Wednesday, September 8, 1999 - The Michigan Dail - New Student Edition - 9C
Once strictly the stuff of rap
videos, the '40' becomes a
cheap staple of college life
By Reily Brennan
For the Daily
There are entire subcultures in
America today earmarked by the type
of liquor they consume. Like rarefied
drinkers of malted scotch, the people
who drink beer in 40-ounce bottles
.h e a method and charisma all their
own.
'Championed by rap artists who cele-
*ated their friends' untimely passing
with hoisted bottles and moistened
eyes, the 40 is now as much a part of
the suburban and collegiate experience
as Britney Spears albums and football
gares.
A rough, informal survey of local
liquor stores proved that the. 40 is an
important part of nightly sales, with
just as many women throwing down
their spare quarters and 50-cent pieces
9 men.
And change is usually all it takes.
Locally, Village Corner's 40 of Schlitz
is the cheapest at $1.53, including tax
and deposit.
But the cheapest might have been
found in other parts of the country.
Ricky Eaddy, Webmaster of one of the
Internet's malt liquor review sites
(wwwgeocities.com/CollegePark/Qua
d/3662) said he once bought a 40 of
' ountry Club Malt Liquor for a mere
75! He claims the store was trying
to unload older stock. Regardless,
Eaddy maintains his obsession has not
forded him to over analyze his favorite
swill.
"The longer you let a 40 sit, it begins
to get warm, so the idea is to drink it as
fasias possible," he said. "The primary
reason for drinking a 40 is to get
drunk."
But what exactly is contained in
se glass behemoths? Malt liquor 40s
are different from regular beer, right?
Well, liquor store managers and work-
ers that sell hundreds of 40s a week to
of-age drinkers don't know for sure.
Even a public relations manager from
the Miller brewing company couldn't
explain the difference.
The truth is that malt liquor is no dif-
forent from regular lager. It's more of a
legal term than an actual taste distinc-
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms mandates that some beers use
the malt liquor label for certain alco-
hol-by-volume levels, depending upon
state laws. While Michigan is liberal on
its definition of malt liquors, sonic
southern states actually force brewers
A sell certain types of beer with a spe-
c'al lower-than-normal alcohol con-
tent.
Rob Nelson, the beer guide for the
Internet's Mining Co. (wwwnmining-
co.corn) said malt liquors are differen-
tiated by their dilution levels. That is,
breweries make an initial first batch
that is very high in alcohol content,
then diluted according to the desired
market need.
Alcoholic content aside, most beer
drinkers agree that malt liquor tastes a
bit sweeter than normal American
lager.
Interestingly enough, it contains no
more malt than a normal beer and does
not have a "malty" flavor. Nor is malt
liquor actually considered a liquor.
Rather, the most important distinction
is malt liquor's higher alcohol content
and occasionally sweeter flavor.
And the higher alcohol content usu-
ally makes its presence known. You
don't have to look very hard on any
given Ann Arbor night to find exam-
ples of how drinking multiple malt
liquor 40s in one sitting can be disas-
trous in comparison to smaller, tamer
beers. On couches, in kitchens, on
porches and balconies -- where 40s
arrive intoxication is often soon to fol-
low.
McKenzie River Brewing Co.'s St.
Ides, a popular malt liquor with 6.8
percent alcohol-by-volume, has been
the subject of criticism and federal
pressure lately because of their ad cam-
paign. The ads, which featured rap stars
Ice Cube and the Geto Boys, were said
to target black youth. Ice Cub'e coined
the beer's motto: "Get your girl in the
mood quicker, get your Jimmy thicker
with St. Ides Malt Liquor."
Kristin Gustafson, a first-year stu-
dent at Loyola University at Chicago,
said that Ice Cube's mantra might be
indicative of a bigger problem.
"I think some guys just like the secu-
rity of a carrying around a big ass 40 in
order to compensate for their lack of
size in other areas."
University Engineering junior
Robert Gallagher noted that in adver-
tisements and movies that feature rap
stars drinking 40s, the bottle is usually
cocked in a chugging position, and the
beer is never more than half-full.
"The young Gs who are drinking
them always have a quarter- to half-full
40 in their hand. Never a full one. It can
be 10 in the morning or 10 at night, and
they have a one-fourths-full 40."
The 40 is a decidedly American con-
cept. For a country that loves every-
thing big and cheap, it is the perfect
symbol. In fact, malt liquors are now
WHAT'S MALT LIQUOR7
Actually, malt liquor is neither malty,
nor is it liquor. It falls under the lager
family of beers.
There are two categories of beer:
Lagers and ales. Lagers use lager yeast
and which ferments at cool tempera-
tures on the bottom of the brewing ves-
sel. They tend to be clearer, lighter in
body and color, and lower in alcohol
and usually range between 3.2 and 4.0
percent alcohol by volume - although
malt liquors usually exceed this. Most
beers produced in the United States are
lager beers.
Ales use ale yeast and ferment at
warmer temperatures, then age for a
short time. They tend to be less carbon-
ated, fuller bodied and fruitier, Some
may have a higher alcohol content than
lagers.
A MAIX wim LEss UQUoR?
Surprisingly, malt doesn't mean more
alcohol. Malt liquors don't really have
any malt additive besides the standard
amount for regular lagers.
Amstel Malt is one beer that features
high malt content and very low alcohol-
by-volume levels. In fact, Amstel even
advertises this beer to those wanting
less alcoholic content without venturing
into the waters of non-alcoholic drinks.
Because the alcohol percentage is
reduced after the natural brewing
process, this malt retains its pure beer
heritage. And thanks to the use of spe-
cial malt types, Amstel Malt is very mild
in character but a bit darker in color.
being entered in beer tasting competi-
tions around America. Recently, the
Dixie Cup Homebrewers Competition
held a "malt liquor" special class.
Entries had to be submitted in 40 oz.
bottles. Judge.5 adjourned to the alley
behind the venue and evaluated the
beer directly from the bottle wrapped
in a paper bag.
After all, malt liquors are only found
in the United States and some parts of
Canada. In fact, thanks to the legal
term, some imported beers from presti-
gious breweries with higher alcohol
contents are forced to put the nefarious
"malt liquor" label on their packaging.
Regardless of a 40's contents, thier
purpose is to provide quick inebriation
for a budget price - in most cases they
are cheaper than bottled water. It might
not even be hard to imagine economi-
cally-minded students trade in their
bottles of Aquafina for a Laser.
They're called
forties, and
they're an
increasingly
common sight on
college
campuses.
MARGARET MYERs /Da~y
'I'l I
V~
V7,
IEAN
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