I’ve never had malt liquor, but I’ve always been curious, what makes it different than regular ol’ beer? How does the manufacturing process differ?
And is anyone here a drinker of it? What does it taste like? What’s it’s appeal? How does the buzz and hangover that you get from drinking malt liquor differ from when you drink beer.
Also, I’m not sure that there’s a pc way of stating this, but is there any truth to the stereotype of African-Americans being fond of this drink, and if so, why?
It’s a high ABV (generally higher than 5%) beer made with malted barley in a process similar to American style lager.
I sometimes drink it when I just want a buzz and am feeling cheap. To my unrefined palate, it’s really no different from any other beer you’re likely to find it stocked next to.
There is no such thing as “malt liquor,” other than a legal distinction dealing with ABV. It’s just mass produced lager with a bigger kick.
I’d always heard that “malt beverages” are any barley product that’s been fermented and carries more than 5% ABV. Like Smirnoff Ice isn’t a vodka beverage, it’s a malt beverage. I’ve also heard that “malt liquor” is referred to as that because beer brewers didn’t want there to be any confusion.
You never had Schlitz malt liquor. You ain’t representin’. You ain’t keepin’ it real.
So would high alcohol beers, like Ommegang, technically be considered malt liquors?
I’ve had my share. It’s cheap, it comes in a single-serving big bottle (so you don’t have to worry about keeping up with a couple singles), it’s got a fair kick for American lager. You can put it in a brown paper bag and drink it out in the open without too much hassle most of the time.
My favorites were always Mickey’s or Schlitz. Worst, in my opinion: King Cobra.
My friends and I drank quarts (40s are not sold around here) so often for a while that I made us all quart-bottle-sized drink koozies.
Yes.
To a number of state liquor and tax boards, they are the same thing. Tax-wise, at least.
Can’t have a Brass Monkey without it. 
Why don’t they advertise malt liquor any more? It was a staple of sports advertising during the 1970’s (Look out for the bull!), and yes, the ads led one to believe that the target demographic was African American, but the ads seem to have vanished completely.
A lot of companies finally ran afoul of the ATFE regulations about advertising strength of brew and the like. Plus some got sued by various groups looking for a cheap lawsuit target. The beverage is still out there. They just advertise in places you haven’t been looking.
I always loved that the more Mickey’s you drank, the harder the under the cap puzzles were.
I always loved that Mickey’s came in those wide-mouthed bottles, which made it so easy to chug! 
In the 80s Colt 45 was the king of malt liqors helped out by Lando Calrissian as spokesman. It was then replaced by Olde English 800 which was replaced by St. Ides in the early 90s helped out by Ice Cube’s endorsement. Of course there were others like Red Bull, Schlitz, Mickey’s. And the relative popularity of different brands is purely anecdotal on my part. But that’s how I remember it.
And the stereotype has a lot of basis in fact. Marketing campaigns were specifically targeted to Black people. The 40 oz. is associated with blacks even though PBR, Bud, Michelob all came in that size. I didn’t drink til I got to college and 40s of malt liquor was the beverage of choice. Not that we’d be insulted if you offered a Bud.
Ol’ Single Malt **silenus **drank Mickey’s? :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:
And in the good old days, Mickey’s weren’t screw top, so you had an added element of danger from being buzzed and trying not to cut yourself with the sharp metal lid remnants.
The proper tool for every job, my friend. There is a drink for quiet contemplation by the fire on a winters eve, and there is a drink for getting your freak on.
Yes! “Colt .45 malt liquor–quality stuff, my man!” Oh god, the ads were so stereotypical.
I’ve just realized there is a void in my life. I have never consumed malt liquor. I’ll try to remedy this with my next trip to the liquor store.
Whatever you do, don’t drink Steel Reserve. Or more than one, anyway. It’s foul-tasting, but extremely potent stuff (I think like 9% alcohol).