Malta (soft drink)
Malta is a lightly carbonated malt beverage, brewed from barley, hops, and water much like beer; corn and caramel color may also be added. However, Malta is non-alcoholic, it has a strong beer smell and flavor and is consumed in the same way as beer or cola in its original carbonated form, and to some extent, iced tea in non-carbonated form.
Malta is often described as being like a beer that has not been fermented. It is similar in color to stout (dark brown) but is slightly sweet, and is generally described as tasting like molasses. Unlike beer, ice is often added to a Malta when consumed. A popular way Africans and Americans sometimes drink malta is by mixing it with condensed or evaporated milk.
Origin
Malta originated in Germany as Malzbier ("malt beer"), a malty dark beer whose fermentation was interrupted at approximately 2% ABV, leaving quite a lot of residual sugars in the finished beer. Malzbier in its native form was superseded during the 1960s by its modern form, formulated from water, glucose syrup, malt extract and hops extract, which had been on the market since the latter half of the 19th century, notably in Denmark. Such formulated drinks are called Malztrunk ("malt beverage") according to German law, since they are not fermented. In colloquial use, Malzbier has nevertheless remained, along with other nicknames such as Kinderbier ("children's beer").
Distribution
Most Malta is brewed in the Caribbean and can be purchased in areas with substantial Caribbean populations. Aside from the islands of the Caribbean, it is also popular in Caribbean coastal areas such as Curaçao, Aruba, Haiti, Panama, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Cuba, Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago and countries that share a Caribbean coast. Malta is brewed worldwide, and is popular in many parts of Africa like Nigeria which has its own first malt brand - Maltex in 1967. It is also sold in Chad, Ghana, Benin, Cameroon and around the Indian Ocean. Malta Guinness is brewed under licence internationally. Some native Malzbiere is available in Germany, notably in Cologne, where the taps of breweries Malzmühle and Sion sell it alongside their traditional Kölsch. Many German breweries have a malta in their range, sometimes produced under licence (for example Vitamalz).
Malta is also occasionally called "champagne cola" by some brands. However, there is a separate type of drink with this name, having the flavor of bubble gum. Despite this appellation, neither drink is a champagne or a cola.
Due to its distinctive color, malta is sometimes known as black brewed beer. In fact, in Chile the word malta means a Schwarzbier beer.
Malta is high in B vitamins. Some breweries, like Albani Brewery of Denmark, fortify their non-alcoholic malta beverages with Vitamin B complex. Albani Brewery claims on their website to have been the first brewery to create non-alcoholic malt beverages in 1859.[1]
Brands
- ActiMalta (Honduras)
- Afrimalt
- Amstel Malta (Nigerian Breweries)
- Banks Malta (Guyana)
- Barbican
- Beta Malt (Nigeria)
- Bicervecina El Inca (Bolivia)
- BrownMalta (Austin TX)
- Cawy Malta
- Champ Malta
- Dragon Malt
- D&G Malta (Jamaica)
- Egils Malt (Iceland)
- El Sol Malta (US)
- Feldschlösschen Malz (Germany)
- Flensburger Malz (Germany)
- Giant Malt (Saint Kitts and Nevis)
- Govmalt
- Grand malt
- Hansa Malz (Germany)
- Hi-Malt Choco Twist (Nigeria)
- Hi-Malt (Nigeria)
- Hummer Malt (Global)
- Hypermalt (Harboes Bryggeri A/S _ Denmark)
- Kairi Malt (Commonwealth of Dominica)
- Karamalz (Germany)
- Karlsquell Malz (Germany)
- King Malta (South Africa)
- La Alemana Extracto de Malta Morena (Puerto Rico & US)
- Maltex (Nigeria)
- Malt Extrakt (Iceland)
- Malt Star (Israel)
- Malt Royal (Nigeria)
- Malta Andina (Ecuador)
- Malta Balashi (Aruba)
- Malta del Barú (Panama)
- Malta Bohemia (Dominican Republic)
- Malta Bohio (Cuba)
- Malta Brasserie du Benin (Togo)
- Malta Bucanero (Cuba)
- Malta Caracas (Venezuela)
- Malta Carib (Trinidad & Tobago)
- Malta Coloso
- Malta Con Leche (US)
- Malta Corona (Puerto Rico & US)
- Malta Corsaire (Guadeloupe)
- Malta Créole (Canada & US)
- Malta Econo
- Malta El Sol (Puerto Rico & US)
- Malta Fresh (India)
- Malta El Miguelete (Valencia, Spain)
- Malta Estrella
- Malta Gallo (Guatemala)
- Malta Gold
- Malta Goya (Puerto Rico, US, Dominican Republic)
- Malta Goya (Lion Brewery, Pennsylvania, US)
- Malta Goya Light (Puerto Rico, US)
- Malta Grande
- Malta Guinness (Guinness Nigeria)
- Malta H (Haiti)
- Malta Hatuey (Cuban American)
- Malta Heineken
- Malta Iberia
- Malta India (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, US)
- Malta India Light (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic)
- Malta Leona (Colombia)
- Malta Lorraine (Martinique)
- Malta (Malaysia)
- Malta Maltex (Denmark)
- Malta Mayabe (Cuba)
- Malta Morena (Dominican Republic)
- Malta Morenita (Chile)
- Malta Pilsen (Uruguay)
- Malta Princesa
- Malta Real (Bolivia)
- Malta Regal (Malta)
- Malta Regional (Venezuela)
- Malta Salta (Argentina)
- Malta Siboney (Cuban-American)
- Malta Sunchy (Cuban-American)
- Malta Vigor (Panama)
- Maltana (Turkey) Produced by Ülker
- Maltín (Bolivia)
- Maltín Polar (Venezuela, also marketed as Malta Polar)
- Maltin Power by Backus (Peru)
- Maltina (Nigeria)
- Malty (Israel)
- Malzbier (Brazil)
- Maxi Malta (Costa Rica)
- Nasmalt (Nigeria)
- NatuMalta (Colombia)
- Negus malt (Ethiopia)
- Nesher Gold Malt (Israel)
- Oettinger Malz (Germany)
- Okocim Karmi (Poland)
- Original Bayerisch Malz (Germany)
- Pilsen Malta (Uruguay)
- Piton Malta – (St. Lucia)
- Pony Malta (Colombia)
- Powermalt – Power Malt Extra Energy (Denmark)
- Powermalt – Vanilla Power Malt (Denmark)
- Publix – Malta Malt Beverage (United States)
- Seven Malts (7棵麦), (China)
- Smalta (Trinidad & Tobago)
- Smalta Light (Trinidad and Tobago, Guadeloupe and Martinique)
- Star Malt (Grenada)
- Sunchy Malta (USA)
- Super Malta (Panama)
- Supermalt Original (Denmark)
- Supermalt Plus with Ginseng and Aloe Vera
- Supermalt Tetra Pack (non carbonated)
- Supermalt Fusion
- Tiger Malt (Barbados)
- Ultimalt (United Kingdom)
- Van Pur Malt (Poland)
- Vicco Malt
- Visamalt
- Vitamalt Classic (Denmark)
- Vitamalt Plus (Denmark)
- Vitamalt Tetra Pack (non-carbonated)
- Vitamalz (Germany)
- Vitamalt Pristine (clear malt)
- Vitarroz Malta (Lion Brewery, Pennsylvania, US)
- Tiger Malt (Barbados)
- Triple B (Bahamas)
- Vørterøl (Norway, made by Rignes, Hansa, Aass breweries)
- Xtra Malt (Trinidad & Tobago)