Learn Beer » Reviews » Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers » Beers

Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

All The World's a Stage for Lagers

All the World's a Stage for Lagers

Malt Liquor

This category is legally mandated in states where any lager stronger than 5 percent alcohol by volume cannot call itself a lager beer. There are a number commercial brands that have been created to fill this category, many of which do not have great merit from the connoisseur’s perspective. Many malt liquors achieve their greater alcoholic strength through the use of adjunct grains—corn or rice—that add little flavor. Some strong European lagers are forced to adopt this labeling moniker for the U.S. market.

Interpreting the 100-point Scale

Consumers can translate the point score to the following quality bands:

Point Range Quality Band
96-100 points Platinum
90-95 points Gold
85-90 points Silver
80-84 points Bronze
Less than 80 Not Recommended
Legend
  • = Brewpub
  • ABV = Alcohol by volume
  • Date denotes the date on which the beer was tasted

91 Tatra Malt, Grupa Zywiec S.A. (Poland). 7% ABV (11/09)
Deep old gold color. Aromas of honeycomb and cornbread pancake follow through on a round, chewy entry to a frothy, fruity-yet-dry, medium-full body with tangy dried peach, root vegetable and praline notes. Finishes with a long honeyed orange and lemon peel, pepper and grassy hop fade. Very nice.

88 Strong Brew Malt Liquor, Baron’s (Singapore). 8.8% ABV (11/07)
Golden amber color. Dried apricot, wet barley and panettone in the box aromas have a slight floral, bath oil edge. A round, frothy entry leads to a fruity medium-full body of fruit bread, praline and peppery spice flavors. Finishes with a warm bread, sea salt and honeyed herb fade of hops. Nice complexity.

87 Elephant Lager, Carlsberg Breweries (Denmark). 7.2% ABV (11/07)
Light golden amber color. Lemon curd, peach marmalade and mossy earth aromas. A frothy, chewy entry leads to a dry-yet-fruity medium-full body of powdered sugar-dusted figs and dried lemon peels, salted nuts, cinnamon raisin bread flavors with a crisp, round and bold bittering hop fade. A nice malt liquor.

87 Dad’s Little Helper Malt Liquor, Rogue Ales (OR). 6.8% ABV (10/08)
Bright golden amber color. Lemon-orange custard and honeyed raisin toast aromas follow through on a soft entry to a creamy, fruity medium-to-full body with delicate spicy peach compote note. Finishes with a light grapefruit sorbet and apricot soufflé fade. Tasty.

85 Malt Liquor, Lomza Brewery (Poland). 7.8% ABV (10/08)
Slightly hazy sunshine yellow color. Rice pudding, lemon curd and whipped cream aromas follow through on a soft, silky entry to a fruity medium-to-full body with honeyed toast and peach marmalade accents. Finishes with a touch of talc, grapefruit spritz and buttery praline. Somewhat candied, but very tasty and crowd-pleasing.

81 Baltika #9 Extra, Baltika Brewery (Russia). 8% ABV (10/08)
Golden yellow color. Wet grain and haystack aromas have dried citrus and soap edges and follow through on buoyant entry to a sweet medium-full body with prominent candy corn and sugared toast flavors. Finishes with a quick, diet lemon soda and buttered caramelized nut fade. Odd.

Add Your Comments