Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 3422448A: Tapping Device For Beer Kegs And The Like

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Today in 1969, US Patent 3422448 A was issued, an invention of Mack S. Johnston, for his “Tapping Device for Beer Kegs and the Like.” There’s no Abstract, but here’s his introduction in the description:

The present invention relates to a new improved tapping device for drawing fluid such as beer from containers such as beer kegs or barrels, using a gas to drive the fluid from the container. In particular, the invention relates to a new improved tapping device usable with conventional beer kegs and comprising a sub-unit, called a keg adapter, which constantly seals the keg, and a subunit, called a coupler, which is attached to the beer dispensing apparatus in a restaurant or tavern and is readily connected to the keg adapter so that the tapping device is automatically in operating condition.

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Patent No. 718253A: Concentrated Hopped Wort And Process Of Producing Same

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Today in 1903, US Patent 718253 A was issued, an invention of Herbert Amos Hobson of London, England, assigned to the Concentrated Beer Company Ltd., for his “Concentrated Hopped Wort and Process of Producing Same.” There’s no Abstract, or any drawings filed with the application, but here’s the introductory overview:

This invention relates to the production of a hopped wort from which beer, either alcoholic or non-alcoholic, maybe produced by the mere addition of yeast and water or of water alone, as the case may be.

In the ordinary brewing process the malt is first mashed and the hops are then added to and boiled in the wort or extract of malt, with the result that the bitter of the hop is unfavorably affected, objectionable resinous matters are extracted, and the volatile aroma of the hops is to a great extent lost, and these undesirable results are partly due to the length of time for which the boiling is continued and partly to the high boiling-point of the liquor in which the hops are boiled. It is the object of this invention to avoid these defects and to produce a hopped wort, preferably in a concentrated state, possessing the keeping qualities necessary for export purposes and adapted for the production, in the locality or country of consumption, of beer possessing the characteristic qualities of beer brewed in the ordinary manner.

While there weren’t any images in the filing, this is a flowchart of Alternative Sources of Hopped Wort from a homebrewing website in South Africa.

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Patent No. 1328079A: Process Of Mashing

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Today in 1920, US Patent 1328079 A was issued, an invention of Charles B. Davis, for his “Process of Mashing.” There’s no Abstract, and there’s not much of an introduction or overview, he just dives right into a detailed explanation of his invention. It’s curious that the patent office approved it three days before Prohibition took effect in 1920, although he first applied for the patent in 1915. Davis probably didn’t make too many sales over the subsequent thirteen years.
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Patent No. D69235S: Design For A Bottle Opener

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Today in 1926, US Patent D69235 S was issued, an invention of Everett Irving Rogers Jr., for his “Design for a Bottle Opener.” There’s no Abstract, and in fact there’s very little text in the application at all, save for that he “invented a certain new, original, and ornamental design for a bottle opener, of which [is] substantially as shown. It’s an odd looking opener. Was there really a burning demand for bottle openers shaped like the head of a camel?

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Patent No. 3228413A: Keg Tapping Device

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Today in 1966, US Patent 3228413 A was issued, an invention of Frederick F. Stevens Jr., for a “Keg Tapping Device.” There’s no Abstract, but there’s this from the description:

The general object of this invention is to provide an improved device for tapping kegs or similar containers, the device being relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy and safe to use, and sanitary.

A more particular object of this invention is to provide a tapping device which eliminates any danger of parts being blown from the device during the attachment of the device or a part thereof to a keg.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tapping device which is usable with conventional kegs, of the type having cylindrical sleeves defining the tapping openings, without any modification of the kegs. In keeping with this object, a further object is to provide a tapping device which is usable with kegs having cylindrical tapping opening-deiining sleeves of various axial lengths.

A further object of this invention is to provide a tapping device which does not require a cylindrical sleeve or other complicated keg structure at the tapping opening and which may be used with a simplified keg, of lower cost than present conventional kegs, having a tapping opening consisting of nothing more than a simple round opening passing through a flat Wall of the keg.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a tapping device of the foregoing character which consists of one part or sub-assembly, called the keg unit, adapted to be permanently, or at least semi-permanently, attached to a keg so as to remain with the keg through a number of fillings and emptyings of the keg, and another part or sub-assembly, called the tavern unit, which is adapted 3,228,413 Patented Jan.. 11, 1966 to be attached to the cooling and drawing equipment at a tavern and which remains at the tavern.

Another object of this invention is to provide a keg unit for a tapping device as set forth in the preceding paragraph, which keg unit replaces the plug conventionally used in the tapping opening during shipment of the keg and which is completely leakproof so as to avoid any danger of the beer going flat because of loss of pressure.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tapping device including a safety means for automatically bleeding air from the associated keg to maintain the pressure in the keg at a safe level in the event the pressure tends to rise above such level. In keeping with this object, a further object of the invention is to provide a tapping device wherein excess pressure may be manually bled from the keg without uncoupling any part of the device from the keg and without loss of beer.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel method of assemblying a keg unit of the foregoing character with a keg whereby an improved and safe mounting of the unit to the keg is obtained together with maximum utilization of the space provided by the tapping opening.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a keg having combined therewith in a permanent or semi-permanent manner a tapping unit designed for cooperation with a complementary unit at the point of use, the tapping unit being joined to the keg in an improved manner providing simplicity of construction, strength and safety, among other benefits.

