Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 2774229A: Draft Beer Dispenser

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Today in 1956, US Patent 2774229 A was issued, an invention of Karl Thau and August Kiel Sr., for their “Draft Beer Dispenser.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

Draft beer, i.e. beer as it is drawn from a barrel or keg of relatively large size, e.g. 4 gallons or more generally is less expensive per unit of volume than beer in smaller containers such as tin cans or bottles. Draft beer also is preferred by many people.

Heretofore however the use of draft beer generally has been limited to situations in which the entire contents of a barrel or keg is consumed quickly e. g. within a day or so because beer is known to deteriorate rapidly after a portion of the beer in the container has been withdrawn and replaced by air.

It has been proposed to preserve the beer in large containers such as barrels and kegs by refrigeration, and by replacing the beer which is withdrawn with carbon dioxide gas but such attempts have not, so far as we are advised, been successful in making it practicable for a person or family to use the contents of a keg over a period of one or more weeks.

An object of my invention therefore is to provide a draft beer dispenser adapted for home use or for use on small boats and in other similar situations, which will preserve the beer and permit its use over a relatively long period of time.

A further object of my invention is to provide a portable unit which is capable of use wherever electric current is available.

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It’s The Most Wonderful Time To Drink Beer

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I first made Johann, the founder of Seef Bier, in San Francisco, when he was here to do a presentation with his importer and the Belgian Trade Delegation as he was beginning to import his beer to the U.S. And I quite like Seef, and have since I first tried it. I saw him most recently last month in Belgium, when he was on hand to pick up the gold medal for Seef he received at the Brussels Beer Challenge. At any rate, this morning he sent me this fun video of Christmas Wishes from Seefbier, a spoof of the popular Christmas carol recorded by Andy Williams, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. It really is the most wonderful time to drink beer. Enjoy.

Patent No. 838735A: Beer-Racking Apparatus

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Today in 1906, US Patent 838735 A was issued, an invention of Henry L. Momburg, for his “Beer-Racking Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention is a means for filling receptacles, and I have chosen to illustrate the same in this application as embodied in a beer-racking apparatus.

One object of my invention is the provision of means for rapidlyfilling kegs or other receptacles with liquid.

Another object of my invention is the provision of means for completely filling the kegs or other receptacles with liquid without wasting the liquid.

As the liquid beer, for instance, is supplied to or introduced into the keg it will foam and the foam will float on top of the liquid as the keg is filled. Now in order to completely fill the keg it has been necessary to allow the foam to run out of the bunghole and be wasted, the beer also overflowing unless shut off just as the liquid reaches the bung-hole. This operates to waste considerable beer when filling a number of kegs,.and as the filling operation should be completed as speedily possible the drip and overflow beer wasted is a considerable amount.

My invention is designed to avoid all waste from any source whatever, and if a little care be used no appreciable amount of beer need be wasted.

Of course if the foam in the keg is not al lowed to overflow then short keg is the result, the beer not completely filling the keg, and the air commingled with the foam will operate to make the beer flat and destroy the taste and freshness. By the use of my apparatus this danger is avoided, since the keg is filled completely with beer, the foam being forced out of the keg, and hence when the bung is driven into the keg there is no air left in the keg and the beer retains its original strength, freshness, and taste.

Another object of my invent-ion is the provision of a means for receiving the foam and overflow beer from one keg and supplying it to the succeeding keg to be filled without impairing the beer in the slightest, and yet effect- I ing a saving of the liquid.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a novel means for retaining the filling-tube in the keg by releasably locking it 1 1place when inserted through the bungs vision of an inexpensive, simple, and neat racking apparatus which will effectually perform all the work required in a highly efficient manner.

To these ends my invention consists, broadly, of a suitable supporting-frame, upon which is carried the filling tube or tubes, which are provided with means for receiving the overflow beer, which means is also connected with a member, likewise carried by the frame, for causing the expulsion of the overflow beer into the next keg to be filled, together with means for connecting the filling tube with the source of supply.

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Patent No. 664185A: Keg, Barrel, Or Cask

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Today in 1900, US Patent 664185 A was issued, an invention of Charles W. Stran, for his “Keg, Barrel, Or Cask.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to improvements in kegs, barrels, or casks, and pertains more especially to an article of the character indicated that is made of sheet metal.

The object of this invention is to provide a keg, barrel, or cask that possesses great strength and durability, whose heads cannot become displaced, that can be made with facility, and that is exceedingly simple in construction and comparatively inexpensive.

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Next Session Questions The Friendliness Of Breweries

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For the 107th Session, our host will be Dan Conley, who writes the brewery blog for the Community Beer Works in Buffalo, New York. For his topic, he’s asking us to consider whether breweries are our friends, or not, by bluntly asking the question. “Are breweries your friends?” Dan goes on to explain what he’s looking for in his announcement for the January Session:

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To be in business nowadays you pretty much have to have a social media presence. This is especially true in the beer world, where some breweries have basically built themselves on their personality. And yet, at the end of the day, we’re also selling you something.

