Today in 1988, US Patent WO 1988003556 A1 was issued, an invention of Joseph L. Owades, for his “Preparation Of Wort Extracts.” Joe is most well-known for having invented low-calorie light beer. Here’s the Abstract:

A method for producing a wort containing a reduced level of fermentable sugars. In a preferred embodiment the method consists of providing a warm aqueous suspension of ground malt, and adding the warm suspension to a boiling aqueous suspension of cereal adjuncts. The resulting wort is useful for producing a beer with a lower-than-normal alcohol content, or a malt beverage lacking sweetness usually associated with malt beverages.