Malt Liquor

Malt liquor, in North America, is beer with high alcohol content. Legally, it often includes any alcoholic beverage with 5% or more alcohol by volume made with malted barley. In common usage it refers to beers containing a high alcohol content, generally above 6%, which are made with ingredients and processes resembling those for American-style lagers. This label is subject to the viewpoint of the brewer, and there are examples of brews containing high-quality, expensive ingredients that brewers have chosen to label as "malt liquors."

In parts of Canada, the term "malt liquor" (French: liqueur de malt) is used to refer to any malt beverages in general.

Malt liquor is a strong lager or ale in which sugar, corn or other adjuncts are added to the malted barley to boost the total amount of fermentable sugars in the wort, and thus boost the final alcohol concentration without creating a heavier or sweeter taste. These beers tend to be mildly hopped; that is, they are not very bitter.

Malt liquor is typically straw to pale amber in color. While typical beer is made primarily from barley, water, and hops, malt liquors tend to make much greater use of inexpensive adjuncts such as corn, rice, or dextrose. Use of these adjuncts, along with the addition of special enzymes, results in a higher percentage of alcohol than an average beer. Higher alcohol versions, sometimes called "high-gravity" or just "HG", may contain high levels of fusel alcohols, which gives off solvent- or fuel-like aromas and flavors.

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