I believe this is the first Session to be hosted by a brewery rather than beer blogger. [It’s not, but he’s correct that there haven’t been many. Ed.] How do you feel about that? Do you want your feeds clear of businesses, or do you like when a brewery engages with people? Can you think of anyone who does it particularly well, or poorly? As the person who does our social media, which I think is very good (although not quite good enough), I struggle with this problem. I’m on both sides, and rather than come to any sort of conclusion of my own I thought I would make all of you write about it.

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So what do you think? Are breweries in the friend zone? Should they be? Should they stay at arm’s length from their customers? Or somewhere in between? To participate in the January Session, leave the link to your post in a comment to the original announcement or tag them on Twitter at @communitybeer with your post on or before Friday, January 1. And please note that the first Friday of the month of January is the very first day of the new year. Given the revelry of the night before, it may be easy to overlook so you may want to tackle it before popping the cork on 2015.

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Patent No. 20090308879A1: Method Of Distributing Beer

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Today in 2009, US Patent 20090308879 A1 was issued, an invention of James H. Johnson, Jr., for his “Method of Distributing Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

A method of distributing beer includes the steps of providing a beer staging structure adjacent a retail location for the sale of beer, stocking beer in the structure and advertising for the beer on the structure.

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Patent No. 3484244A: Fermenting And Aging A Malt Beverage

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Today in 1968, US Patent 3484244 A was issued, an invention of Peter D. Bayne and Joseph A. Kozulis, assigned to Schlitz Brewing Co., for their “Fermenting and Aging a Malt Beverage.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to a method of brewing and more particularly to a method of fermenting and aging a malt beverage.

The present invention is directed to a method of fermenting and aging at malt beverage which is based on a concept directly opposed to traditional brewing practices. More specifically, the wort is introduced into a tank and pitched with yeast. Following the addition of yeast, the Wort is continuously circulated from the tank to a heat exchanger and returned to the tank in a closed flow system. A cooling medium is supplied to the heat exchanger to maintain the wort at a temperature in the range of 45 to 70 F. during the fermentation process.

When the fermentation has proceeded to a point where the specific gravity of the wort falls to a predetermined value below 5 Plato the supply of the cooling medium to the heat exchanger is terminated and the fermented wort circulating within the closed system will gradually increase in temperature due to the heat generated by the fermentation process. The temperature of the fermented wort is permitted to rise until it reaches a value at least 4 above the fermenting temperature, and generally in the range of 50 to F., and is maintained at this temperature by controlled circulation of the cooling medium. At this time the yeast is still present in the beer and the beer is continuously circulated through the system for a period of about one to five days and until the diacetyl content falls to a value below 0.2 p.p.m. and the acetaldehyde content decreases to a value below 5 p.p.m. At this time, the beer is considered to be fully aged or matured.

At the end of the maturation cycle, the temperature of the circulating beer is reduced to a value of about 29 to 32 F. approaching the freezing point of beer. With the beer at this temperature, the beer is withdrawn from the tank and pumped through a centrifuge to re move the yeast. Following the removal of yeast, the beer is prefiltered and carbonated, injected with enzymes, and other additives, polish filtered, the carbonation adjusted and then is stored in government storage tanks for packaging in accordance with conventional brewing procedures. In some instances, only one filtration may be necessary to prepare the beer for packaging.

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Patent No. 715828A: Tray For Beer Glasses

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Today in 1902, US Patent 715828 A was issued, an invention of Albert Markmann, for his “Tray For Beer Glasses.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to supports or saucers for beer-glasses and the like; and my improvements in the same consist in certain arrangements and combinations of parts, as are fully described hereinafter.

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Patent No. 222639A: Improvement In Apparatus For Forcing Beer From Casks

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Today in 1879, US Patent 222639 A was issued, an invention of James A. O’Connor, for his “Improvement in Apparatus for Forcing Beer from Casks.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to an improved apparatus for maintaining the pressure in beer-4 casks, and for preserving the freshness of the beer While it is being drawn from the casks and it consists in the combination, with an air-pump, of an air-reservoir connected to the beer-cask by a suitable pipe, the said reservoir-being composed of two cylindrical or polygonal vessels, closed at their outer ends, and arranged to slide one within the other through a packed joint, as hereinafter more fully described.

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And here’s the original drawing filed with the application:
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Patent No. 747111A: Beer-Tap

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Today in 1903, US Patent 747111 A was issued, an invention of Paul B. Abrell, for his “Beer-Tap.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The objects of this invention are to provide a beer-tap which can be readily and easily applied to a barrel or similar package to enable an impervious connection to be secured and the tap to be locked in such position until its removal is desired, to obtain such a connection before the flow of liquid is started, to obviate the use of a mallet to remove the bung of a package and secure greater convenience, and to obtain other advantages and results, some of which will be hereinafter referred to in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved beertap and bung therefor and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

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