[Lazy Meatball]

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Whoever said smirnoff ice is made in the same way as beer has to be wrong. I don't know exactly how it's made but could probably google it, but seeing as there's still fermentable sugars in it I don't see how it could be true.

Perhaps they ferment it, filter out the yeast, and then add sugar, but if this is the case this is far from beer.


edit: just found this

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It's the leading drink in a category called "malternatives" - alternatives to malt drinks such as beer. Smirnoff Ice is a vodka-based drink in other countries. But in the United States, it contains no vodka. It is one of the most successful product launches in beverage alcohol history and is particularly popular with young people and women. Smirnoff Ice outsells well-known beers such as Heineken and Corona, the company said.

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note even the article says it's a kid's/women's drink.

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Don't know how much of a beer snob you want to be, but it's brewed as a malt beverage.

from wiki:
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In Europe and Canada, alcopops tend to be pre-mixed spirits, including vodka (e.g. Smirnoff Ice) or rum (e.g. Bacardi Breezer). In the United States, alcopops are generally un-hopped beers with added sugar, coloring and flavoring; these drinks are legally classified as beers and can be sold in outlets that do not or cannot carry spirit-based drinks.

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So it is classified as a beer, legally. I would say it's more closely related to beer than any other from of booze.