40 ways to lose your balance

40 oz. beers more prevalent on campus than 4.0s

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 oz. bottles have a method and charisma all their own.

Championed by rap artists who celebrated 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 games.

Life at this University is no different. 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 as 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. And word on the street is the Woodward Palmer Store in Detroit has a deal on $1 Laser 40s as recently as last month.

MARGARET MYERS/Daily What exactly is contained in a 40? Nobody really knows what malt liquor is for sure, but everyone knows they're cheap. Malt liquor is neither liquor nor malty, but it sounds cooler than "lager."

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 (www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Quad/3662) said he once bought a 40 of Country Club Malt Liquor for a mere $.75! He claims the store was trying to unload older stock. Regardless, Eaddy maintains his obsession has not forced 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 fast as possible," he said. "The primary reason for drinking a 40 is to get drunk."

But what exactly is contained in these glass behemoths? Malt liquor 40s are different from regular beer, right? Well, liquor store managers and workers that sell hundreds of 40s a week to of-age drinkers and don't know for sure. Even a public relations manager from Miller Beer couldn't explain the difference.

The truth is that malt liquor is no different from regular lager. It's more of a legal term than an actual distinction. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms mandates that some beers use the malt liquor label for certain alcohol-by-volume levels, dependent upon state laws. While Michigan is liberal on its definition of malt liquors, some southern states actually force brewers to sell certain types of beer with a special lower-than-normal alcohol content.

Rob Nelson, the beer guide for the Internet's Mining Co. (www.miningco.com) said malt liquors are differentiated by their dilution levels. That is, breweries make an initial first batch that is very high in alcohol content, then dilute according to the desired market need.

Alcoholic content aside, most beer drinkers agree that malt liquor tastes a bit sweeter than normal American lager. Ironically, it does not contain any more malt than a normal beer and does not have a "malty" flavor. Nor is malt liquor actually considered a liquor. Rather, the term is mostly legal, with the most important distinction being malt liquor's higher alcohol content and occasional sweeter flavor.

And the higher alcohol content usually makes its presence known. One does not have to look very hard on any given Ann Arbor night to find examples of how drinking multiple mat liquor 40s in one sitting can be disastrous in comparison to smaller, tamer beers. On couches, in kitchens, on porches and balconies - where 40s arrive intoxication is often soon to follow.

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 campaign. The ads, which featured rap stars Ice Cube and the Geto Boys, were said to target black youth. Ice Cube 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 student 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 security 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 advertisements 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 1/4 full 40."

The 40 is a decidedly American concept. For a country that loves everything big and cheap, it is the perfect symbol. In fact, malt liquors are now being entered in beer tasting competitions around America. Recently, the Dixie Cup Homebrewers Competition held a "malt liquor" special class. Entries had to be submitted in 40 oz. bottles. Judges 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, some imported beers from prestigious breweries with higher alcohol contents are forced to put the nefarious "malt liquor" label on their packaging.

Regardless of a 40's contents of malt liquor or beer, usually the main point is that they provide quick inebriation for a budget price - in most cases they are cheaper than water. It might not even be hard to imagine economically-minded students trade in their bottles of Aquafina for a Laser.

What's malt liquor?

There are basically two categories of beer: Lagers and ales. Lagers use lager yeast and ferment at cool temperatures. 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 squash this belief. 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 carbonated, fuller bodied and fruitier. Some may have a higher alcohol content than lagers.

A malt with less liquor?

Amstel Malt is a 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 special malt types, Amstel Malt is very mild in character but a bit darker in color.

03-25-99