Malt liquor
40 of Country Club Malt Liquor
Malt liquor is an American term referring to a type of beer that has a high alcohol content and is therefore considered too alcoholic to be called "beer". In the UK, similar beers are called super-strength lager.
Legal definitions
The apparently confusing and inconsistent use of the term 'malt liquor' has to do with the vagaries of American alcoholic beverage regulations, which can vary from state to state. In some states 'malt liquor' refers to any alcoholic beverage made by fermenting grain and water; in these states a non-alcoholic beer may also be called a non-alcoholic or non-intoxicating malt liquor. In some states, products labeled 'beer' must fall below a certain alcohol content, and beers that exceed the mark must be labeled as 'malt liquor'. A typical legal definition is in Colorado Rev. Stat. ss. 12 – 47 – 103(19), which provides that:
- "Malt Liquors" includes beer and shall be construed to mean any beverage obtained by the alcoholic fermentation of any infusion or decoction of barley, malt, hops or any other similar products, or any combination thereof, in water containing more than three and two-tenths percent of alcohol by weight.
- (Note: alcohol percentages measured by weight translate into larger figures when re-expressed as alcohol percentages by volume, because ethanol is lighter than water.)
Some states do not define a category of malt liquors; in these states, beers labelled malt liquor are typically available, but the label simply identifies the product with the style, and has no legal significance. While ordinary beers in the United States average around 5.0% alcohol by volume, malt liquors typically range from 6.0% up to 12% alcohol by volume. In some areas of the western United States, beers that are too strong to be legally called beer are confusingly called 'ale'.
Examples
"Malt liquor" is also taken as the description of a specific style of beer in the United States. These beers are strong lagers, but the malt liquors often have sugar, corn or other adjuncts added to the malt to boost their alcoholic strength. These beers tend to have minimal hops and bitterness.
Colt 45, St. Ides, and Olde English 800 are popular malt liquors that have worked their way into American hip hop culture. The first successful malt liquor in America was Country Club, which was first produced in the early 1950s by the M.K. Goetz Brewing Company, and marketed toward middle class Caucasians.[1] Country Club is now owned by Pabst and is still sold today, though its sales were eclipsed years ago by almost every malt liquor on the market.
Malt liquors are often sold in large bottles containing 40 oz (1.18 litres), as opposed to the standard twelve ounce (355 ml) bottle that contains a single serving of beer. They are also sold in 22 ounce and 12 ounce bottles and sometimes cans. American domestic "malt liquors" tend to be very inexpensive, although this is not necessarily true for foreign imports that are also labeled "malt liquor".
Other high alcohol styles of beer include ice beer, barley wine, Russian imperial stout, doppelbock, and certain kinds of Trappist beers. Most of these are traditional brewing styles.
Forty ounce bottles of malt liquor
A forty-ounce, or fotie[1] in the African-American vernacular, is a glass bottle that holds 40 fluid ounces (1182.941 milliliters or 1.18 liters) of malt liquor or beer. Typically, people use the more casual term 40s.
Forties are more than three times as large as the standard American 12-fluid ounce (355ml) serving of beer. Forties tend to be inexpensive, and with their large size and higher alcohol content compared to beer, they are popular among drinkers with a tight budget seeking intoxication.
The oldest 40 oz. known to exist is a Carling Black Label beer from 1969[citation needed].
Examples of malt liquors sold in forty ounce bottles include Colt 45, Olde English 800, Mickey's, St. Ides, Steel Reserve 211, Crazy Horse, King Cobra, Laser, Bull Ice, Schlitz Malt Liquor, Ballantine. Many regular American lagers are also sold in forty ounce bottles, including Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller High Life, Old Style, Genesee, Rainier, Hurricane (Anheuser-Busch), and Budweiser. Some are only available regionally.
At least for a brief period in the mid-1990s, some brands of malt liquor, including Olde English 800 and Mickey's, were available in even larger, 64-ounce glass bottles. In the United States, 40 oz bottles are not permitted in some states, such as Florida.
Traditions
- Tipping
- In American hip-hop culture, sometimes a small amount of malt liquor is poured onto the ground as a libation or sacrifice, commemorating a dead friend or relative.
- Edward Forty Hands
- Commonly known simply as 40-Hands, is a game typically enjoyed with other players or even sometimes oneself. This is a game that spoofs the movie Edward Scissorhands. It revolves around the act of taping a 40 oz. in each hand and then becoming the first to consume both beverages. Requirements for this traditional game are two 40's and a roll of strong tape. An extra set of hands for assistance are helpful. If a player has one of the 40 oz. bottles removed, that player is disqualified. Thus, it is in the players' best interest to finish both 40's quickly, before severe need for urination sets in.
Societal trends
According to a study by Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in California, malt liquor is the alcohol of choice of the homeless and unemployed.[2] Moreover, in the United States, a disproportionate number of African Americans consume malt liquor. While approximately 13% of the United States population is black,[3], studies have shown that approximately 28% of malt liquor is consumed by African Americans.[4]
References
- ^ A Story without Heroes: The Cautionary Tale of Malt Liquor A History of Malt Liquor. April 30, 2005. Accessed on January 31, 2007.
- ^ http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7182924/
- ^ http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0884133.html
- ^ http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/10.02.97/latino-drinking-9740.html