Thursday’s ad is for the Lemp Brewery of St. Louis, from 1912, and specifically their original Falstaff bottled beer. I especially love the expression of the model in the inset picture, she’s a peach, but it almost looks like she’s taunting us. And that inset picture has its own inset picture, a portrait presumably of the Shakespearean character Falstaff. Or it may be a framed photo of Falstaff on the table. Either way, he’s there there, even though he’s not exactly much of a role model, usually described as being “fat, vain, boastful, and [a] cowardly knight, he spends most of his time drinking at the Boar’s Head Inn with petty criminals.”
Archives for April 9, 2015
Patent No. 2196193A: Method Of Aging Alcoholic Liquors
Today in 1940, US Patent 2196193 A was issued, an invention of Leslie A. Chambers and Edward W. Smith, for their “Method of Aging Alcoholic Liquors.” There’s no Abstract, but the description claims that the “present invention relates to the application of vibratory energy, particularly at supersonic frequencies, to the aging of alcoholic liquors used as beverages, stimulants, etc., for human consumption as, for instance, whiskies, brandies, rums, liqueurs, and to some extent to the so-called lighter or undistilled liquors as wines, cider and champagne and also beer and ale.” That seems like a strange idea to me, but who knows? The application mentions using an oscillator. It must have been too successful, or we’d be using oscillators to age all our beers. It’s certainly an interesting read to hear some of the ideas circa 1940 about aging alcohol.
Patent No. 850070A: Beer-Tapper
Today in 1907, US Patent 850070 A was issued, an invention of Richard B Spikes, for his “Beer-Tapper.” There’s no Abstract, but here’s what the description claims. “My invention relates to that class of devices known ‘beer-tappers,’ which in the nature of appliances for opening and dispensing beer from the keg or barrel. Such devices have heretofore been employed which simultaneously opened an outlet for beer and an interior air.”