Largely because of "malternative" products like Smirnoff Ice and Zima — and an aging population past its beer-drinking prime and often preferring wine — beer sales have been virtually flat in recent years, according to Benj Steinman, editor of Beer Marketer's Insights, a trade publication.
—Suz Redfearn, "It's Come to This: a Low-Carb . . . Beer," The Washington Post, May 14, 2002

Billed as a "malternative" to beer and other alcoholic beverages, Hooper's Hooch is a malt-based lemonade that proved a runaway hit last summer when it was introduced in the United Kingdom, selling more than 2 million bottles a week within two months of hitting the market.
—Sara Bongiorni, "Malt-based lemonade tested in San Diego with some success," San Diego Daily Transcript, March 8, 1996