i'm gonna make malt liquor!

[thetragichero]

why, you may ask? because i pretty much lived on the stuff in and after college
now i know it should technically be a lager, but i've got a pale ale ready to bottle friday so i'll just use that us-05 yeast cake

% LB Malt or Fermentable ppg °L
47% 4 American Six-row Pale 33 1
24% 2 Flaked Corn (Maize) 40 1
12% 1 Rice, Instant 32 1
18% 1.5 Sugar, Table (Sucrose) 46 1

use time oz variety form aa
boil 60 mins 0.5 Liberty pellet 3.9

Original Gravity
1.084 / 20.2° Plato (1.075 to 1.087)
Final Gravity
1.023 / 5.8° Plato (1.020 to 1.024)
Color
3° SRM / 6° EBC (Yellow)
Bitterness
12.3 IBU / 2 HBU
Alcohol 8.1% ABV (THE magic number!)

mash 90 minutes 152*F
boil 90 minutes
batch size 3 gallons

will bottle in 0.5L and 22oz bottles (would LOVE to find 40s that can take a bottle cap but... oh well)
so the estimated IBUs... that's about right for an american light lager?

 

[jester5120]

i like it. i'm sure it'll taste better than the swill that usually comes out of those 40 oz. bottles. you could always drink some 40's and re-use the bottles

 

[thetragichero]

i'm thinking i should probably put the sugar in a few days after fermentation starts, so the yeast don't get too happy off the sucrose and not eat the maltose.... correct?

 

[Revvy]

It's funny at what a bad rap it gets when really Malt Liquor is simply just a strong corn/riced adjuncted lager.

Malt liquor is a North American term referring to a type of beer with high alcohol content. In legal statutes, the term often includes any alcoholic beverage above or equal to 5% alcohol by volume made with malted barley. In common parlance, however, it is used for high-alcohol beers made with ingredients and processes resembling those in American-style lager. Malt liquor is distinguished from other beers of high alcohol content in that the brewing process is seen by many critics as targeting high alcohol content and economy rather than quality.

A malt liquor is just a big lager, like bud, miller, coors. It's just a lot more grain and rice and corn...it technically really no different than a barelywine or any other high grav beer. It's just a bigger version of an American Light Adjunct Lager. You could call it a strong lager, or a DLAL (Double Light American Lager.)



In fact Charlie Papazian's Olde English 800 Malt Liquor recipe is legendary...

Olde English 800
5 Gallons

OG: 1.055 (13.5)
FG: 1.004 (1)
ABV: 7%
Color: 4.5 SRM
Bittering Units: 14

3.5 lbs. American 2-row pale malt
3.75 lbs. American 6-row malt
3 lbs. flaked corn
2 HBU (56 MBU) American Cluster hops (pellets) - 105 minutes (bittering)
1.5 HBU (43 MBU) American Nugget hops (pellets) - 105 minutes (bittering)
1/4 tsp. Irish moss
Wyeast 2007 Pilsen Lager yeast

A step infusion mash is employed to mash the grains. Add 10 quarts (9.5L) of 130-degree F (54.5 C) water to the crushed grain and flaked corn, stir, stabilize and hold the temperature at 122 degrees F (50 C) for 30 minutes. Add 5 quarts (1.9 L) of boiling water. Add heat to bring temperature up to 150 degrees F (65.5 C). Hold for about 60 minutes.

After conversion, raise temperature to 167 degrees F (75 C) water, lauter and sparge with 4 gallons (15 L) of 170 degree F (77 C) water. Collect about 6.5 gallons (25 L) of of runoff, add bittering hops and bring to a full and vigorous boil.

The total boil time will be 105 minutes. When 10 minutes remain, add Irish moss. After total wort boil of 105 minutes (reducing wort volume to just over 5 gallons), turn off the heat, then separate or strain out and sparge hops. Chill the wort to 65 degrees F (18 C) and direct into a sanitized fermenter. Aerate the cooled wort well. Add an active yeast culture and ferment for 4 to 6 days in the primary at 55 degrees F (15 C). Then transfer into a secondary fermenter, chill to 50 degrees F (10 C) to age for two more weeks, then lager for two to four more weeks at 40 degrees F (4.5 C).

When secondary aging is complete, prime with sugar, bottle or keg. Let condition at temperatures above 60 degrees F (15.5 C) until clear and carbonated, then store chilled.

People look down on it, and call it crap, but often those same folks don't think twice about making or drinking "Imperial" beers.. Imperial Ipa, stouts, etc, but in reality all a Malt Liquor is really just an "Imperial Lager."

 

[Revvy]

I just bought a bottle of Samiclaus, and was surprised at what it said on the label.

(Ignore the red circle, I got this pic online) Look above it.

 

[TimTrone]

Samiclaus is the ****. Tasty tasty lagery goodness. Don't have more than 3 though

 

[thetragichero]

i'm thinking it's closer to an "Imperial Cream Ale" (in fact i got the idea for the 90 minute mash and boil, and ballpark level of bitterness from the Cream of Three Crops Cream Ale)

 

[carrolte]

In fact Charlie Papazian's Olde English 800 Malt Liquor recipe is legendary...

