Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 764657A: Pasteurizing Apparatus

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Today in 1904, US Patent 764657 A was issued, an invention of William Clasmann, assigned to Pabst Brewing Co., for his “Pasteurizing Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates particularly to apparatus for pasteurizing or sterilizing bottled beer and other products, beverages, food, or perishable substances contained in sealed or closed receptacles-such as bottles, cans, jars, and the like.

The main objects of the invention are to gradually heat the beer or other material to be treated to a pasteurizing temperature, to hold it at that temperature for a certain time and then graduallyT cool it, to save heat, to avoid waste of water, to economize space, and generally to improve the construction and operation of apparatus of the class to which the invention relates.

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Patent No. 4160787A: Process For Extracting Bitter Flavoring Principles From Hops

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Today in 1979, US Patent 4160787 A was issued, an invention of Manfred Moll, Roland Flayeux, Pierre Dicesare, and Bernard Gross, for their “Process For Extracting Bitter Flavoring Principles From Hops.” Here’s the Abstract:

A process is described for converting the α- and β-acids of hops into the iso-α acids for use as a bitter flavoring principle ingredient for beers. The α-acids content of the hops is directly isomerized to the iso-α-acid, the bitter principle ingredient. The β acids in the hops extract is transformed to the α acid either after a direct separation step before the α-acid isomerization or the residual β-acids, after the isomerization, are then transformed and the resultant α-acid is isomerized. The β-acid transformation results from a radiation activation followed by an oxidation step with a per – acid.

The isomerization of the α-acid to the iso-α-acid is accomplished by reaction with an alkaline earth metal ethoxide preferably the magnesium ethoxide.

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Patent No. 3454018A: Apparatus For Processing Beer Kegs

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Today in 1969, US Patent 3454018 A was issued, an invention of Maurice Ruddick, for his “Apparatus For Processing Beer Kegs.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

Apparatus for automatically washing beer kegs or like containers comprises a head which is applied to the bung hole or other opening of the container with the container inverted, pipes connected to the head for the supply of washing water and detergent for washing the container and steam for lblowing the water and detergent out of the container after washing and a drainage pipe through which the discharged water and subsequently the steam ows from the container. The supply of water, detergent and steam is controlled by pneumatically operated valves in the pipes and the supply of air to control these valves is controlled by solenoid valves operated by an electrical sequence controller. The drainage pipe has an electrical temperature sensitive device electrically connected to the sequence controller which prevents the sequence controller from operating said Valves to cause further washing water or detergent to be supplied tothe container until all previous liquid has been blown out by the steam and there is a flow of steam through the drainage pipe over the temperature sensitive device.

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AB-InBev Buys Pioneering Brazilian Brewery

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Cervejaria Colorado was one of Brazil’s first small breweries when it opened in 1995. I met founder Marcello Carneiro in Argentina when I was there for beer judging in 2011. He’s one of the most fun-loving people I’ve ever met and I’ve since seen him in Brazil and also stateside a few times. He announced earlier today on Facebook that AmBev would be acquiring his brewery. Here’s the Google translation of the announcement:

Dear friends of the bear, we are very happy to formalize you that now the Colorado it becomes part of the group Ambev, along the breweries beer! In 1995, our founder, Marcelo Carneiro, started his journey in the country and put the breweries Colorado on the international market, solidifying a company that today bill around $18 million per year. 20 years ago we work with dignity and fight for the cause brewery, we gain strength and tread a path of large awards, authenticity and it will now be even better! We will continue to develop Brazilian genuinely revenue, our DNA. The Union of the brands will make it possible to increase the capacity of distribution of Colorado and, of course, to our dear Marcelo to devote even more to research of ingredients. Our commitment to the lovers of good beer is still strong and the dream that unites the two pubs is the recovery of the Brazilian beer, with ingredients Brazilians and produced for consumers from north to south of the country. Unite is to make this dream a reality, the dream of the Brazilian school of beer! A toast and hug from bear.

