Rock You Like a Hurricane
May 11 '06
The Bottom Line Hurricane Malt Liquor is a tolerable brew that is easy to drink and not as nasty as many other Anheuser- Busch products.
Malt liquors are brewed slightly stronger than regular beers and they are often marketed and sold on a limited basis due to their limited appeal. I don’t get a taste for malt liquor very frequently because, by and large, American malt liquors taste like regular American lager with slightly higher alcohol content. One malt liquor that fits this definition as good as any is
Hurricane Malt Liquor, a product brewed by Anheuser- Busch.
Basic Characteristics of This Beer:
Hurricane Malt Liquor has a pale straw color that is just a tad darker than other Anheuser- Busch products. The body of the beer is completely clear and a good pour does produce a nice head of foam that vanishes in a couple of minutes, leaving behind nothing but a thin coating of bubbles. The aroma of this beer is sweet, but also a little paper- like.
Hurricane Malt Liquor has a body that is medium to light and that features the tastes of light pale malt and adjuncts like corn and a small amount of rice. The taste profile is mostly sweet but there is a slight alcohol taste in the finish of each sip. This alcoholic flavor isn’t as pronounced as that of ice beer, but you can tell it is there. Hops are barely noticeable and the beer finishes smooth.
Anheuser- Busch has been brewing this beer since 1996 and it is bottled in a clear glass container with a twist off cap. The alcohol content is six percent by volume and there are 156 calories in a 12 oz. serving.
Food Compatibility:
Hurricane Malt Liquor seems like a product that would match up with foods like pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausage. It is a beer made for casual fare but not much more.
Final Thoughts:
Hurricane Malt Liquor is a product from America’s largest brewing operation, Anheuser- Busch. This product is one of several malt liquors produced by A-B and it is also one of the newest. It is a beer brewed a little bit stronger than most other A-B products but also with many of the usual attributes associated with Anheuser- Busch beer.
This malt liquor is not often found in grocery stores and it doesn’t receive the injection of marketing dollars like other A-B beers. Since malt liquors are not as appealing as mainstream beer, brewers usually limit the advertising and the marketing. The most common place to find Hurricane Malt Liquor is in small convenience stores and in gas station carry outs. A Pilot gas station carry out is where I found the bottle used for this review. I purchased a large 40 oz. serving (the only size available) for a price of only $1.50.
With Hurricane Malt Liquor, you get a beer that tastes similar to other Anheuser- Busch products. The color is just a little darker but the lighter taste and the presence of adjuncts are typical of other A-B beer. About the only difference is the slightly higher alcohol content (six percent vs. five percent for Budweiser) that leads to the slightly alcoholic taste in the finish.
One word that characterizes this beer very well is smooth. You can taste grains, a little bit of alcohol, and a small amount of spice in the finish but you don’t get that snappy rice flavor that is common with other Anheuser- Busch beers. In spite of the clear bottle, there is no skunky aroma either. Hurricane Malt Liquor would be even smoother if served ice cold (the way some prefer to drink it), but it is actually very smooth even when not super cold. The smell isn’t very pleasant (smells like cardboard and chemicals) but the body is medium to light and very easy- drinking.
One other appeal with this beer is the low price. At a cost of only $1.50 per 40 ounce bottle, this ranks among the cheapest beer available. This works out to a cost of 3.75 cents per ounce, the equivalent of paying $2.70 for a six pack of beer. This makes it cheaper than Budweiser and even Busch. On a per- ounce basis, it is one of the least expensive of all Anheuser- Busch products.
If you can get past the strange aroma, Hurricane Malt Liquor is actually a tolerable beer. I like it better than Budweiser and several other Anheuser- Busch products. It’s no classic by a long shot but it’s also not terrible. I’m going to rate Hurricane Malt Liquor 2.5 out of 5 stars thanks to its smoothness, low price, and easy- drinkability. It isn’t easy to find, but it’s worth a taste every now and then when the urge for a higher- octane American style brew has you in its grip.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.