Monday’s ad is for Long Life, from 1963. The canned beer Long Life Beer was made by Ind Coope beginning in the 1950s, making it one of the early beers in cans in the UK. They launched a series of ads claiming that the recipe was formulated specifically for the can, and as a result “it never varies!” But it certainly looks good for out-of-focus fishing.
Archives for May 4, 2015
Star Wars Downunder: The Good, The Bad & The Thirsty
For some reason I really got caught up in the hoopla of Star Wars Day today. But what about beer and Star Wars, you might ask? Believe it or not, I found something. It’s an interesting fan film made in Australia, entitled Star Wars Downunder. It’s shot in 35mm and took 10 years to make, directed and co-written by Michael Cox. And because it’s Australian, it’s also about beer. The creators describe it by asking “what would happen if you crossed Star Wars with an Australian beer commercial?” And their answer was “Star Wars Downunder: an epic tale of the good the bad and the thirsty, described as “half an hour of action, special effects and lovable Aussie larakins.” On the film’s website, they recount the plot as follows:
The film tells the story of a lone Jedi: Merve Bushwacker (David Nicoll), returning home after a long absence. His mission? To partake in a refreshing beverage, known locally as amber fluid. On his arrival, he is dismayed to discover the planet has become as dry as a dead dingo′s donger, thanks to the tyrannical rule of Darth Drongo. Drongo has hoarded all the amber fluid in his impenetrable fortress “Dunny’s Deep” for reasons unknown. Can Merve, and a motley collection of unlikely allies band together to topple Drongo’s evil regime? Will liberty and amber fluid flow freely once more?
As many reporting on the film lament, there’s no scene in which the character says: “That’s not a loightsabah! THAT’S a loightsabah!” And while that would have been hilarious, there are, however, lightsaber boomerangs, because … well, why wouldn’t there be? Here’s the trailer:
Star Wars Downunder Trailer from Michael Cox on Vimeo.
Intrigued? You’re in luck, because you can watch the entire 30-minute film on YouTube, or below.
Patent No. 3181684A: Transfer Mechanism For Conveyor Keg Palletizing Device
Today in 1965, US Patent 3181684 A was issued, an invention of John Miller, assigned to Schaefer Brewing Co., for his “Transfer Mechanism For Conveyor Keg Palletizing Device.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states that his “invention is to provide a more efficient transfer mechanism for the barrels or kegs and particularly such a transfer mechanism which is more reliable and sure in operation in transferring the barrels or kegs from the conveyor to the skids which convey such barrels or kegs to the palletizing position.”
Patent No. 2677378A: Method And Apparatus For Picking Hops
Today in 1954, US Patent 2677378 A was issued, an invention of Florian F. Dauenhauer, for his “Method and Apparatus for Picking Hops.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states that his “present invention relates to improvements in a method and apparatus for picking hops.”
An object of this invention is to provide an improved method of picking hops from vines, assuring a thorough removal of the hops, with out damaging the hops. More specifically stated, the vines are formed into wave-like configurations, defining alternate crests and valleys extending lengthwise of the vines.
The waves thus formed are advanced lengthwise of the vines to continually replace crests by valleys and vice versa, thereby undulating the vines in first one direction and then the other for causing pendulum-like movements and exposure of the hops by the continual weaving of the vines. The hops are removed during the undulating of the vines.
Moreover, the method employs the progressive increasing of the amplitudes of the waves as the hops are picked. Also, crests and valleys of the waves are interchanged abruptly as the picking of the hops continue, and the branches of the vines are spread out laterally to expose hops and preclude the vines from matting.
Patent No. 581700A: Bottling Apparatus
Today in 1897, US Patent 581700 A was issued, an invention of Alvin James Donally, for his “Bottling Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states that he’s “invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottling Apparatus.” While he never summarizes what those are in a short, concise sentence, he does offer this.
It is highly desirable in the bottling of various liquids, and more especially in the bottling of ale and beer, to maintain gas or air pressure on the liquid both for the purpose of retaining the gas of the liquid in solution and for the purpose of effecting the delivery of the liquid into the bottles under a steady pressure, so that there may not be any material variation in the rate of flow, and it is also desirable to keep the liquid as far as possible from exposure to the air of the place where the bottling is carried on. It is of course desirable also to prevent the waste of the liquid which frequently occurs through the filling of the bottles to overflowing. Some of these objects have been attained in part hitherto; but so far as I am aware no apparatus has been devised as yet which will enable all of these objects to be attained in a satisfactory manner. Thus it has been sought to maintain the pressure on the liquid and to prevent the waste of liquid by providing in addition to the filling-tube a second tube, which returns or conducts to the barrel or other supply vessel the air displaced from the bottle, but this alone is not altogether satisfactory. It has also been proposed to maintain the required pressure of carbonic acid gas in the keg or barrel in which the liquid is delivered to the bottler. This is possible sometimes; but in some cases it happens that the keg or barrel is not capable of standing the gas-pressure which is necessary to force the liquid into the bottles. I have sought to provide in the first place for the separation in large part of the air displaced in the bottles from whatever overflow of liquid there may be, and for the escape of the air from the apparatus, and the return of the liquid to the supply vessel. I have sought also to provide for the admission of gas to the supply vessel without interference with the escape of the air and the return of the overflow. Furthermore, I have sought to provide for the handling of the liquid under gas pressure, in the manner already referred to, in cases where the original keg or barrel is not calculated to withstand gas pressure and the liquid can be drawn therefrom only by gravity.