Monday’s ad is for Schaefer Beer, from 1947. It’s one of a series of ads Schaefer did with famous people talking about the “Finest Beer I Ever tasted.” In this one, it’s Carole Landis, who was an American actress in the late 1930s through around 1948. Although you can’t see why in this photo, Landis’ nickname was “The Chest.”
Archives for April 20, 2015
Patent No. 5203181A: Container-Cooler
Today in 1993, US Patent 5203181 A was issued, an invention of Charles E. Brossia, Philip S. Desmond, and Eckhard F. Rahn, assigned to Miller Brewing Company, for their “Container-Cooler.” Here’s the Abstract:
A container-cooler for a beverage, such as beer, includes a conventional keg-shaped outer shell, an inner vessel for containing the beverage retained within the shell, and a space between the inner vessel and the outer shell for receiving a cooling medium, such as ice.
Patent No. 1581918A: Production Of Fermentable Worts
Today in 1926, US Patent 1581918 A was issued, an invention of William Hastings Campbell, for his “Production of Fermentable Worts.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that “This invention relates to the production of fermentable worts, the production of industrial alcohol and the cultivation of yeast, and has for its object to provide improvements therein.” Here’s a bit more.
The invention consists broadly in the process of producing fermentable worts and the cultivation of yeast which comprises introducing the liquor component of the wort and the solid material from which the fermentable bodies are derived into apparatus in which a plurality of superimposed inclinable diaphragms are arranged, allowing the solid material to settle on the diaphragms, withdrawing the wort and discharging the solid material from the apparatus after a suitable washing operation to extract the soluble bodies mechanically held thereby.
The Portland Cuckoo Clock
This post is just a bit of fun, especially if you love clocks and are intrigued by anything to do with time. This was the first time, I got to see the Portland is Happening Now cuckoo clock that was installed at Portland International Airport (PDX) in December of last year, and it is a sight to behold.
It’s only going to be there through this fall, so if you have a chance to go through PDX, be sure to stop and stare at it for at least a few minutes in a zen-like trance. It’s 24-feet tall and weighs 7,000 pounds, which makes it the largest free-standing cuckoo clock in the United States. It was made by Nicolas Gros, and the clock was carved by native Oregon sculptor J. Chester Armstrong.
The actual cuckoo is a rooster, but you only see him once per hour. There are, however, numerous symbols associated with Oregon, and that means beer, too. One of the twelve symbols on the gear on the clock face is a beer glass with “You’re Welcome” printed on it.
But I’m especially keen on the two Blue Jays drinking from a mug of beer that cycles around the two doors on either side of the bottom of the clock face. It’s a curious choice, since Blue Jays aren’t native to Oregon, or anywhere on the west coast for that matter. But they’re one of my favorite birds and I grew up with them in Pennsylvania. There’s also a lot of other very cool Oregon things, like Bigfoot and bicycles, and of course a man riding a beer barrel holding a glass of beer out in joy and celebration, a smile across his face. That’s Oregon, but especially Portland.
Patent No. 3178896A: Beer Keg Cooler
Today in 1965, US Patent 3178896 A was issued, an invention of Bjorn P. Sandsto, for his “Beer Keg Cooler.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that “This invention relates to a new and improved beer keg cooler for use in cooling small beer kegs and other items, characterized by the simplicity of its cooling system and the portability and freedom from moving parts of the cooler itself.”
Patent No. 2675822A: Beer Dispenser With Means For Controlling The Head Of Foam
Today in 1954, US Patent 2675822 A was issued, an invention of Alfred W. Redlin, for his “Beer Dispenser with Means for Controlling the Head of Foam.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that “This invention relates to a beer dispensing system and is particularly directed to a system designed to dispense liquid beer with the full carbonization retained in solution therein, and foam in separate quantities desired.”