AmBev, you may recall, is the Companhia de Bebidas das Américas, a Brazilian brewing company, and the largest in Latin America and 5th worldwide. It was established by a merger of Brahma and Antarctica in 1999. After more business dealings, mergers and acquisitions, today is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. AmBev makes Antarctica, Brahma, Bohemia, and Skol, and in addition has a controlling interest in the popular Argentine brand Quilmes.

AmBev also released a statement, which I’ve used Google Translate to make more understandable as my Portuguese is worthless:

COLORADO NOW IS THE TIME OF THE BREWERY BOHEMIA

Breweries unite the passion for beer and the search for innovation

The dream of creating a Brazilian school of beer, based on the valuation of culture and national ingredients, joined our Brewery Bohemia Brewery and Colorado. The mark of São Paulo is now part of our team, bringing their tradition, quality, passion and daring.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to achieve my dream with Cervejaria Bohemia. When I founded the Colorado 20 years ago, always wanted to give a national touch to recipes and create a Brazilian school of beer, as there is the German and Belgian. I know that together we will make it happen, “says Marcelo Cerneiro, founder of Colorado.

Wakswaser Daniel, director of marketing for Cervejaria Bohemia, also celebrates the partnership: “It’s a time of celebration for the Brazilian culture. Our union allows further spread the knowledge brewing across the country. Consumers will have more choices, varied beers, unusual income and undisputed quality. ”

The Colorado follows with manufacturing in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo. All labels will be maintained and the union with Bohemia Brewery will bring innovation to the portfolio. With the alliance, the distribution of power increases, enabling the brand to bring more beer enthusiasts throughout Brazil.

So it appears that the acquisition will merge Colorado with AmBev’s premium division headed by Cervejaria Bohemia, just as Wäls did in February, when AmBev bought them, as well. Also, in May, they acquired the Bogotá Beer Co., which is/was Colombia’s largest craft brewer.” So it appears there’s some long term plan for Latin America, just as we’re seeing here in the United States, too.

Marcelo’s also announced what his role will be going forward. “My job is international consultant, for a minimum of five years. My task will be to open new roads for Colorado, talk to business partners, represent the brand that I fought for 20 years. My fight has always been and will continue to facilitate the consolidation of a typically Brazilian brewing school, and it will never be abandoned.”

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Bia Amorim, me and Marcello after a beer dinner in São Paulo in 2011.

Patent No. EP0668347B1: Pan For Boiling Wort During Beer Production

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Today in 1999, US Patent EP 0668347 B1 was issued, an invention of Martin Widhopf, assigned to Anton Steinecker Entwicklungs GmbH, for his “Pan For Boiling Wort During Beer Production.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

A wort kettle for boiling wort for brewing, comprising a vapor escape pipe and a vapor compressor, wherein vapor can escape to the outside via said vapor escape pipe during heating of said wort kettle and can be diverted by means of a shut-off device via said vapor compressor during boiling, characterized in that said shut-off device is formed by a surge tank which is arranged in the flow direction of said vapor in said vapor escape pipe after a branch towards said vapor compressor.


Jeremy Warren Leaving Knee Deep

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Knee Deep Brewing Co. founder Jeremy Warren announced earlier today via Facebook that effective August 3 he’ll be leaving the brewery he started five years ago. Here’s what he’s saying so far:

The past 5 years has been a great ride with Knee Deep Brewing. From my half bbl home brew in my garage to 11,000 bbl in an 18,000 sq. ft. warehouse! I want to thank each and every one of you for your support and encouragement.

Your constant kind words and criticism keeps us Brewers on our toes in making the best beer possible.

With that said, it is with a bittersweet feeling that I’m announcing my separation from Knee Deep Brewing effective August 3rd.

Don’t freak out! I will be announcing my new project soon!

I will not disappoint!!

So it sounds like he’s already cooked another project and will leave Knee Deep intact, which is great. Join me in wishing him well on his next adventure.

