International
While American malt liquor brands are rarely, if ever, exported to Europe, similar inexpensive high-alcohol beers are available in many areas there; these include the "super-strength lagers" such as Tennents Super and Carlsberg Special Brew in the United Kingdom, and in France the "bières fortes" Amsterdam Navigator, Amsterdam Maximator and Bavaria 8.6; Arboga 10.2% of Sweden
Another example of an imported beer labeled as "malt liquor" is German brewer Spaten's Optimator, a dopplebock that weighs in at 7.6 ABV. The name of the brew follows a longstanding tradition of dopples' (German for "double") ending in the suffix "-ator." It is an industry tribute to the original dopplebock, brewed by Paulaner, named Salvator ("Savior")
In fact, there is a strong tradition of premium high-alcohol beers in Europe, including the Trappist beers of Belgium and The Netherlands, the bock beers of Germany and Austria, and the barley wines of the United Kingdom. Unlike American malt liquors and super-strength lagers, these are beers known for a full body, a complex aroma, and higher prices.
There was a short lived fashion for brewing American style malt liquors in Britain in the late 70s and early 80s. Some of these were genuine American brands brewed under license, notably Colt 45, and some were simply inspired by the style. They generally contained 5% ABV. These beers were heavily marketed for a few years but failed to make a lasting impact and are no longer produced.
Read more about this topic: Malt Liquor