Funny, I was just reviewing my old Papazian books yesterday an saw this in the Home Brewers Gold book. Here's an interesting tidbit from the book...
"Different panels of judges have consistently awarded Olde English 800 Gold Medals at the 1991, 1992, 1994 and 1995 Great American Beer Festivals. This is no small feat as the ever-more-sophisticated palates of judges from around the world assess these beers."

 

[ghpeel]

I just bought a bottle of Samiclaus, and was surprised at what it said on the label.

I'm not 100%, but I think the labeling of "malt liquor" is due to some legal mumbo jumbo for certain geographic areas and their booze laws.

 

[Ramitt]

Malt Liquor is mostly a function of laws and Alcohol content, it is not really a style.

 

[ipopiad]

I'm doing a batch of this as well, it's only my second brew so I'm a little worried it might not come out quite right. I used this recipe with the dry malt. Unfortunately I don't have a hydrometer yet (the only store that sells brewing equipment near me has them on backorder) so I won't know the exact ABV.

Is it possible to use sanitized 40 oz bottles for this? I don't see any reason it wouldn't work other than the caps maybe not sealing tight enough, and I have a ton of them in my garage.

 

[Revvy]

I'm not 100%, but I think the labeling of "malt liquor" is due to some legal mumbo jumbo for certain geographic areas and their booze laws.

I believe that was stated in the quote in my very first post.

Malt Liquor is mostly a function of laws and Alcohol content, it is not really a style.

But it's come to be associated with, like I said, a strong lager, usually sold in a 40.

But according to the bjcp it goes into category 23.

 

[Brewskii]

I just bought a bottle of Samiclaus, and was surprised at what it said on the label.

(Ignore the red circle, I got this pic online) Look above it.

Beer label laws are bizarre : next time you are in the supermarket/gas station pick up a bottle of Bud Light Platinum. Look on the back, very small, by the UPC with no other words around it- ..."ale".

...Strictly based on alc concentration and some stupid law somewhere.

 

[Cambone]

Beer label laws are bizarre : next time you are in the supermarket/gas station pick up a bottle of Bud Light Platinum. Look on the back, very small, by the UPC with no other words around it- ..."ale".

...Strictly based on alc concentration and some stupid law somewhere.

Maybe in your state, but not in mine.

Laws like that vary from state to state

 

[Revvy]

Beer label laws are bizarre : next time you are in the supermarket/gas station pick up a bottle of Bud Light Platinum. Look on the back, very small, by the UPC with no other words around it- ..."ale".

...Strictly based on alc concentration and some stupid law somewhere.

I know Texas has strange distinctions like that. Someone tried to explain the laws on a thread here and my head nearly exploded. When an ale is not an ale....geez.

 

[thetragichero]

bottled this last night, and i'm going to give it at least six weeks in the bottle before i try it. hopefully the hot alcohol smell will calm down, and i'm a little worried that i could only get it down to 1.010... hopefully i don't hear explosions from my beer closet

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Please tell me that you will make at least one of these bottles into a Brass Monkey.

 

[thetragichero]

i'd have to buy some orange juice, but sure
used to live off brass monkeys made with country club

also i can't believe they don't have 40s down here... i feel ROBBED buying quarts

 

[Dilliplaine33]

You hit that recipe spot on. I brewed my first malt liqour and entered it in a hombrew competition with ~100+ entries and I took a bronze in the "other category". Its similar to your recipe, I reccomend thinking about adding some brown sugar and maybe chose your hops based off of names, not anything real. It is the malt liqour way. I have three batches of malt liqour fermenting right now, I am fine tuning the recipe because if I get a gold the local brew pub has to brew my malt liqour for a year.

 

[Stephonovich]

I've had pretty strong cream ales with heavy corn and sugar adds... pretty sure it's malt liquor, or "imperial light beer" if you will.

All this to say, when properly made, they're actually really good. Definitely refreshing, and with a wicked buzz, because let's be honest, why else is the ABV 8+ %?

 

[thetragichero]

tasted after two weeks in the bottle (i know, i know... i couldn't wait!)
boozy. still uncarbonated. a bit cidery. will shove it in the back of the beer closet and revisit in a few months

 

[thetragichero]

couldn't wait, tasted another bottle
tastes like wild irish rose

 

[Cambone]

couldn't wait, tasted another bottle
tastes like wild irish rose

So bad?

 

[thetragichero]

for now
i think this was a bit ambitious for my fourth brew... i might revisit later on
i'm sure i could make some sort of party punch out of it, though, so all is not lost

 

[justkev52]

i'd have to buy some orange juice, but sure
used to live off brass monkeys made with country club

also i can't believe they don't have 40s down here... i feel ROBBED buying quarts

Ummm. Country Club.
Reminds me of my early years. Had to drive to Wildoming to get it.
Always a good time!