Malta (soft drink)

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A bottle of malta with the drink in a glass, with ice.

Malta is a type of soft drink. It is a carbonated malt beverage, meaning it is brewed from barley and hops much like beer. However, malta is non-alcoholic. It is similar in color to stout (dark brown) but is very sweet, generally described as tasting like molasses. Unlike beer, ice is often added to malta when consumed. A popular way Latin Americans sometimes drink malta is by mixing it with condensed or evaporated milk, thus increasing the drink's already high caloric value.

Most malta is brewed in the Caribbean and can be purchased in areas with substantial Hispanic populations. Malta is also popular in some English and Dutch speaking islands of the Caribbean. However, malta is brewed worldwide, and can be found in many parts of Africa like Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, and in the Indian Ocean. Malta Guinness is brewed under license internationally. Malta is also popular in Germany and is sometimes referred to as "Kinderbier" or "children's beer."

Malta is also occasionally called "champagne cola" by some brands. However, there is a separate type of drink with this name, having a flavor and consistency more akin to cream soda. Despite this appellation, neither drink is a champagne or a cola.

Malta is high in B vitamins. Some breweries, like Albani Breweries Ltd of Denmark, fortify their non-alcoholic malta beverages with Vitamin B complex. Albani Breweries Ltd claims on their website to have been the first brewery to create non-alcoholic malt beverages in 1859. [1]