Some Quality Name Brands We Carry: Blackthorn Ciders Smirnoff Ice Mike's Hard Series Woodchuck's Ciders Wyder's Ciders
Malt Beverage From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Malt beverage is an American term for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic fermented beverages, in which the primary ingredient is barley, which has been allowed to sprout ("malt") slightly before it is processed. By far, the most predominant malt beverage is beer, of which there are two main styles: ale and lager. A non-alcoholic beverage brewed in this fashion is technically identical to "non-alcoholic beer." Such a beverage may be prepared by either removing alcohol from the finished product or by using a slightly altered brewing process which yields very little alcohol (technically less than 0.5% by weight).
The term "malt beverage" is often used by trade associations of groups of beer wholesales (e.g. Tennessee Malt Beverage Association) to avoid any negative connotations associated with beer. Additionally, the term is applied to many other flavored beverages prepared from malted grains to which natural or artificial flavors have been added to make them taste similar to wines, fruits, colas, ciders, or other beverages. This sub category has been called "malternative," as in Smirnoff Ice (US & French version), or "maltini," as in 3SUM, which also has energy components like caffeine. Marketing of such products in the United Sates has increased rapidly in recent years.
Cider is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples mainly, though pears are also used. In the UK, pear cider is known as perry. In the United States and parts of Canada, where the term cider almost exclusively refers to non-alcoholic apple juice (apple cider), the phrase hard cider is used to denote the fermented version.
While any variety of apple, and even other pome fruits such as pear or quince, may be used, certain cultivars are preferred in some regions, and may be know as cider apples. The drink varies in alcohol content from less than 3% ABV in French cidre doux to 8.5% ABV or above in traditional English ciders.
Cider is very popular in the United Kingdom, especially in South West England, in comparison to other countries. The UK has the highest per capita consumption as well as the largest cider producing companies in the world, including H.P. Bulmer, the largest. Overall, the UK produces 500 million litres (110 million imperial gallons) of cider per year.
The drink is also popular and traditional in Brittany (chistr) and Normandy (France) (cidre), Ireland and the Asturias and Basque Country regions of Spain and France (sidra). Pear cider is popular in Sweden and in Basse-Normandie (France) (poiré). The drink is making a resurgence in both Europe and the United States.