UPDATE: The Sacramento Beer published a follow-up yesterday about Jeremy’s resignation that includes speculation that he’ll be opening his own brewery, which naturally is what we’re all thinking. But co-founder Jerry Moore, who’s also apparently the majority owner of Knee Deep, states “he was not surprised by Warren’s decision and he insisted that Knee Deep will not skip a beat.” He then adds this:

“Knee Deep owns those recipes and I own Knee Deep,” said Moore, noting that Warren has been a minority owner. “Knee Deep will continue to make all of the beers we’ve been making. We have four full-time brewers who have been making these beers.”

I don’t want to read too much into that statement, especially since I don’t know Jerry Moore, but it’s hard not to see it as inferring an issue or issues that led to Warren’s departure.

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Jeremy Warren from a recent article in Sacramento Magazine.

Patent No. 2893870A: Hopping Of Beer

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Today in 1959, US Patent 2893870 A was issued, an invention of Kurt Ritter, for his “Hopping of Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The invention relates to improvements in beer brewing and more particularly to an improved method of hopping beer.

The brewing of beer comprises generally the following steps: Ground malt is mashed with water, and the obtained malt solution (first wort) is freed from the malt residues (spent grains). Subsequently, the wort is boiled with addition of the required amount of hops and then separated from the spent hops and fermented with yeast. The hops are generally added as such or in coarsely disintegrated state to the Wort.

Said procedure has the drawback that, on boiling, only about one-third to one-fourth of the bitter principle (resins), contained in the hops, passes into the wort; in addition, a certain amount of the resins, e.g. about 3 to 7 percent, is lost in further processing (fermentation and storage) by precipitation.

So far, attempts to eliminate said drawbacks have not met with satisfactory results. Recently, it has been proposed to extract the resins by subjecting the hops in water or aqueous solutions to ultrasonic irradiation and to introduce the thus obtained resin extract into the boiling wort instead of hopping with natural hops. Said method, however, must be carried out with expensive and delicate devices, the operation of which requires high energy cost, and which are therefore uneconomical for commercial purposes. The preparation of such resin extracts by means of ultrasonic irradiation takes considerable time, for instance 1 to 2 hours and more. During this prolonged treatment, undesired side reactions may take place which may affect the brewing process, for instance with respect to the uniformly fine and pleasant taste of the produced beer.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a simple, reliable, and economic hopping procedure.

It is another object of the invention to provide a method by which the required amount of hops is considerably reduced and nonetheless a beer of uniform excellent quality and taste is produced.

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Patent No. 733284A: Process Of Converting Wort Into Beer

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Today in 1903, US Patent 733284 A was issued, an invention of Otto Selg and Carl Guntrum, for their “Process of Converting Wort into Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to an improved continuous process of converting wort into beer or other fermented liquid in a single apparatus and in such a manner that the beer is first thoroughly fermented and clarified before being impregnated with the carbonic acid gas. In this way the process is accelerated and a better product is obtained.

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Patent No. 2085879A: Bottle Capping Machine

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Today in 1937, US Patent 2085879 A was issued, an invention of Edward N. Trump, for his “Bottle Capping Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in a bottle capping machine and pertains more particularly to an apparatus for applying hooded or over-all caps to the head of milk bottles or the like. The caps are pre-formed in one piece, preferably from a sheet of light, strong and non-corrosive metal having a high degree of ductility, malleability and tenacity, such for example, as tissue aluminum of about the thickness of the cellulose product commonly known as Cellophane or of thin tinfoil, and which is capable of. being easily molded by pressure under atmospheric temperature to conform to the its form under ordinary usage.

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Patent No. 4844932A: Separation Of Wort From Mash

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Today in 1989, US Patent 4844932 A was issued, an invention of Iyadh S. Daoud, assigned to The Brewing Research Foundation, for his “Separation of Wort From Mash.” Here’s the Abstract:

A barrier cross-flow separation method is used to separate wort from mash in beermaking. The separator medium is preferably a cylindrical element with an internal diameter of at least 20 mm and a pore size in a range of from 10 μm to 100 μm. High gravity wort is obtainable from a four-step separation process which can handle mash free of husk and including large amounts of cereal adjunct. The wort may be clarified in a subsequent filtering step.

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