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Patent No. 4068005A: Accelerated Fermentation Of Lager Beer

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Today in 1978, US Patent 4068005 A was issued, an invention assigned to Miller Brewing Company, for the “Accelerated Fermentation of Lager Beer.” Here’s the Abstract:

A method of accelerating the fermentation of a lager-type beer comprises conducting the fermentation at an elevated temperature with or without exogenous agitation while maintaining the dissolved carbon dioxide concentration in the fermentation liquor at a level approximating that found in a fermentation liquor during a normal supersaturated lager-type bottom-fermentation. The level of dissolved carbon dioxide is maintained at about 1.5 to about 2.0 cc per cc of beer by use of an overpressure of 2-20 psig of carbon dioxide.

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Patent No. 20140008367A1: Beverage Delivery Can

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Today in 2014, just last year, US Patent 20140008367 A1 was issued, an invention of six people including Jim Koch, and assigned to the Boston Beer Co., for a “Beverage Delivery Can.” Here’s the Abstract:

A beverage delivery can may comprise various configurations. Such configurations may comprise various aperture shapes, sizes, and configurations and various shapes, textures, configurations, and dimensions of the lid and surface of the can. A beverage can may comprise various exterior shapes such as a tapered shape, a faceted shape, a pint glass shape and the like. In embodiments, the beverage can may comprise various types of nucleation devices. In embodiments, various external packaging may be used with one or more beverage delivery cans.

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This not the can, at least not yet, that Boston Beer put their Samuel Adams Boston Lager and other beers in, a prototype for which is below. This can design more resembles their proprietary glass, so perhaps we’ll one day see this can on store shelves.
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Patent No. 640860A: Combination Beer Bottle & Glass

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Today in 1900, US Patent 640860 A was issued, an invention of William Baum Jr., for a “Combination Beer Bottle and Glass.” There’s no Abstract, but it’s described in the application like this. “The invention consists of the combination, with a main body portion or bottle, of a top portion detachably mounted thereon and adapted to be used as a drinking cup or glass, and a base portion also detachable mounted on the body portion and adapted to act as a support for the detachable cup portion.” It seems like an interesting idea, perfect for travel since you wouldn’t have to pack a glass, but I don’t think it ever quite caught on.

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V Is For Vomit

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Inexplicably today is “Vomit Day,” though I’m not entirely sure why. Usually days have sponsors, or were created by somebody. Nope. Often they make sense, like if it was possibly the day after St. Patrick’s Day or New Year’s Eve. Or perhaps something significant occurred in history to mark the day or there’s some tradition behind it. Nope. I’ve been collecting holidays and dates since I lived in New York City in the late 1970s, so I got it from somewhere, I just don’t know where I found it, and Google didn’t turn up anything useful or definitive. So I’m left scratching my head as to why today might be “Vomit Day.” But celebrate we will.

A few years ago I made a list of Puke Words, that is different slang terms for throwing up, tossing your cookies or paying homage to the porcelain god. It’s not nearly as exhaustive as my Drunk Words list, but it was only a one day project on a slow news day once upon a time. It was merely a love of language that set me down that path. But whether by getting sick or — gasp — drinking a bit too much, I reckon it’s happened to all of us at one time in our lives and I thought it would be fun to see how many puke words I could find. If you know of one I missed, please leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list. If you know where it came from, or anything more about it, that would be even better, but if it’s just something you heard somewhere while your head was bent over in the commode, that’s okay, too. Happy Vomit Day, everybody! Let’s be careful out there.

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Patent No. 3784059A: Beverage Can Drinking Holder

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Today in 1974, US Patent 3784059 A was issued, an invention of John Katzakian, for a “Beverage Can Drinking Holder.” Here’s the Abstract:

A beverage can drinking holder including an annular sleeve encircling the upper end margin of a beverage can wherein the sleeve has an interior surface gradually tapering radially inwardly progressively upwardly for receiving and seating the upper end edge of the can. The sleeve includes an annular upper end edge forming a drinking lip encircling the sleeve and spaced above the upper edge of the can a distance sufficient to provide an overflow reservoir for receiving an expanding volume of foam and beverage from the can below. In addition, a sharp rigid can-piercing element is carried within the sleeve for driving an opening into the top of the can. A stein or mug-like holder assembly includes a pair of spaced annular members for receiving the opposite ends of the can wherein one of the members is movable between advanced and retracted positions to permit insertion of the can therebetween and subsequent holding of the can by moving the movable member to its advanced position.

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