There are a great many preparations of malt with hops which are known as malt extract, or some similar name, which varieties of beer are usually made from a mash the fermentation of which is not carried to such an extent as is the case with real beer. In other words, there is a larger percentage of extract in proportion to the amount of alcohol. The malt extracts are more nutritious than beer in the same proportion that sugar is more nutritious than alcohol.

The quantity of alcohol contained in malt extracts is usually not very large, while the quantity of unfermented maltose, dextrose and of the other extractives is increased.

In so far as the name is concerned, the beverage which has just been described is no more malt extract than a regular beer. While perhaps there may have been no intention or deception, it can hardly be denied that to call a preparation of this kind a malt extract is to a certain extent a misnomer. Real malt extracts are highly prized as tonics for convalescents and invalids, and are largely prescribed by physicians. It is possible that many persons who use these tonics may not be aware of the fact that they are partially fermented, and are of the nature and character of a mild beer. A genuine malt extract, secured from the malt by the action of water, can be easily made and preserved by sterilization in bottles. Such an extract might also be made with hops, and a preparation of this kind would be a true extract of malt and hops, in which no alcohol could be found, but in which the nutrient properties of the malt and the bitter properties of the hops would be combined in one beverage. The name malt extract should be reserved for an extract of malt pure and simple, and the name for an extract of malt and hops be descriptive of the kind of beverage which is indicated. The official formula for making a true malt extract is given on page 156 of the Ninth Decennial Revision of the U. S. Pharmacopoeia. It is a saturated extract of 1,000 grams of malt to make a liter of extract. It contains no alcohol.