Malt Liquor, what is it?

[Bigeb]

I think we can all agree we all know a good deal about brweing beer but can someone tell me how malt liquor is different?

 

[Revvy]

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.

 

[pjj2ba]

It used to be law that everything over a certain percentage had to be labeled as a malt liquor. I remember when the craft beers had just started coming out and I remember a bunch of them labeled in small print as malt liquors. I don't see that any more so the craft brewers must have had the law changed

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

In Texas the law distinguishes between beer and ale/malt liquor. Anything over 4% ABW that is not wine, mead or liquor must be labeled either ale or malt liquor. The reason the legislature did this is because we have local option here and it allowed cities to allow "beer" sales but not ale/malt liquor.

As a result all the macrobreweries produce beer that is below 4%ABW -- about 5.1% ABV so they can be sold anywhere. If you look at beers over 4%ABW they are typically labeled "ale". There are a few lagers sold around these parts above the limit that call themselves malt liquor. Brooklyn Lager is labeled malt liquor. Those nasty beverages most people think of as malt liquor are also labeled as such.