extract. The fermentation of Bavarian beer is carried on at a low temperature and it contains only 2 or 3 per cent of alcohol. The aroma of this beer is fine, its taste is rather bitter, with an additional characteristic flavor from the containing cask derived largely from the pitch extracted from the wood of which the barrels are made.

The contents of malt liquors has been shown by analysis to consist of from 1 to 10 per cent of alcohol; from 4 to 15 per cent of dextrin, maltose and cellulose, certain free organic acids, as lactic, gallic, malic and acetic; in general, about two cubic inches of free carbonic acid gas per fluid ounce of liquor; mineral salts derived from the malt and water; and certain vegetable matters from the bitter hops, gentian root and chiretta used in the manufacture of malt liquors. The aromatic and bitter principles employed are harmless when taken in moderation, and usually exert a tonic action on the stomach. They serve to stimulate the appetite, invigorate the system and so act as agents introducing into the body an increased supply of nutriment. This constitutes the chief value of malt liquors.

"PRIMING."-A good many brewers are accustomed to "prime” their malt liquors by the addition of some saccharin substance before it is stored in casks. The priming substance used is not always the same, but as a rule it consists of glucose, which produces a "briskness" rather than "sweetness"; or an invert sugar when the property of palate fullness and lusciousness are desired.

FININGS. Just before barreling, a solution of isinglass in acetic or tartaric acid ("finings") is added to the cask, which soon settles in the form of a precipitate, carrying with it any remaining yeast cells and other impurities. After bottling, the beer becomes "brisker" than it was in the cask, since no gas can escape. Strong beer will keep well in the bottle for eighteen months or longer. High priced ales usually contain more solid matter, have a higher specific gravity and contain more hops than the cheaper grades. A good ordinary bitter ale usually contains from 18 to 19 pounds of solids to the barrel, while an ordinary mild ale carries only 16 or 17 pounds. A good bitter ale may have as much as 22 pounds and Bass ale as much as 23 pounds to the barrel of 36 gallons.

PORTER AND STOUT.-Porter is made with roasted or dark brown malt and contains alcohol 5 to 7 per cent and extract of malt 7 or 8 per cent; stout is a stronger kind of porter. They are manufactured in the same way as beer, with the exception that the malt is first thoroughly roasted in cylinders, much as coffee is. This roasting process produces some caramel to which the dark color of these beverages is mainly due.

This heating process, by killing the diastase, prevents further production of dextrin and sugar in the "mashing." The proportion of solid matter in the liquor is often increased by the addition of caramel or of invert sugar. German beers are fermented at a lower temperature than English or American beers. They contain more dextrins, also, and secondary fermentation takes place in them to a large extent, with the production of much carbonic acid gas.

The composition of malt liquors has been studied very extensively by Crampton (22) of the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Bulletin No. 13, entitled "Fermented Alcoholic Beverages." Crampton, in Table No. I, page 563, gives the analyses of American malt liquors.

The more important constituents of these beverages are alcohol, dextrins, sugar, a small amount of soluble nitrogenous matter and vegetable acids. Tibbles, in his work on "Foods, Their Origin, Composition and Manufacture," gives in Tables II and III analyses of English, German and Bavarian beers, ale and porter, taken from the "Hospital," April 24, 1909:

Bass's Pale Ale (bottled).

.36 2.13 1.60 .076 .049

1061.1 5.32 5.01 .35 1.43 1.57 .073 .054 .094 .060 .034

Action of Malt Liquors on Digestion. The action of malt liquors on digestion has received considerable study. Hutchison is of the opinion that they exert but "little retarding influence on salivary digestion, and any action that they may possess is entirely due to their acidity. Stout is twice as acid as beer, and hence has a greater retarding action on the digestion of starch by the saliva." The hop extract in beer is inclined to induce drowsiness, and by causing a more profuse flow of saliva, rather improves than retards salivary digestion.

Beer, if taken alone, does not remain in the stomach longer than water. If taken on an empty stomach, 200 c.c. will be found to have left. the stomach in about one and a half hours. "If taken with food, it delays the chemical processes of digestion more than the mere amount of alcohol which it contains will explain." Hutchison thinks that the extract and salts are the contributing causes. It is probable, however, that a tumblerful of good, brisk beer may actually aid digestion by increasing appetite and stimulating a more abundant secretion of the gastric juice as well as stimulating more active movements of the stomach. In persons of weak digestion, beer is prone to produce biliousness and has a tendency to act as a fat producer. If used in excess it produces obesity and in some cases a permanent dilatation of the stomach. In some individuals, all liquors are prone to give rise to acidity of the stomach. This may be the result of acid fermentation. Again, in other persons, it seems to exert an unfavorable influence on the liver, producing dyspeptic symptoms. It is for these reasons, among others, that beer is not a good beverage for the sedentary individual, unless in very moderate amount.

Stout and porter are popularly believed to be more digestible. "If it be desired to avoid nervousness," says Hutchison, "and to get rid of insomnia, shun tea and coffee and drink stout."

On account of the extractives present, beer contains more nourishment than any other alcoholic beverage. It does not follow from this, however, that beer is to be recommended as an economical food, for, as we have scen, alcohol is to be regarded as a food only in limited amount. According to Hutchison, "five liters of good German beer with 5 per cent of extract should yield 250 grams of carbohydrate (1,025 calories), which is half the total required daily, and in addition 100 to 150 grams of alcohol with a fuel value of from 700 to 1,050 calories."

It has been determined by exhaustive study of the effects of malt liquors on the digestive system that, when containing the bitter principle of hops, they act as appetizers, aid digestion and encourage sleep.