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 parlance, it is used for high-alcohol beers (6–7% and more) or beer-derived mixes made with ingredients and processes resembling those in American-style lager. 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."