don't remind me! They also make an Old English furniture polish which I'm sure tastes similar.

And St Ides....g..o..o..d s..t..u..f..f...

DeathBrewer said:

Probably can't make that show but I am volunteering to be the DD if we go to see Destruction and Krisiun on Monday.

I'd have to go with Mickeys for malt liquor

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Man, I would definitely like to see Krisiun. Sounds awesome. Have fun! :rockin:

TurboBrew said:

Hijacked: I can't wait for my apfelwein. (sigh) 5 more weeks.



Yeah, it's strange. The little bottles taste WAY worse than the 40's.

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I just made my first batch of apfelwein today, and I can't wait to try it. I did the raspberry version in the recipe forum, but I bumped the batch size to 5 gallons and added quite a bit more sugar. Hope it turns out well!

Also, malt liquors usually use some form of sugar to kick up the alcohol level. Those beers are just lethal in the worst sense of the word!

They don't sell it here on island, but back when I was living in the States, Steel Reserve 211 was one of my favorites. That was before I began to home brew. My taste buds have probably adjusted now.

bad hangovers and even worse farts

Did someone say Edward 40 Hands? Haha

DeathBrewer said:

Nope. It's just a heavier american-style lager. Budweiser actually makes their beer in high gravities and then dilutes it down. This is just diluted down less.

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So does this mean that natural light really is just watered down bud? I mean that's how we used to justify drinking it in college.

DeathBrewer said:

Probably can't make that show but I am volunteering to be the DD if we go to see Destruction and Krisiun on Monday.

:rockin:

I'd have to go with Mickeys for malt liquor

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you bastard, you saw krisiun? Brazilian Death Metal is awesome! SOUL DEVOURER!!!!:rockin:

wh4tig0t said:

So does this mean that natural light really is just watered down bud? I mean that's how we used to justify drinking it in college.

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yeah, kinda...who the hell makes natty light anyway? I've never even investigated that poor excuse for a beer...

ezboarderz said:

you bastard, you saw krisiun? Brazilian Death Metal is awesome! SOUL DEVOURER!!!!:rockin:

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:rockin: :rockin: :rockin: :rockin: :rockin: :rockin: :rockin: :rockin:

Big Bear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:rockin:




Pruno....

Someone had to say it. It's one of those interwebz lawz or something.

natty light = budweiser
keystone = coors
milwaukee's best (the beast) = miller

and = means the "cheap version"

I think...

MAN, I haven't drank any of that since high school! I'd rather not drink. And I love to drink!

The first beer I ever tasted was Crazy Stallion (formerly Crazy Horse). It's hard to believe that I have gone from that to being a beer geek in only 4 years.

Believe it or not I just tasted my first "Malt Liquor" the other day. I've had a 40 of OE since St Patricks Day my friend left I've yet to crack open. It was surprisingly better than most BMC beers. Definitely better than Bud Light and of course Natty, which everyone drinks around here. It was Colt 45 btw. This guy at work was like "When are you gunna brew some Malt Liquor for us black folk?", hah. I informed him that it was just high alcohol beer, and he was like "oh", but still wanted me to brew some.

KYB said:

Believe it or not I just tasted my first "Malt Liquor" the other day. I've had a 40 of OE since St Patricks Day my friend left I've yet to crack open. It was surprisingly better than most BMC beers. Definitely better than Bud Light and of course Natty, which everyone drinks around here. It was Colt 45 btw. This guy at work was like "When are you gunna brew some Malt Liquor for us black folk?", hah. I informed him that it was just high alcohol beer, and he was like "oh", but still wanted me to brew some.

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You should Brew some malt liquor. I made some one time and actually rather enjoyed it. My wife not so much. I let the folks at the lhbs try it and their comments were "it tastes like malt liquor". Imagine that. Brew it. Drink it. Enjoy it.