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Buyer's Guide for Beer Lovers

Lagers

Not Your Grandfather’s Lager

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.

89 Dad’s Little Helper Malt Liquor, Rogue Ales (OR). 7.5% ABV (10/10)
Deep old gold color. Lemon curd, herb, and bread aromas and flavors with fruity-yet-dry medium-to-full body and a tangy, peach marmalade, honey and orange cake finish. A rich, fruity, chewy food beer.

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 edge. 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.

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