Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Orval Day 2016

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Merchant du Vin, which was started by Charles and Rose Ann Finkel, is an importer of beer. But not just another importer, but one of the earliest in America to begin bringing in some of the world’s best beers. Like many people, one my first introductions to Belgian beer was Orval, which they started importing in 1978, along with others like Lindemans, Rochefort, Westmalle and others. This year, they’ve decided to promote Orval by creating “Orval Day” to celebrate the beer. It’s certainly one of my favorites. So it may be a marketing ploy, but so are many other holidays, and I think the beer is so good that it deserves its own day.

Here’s the info about Orval Day from Merchant du Vin’s website:

On March 26th, devotees of Orval Trappist Ale – and even some folks who haven’t tried it yet – will convene upon their favorite bar to celebrate one of the world’s most unique beers. Orval was the first Brett beer to land on US shores, and has become the favorite beer for many star American brewers. Orval sells one beer, brewed to exquisite perfection within the walls of Notre Dame d’Orval Monastery in Belgium. It’s delicious when it leaves the brewery, but also evolves in the bottle for five years or more. A portion of the proceeds from Orval Day will be donated to MAP International.

2016 will be the first year of Orval Day: visit our events page to find a great beer.

I last visited Orval in early 2014, so I thought I’d share a few of the photos I took of the brewery and abbey during that trip. Enjoy. And happy Orval Day.

Orval Day Tour

Patent No. 1995814A: Steam Boiler

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Today in 1935, US Patent 1995814 A was issued, an invention of Thomas J. Parker, for his “Steam Boiler.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to boilers and more particularly to electrically heated boilers for generating steam. The boiler herein shown and described is a miniature boiler particularly adapted for generating steam for cleansing and sterilizing fluid conduits, such as beer coils, but obviously the invention may be applied to various uses requiring steam under pressure.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a boiler in which steam of desired pressure may be quickly and efficiently generated. Another object is to provide for heating the water in the boiler to generate steam by means of a novel and very efficient electric heating element mounted in direct heat contact on and surrounding a generating cylinder which is part of the circulatory system of the boiler.

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Patent No. 4507325A: Process Of Brewing With An Adjunct Of Highly Fermentable Sugar

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Today in 1985, US Patent 4507325 A was issued, an invention of Kenneth H. Geiger, assigned to Labatt Brewing Company Limited, for his “Process of Brewing with an Adjunct of Highly Fermentable Sugar.” Here’s the Abstract:

The present invention provides an improved brewing process which utilizes an adjunct comprising a highly fermentable sugar. In the process, brewers’ yeast is allowed to act upon a, preferably all-malt, wort until said yeast is partially developed, following which, the adjunct is introduced into the partially fermented wort in a manner which will not have adverse effects on the yeast and the brewing process carried to completion. The adjunct is introduced over a period of time such that the Plato value of the fermenting wort substantially does not increase and osmotic shock is avoided. The process is especially advantageous when used to produce the so-called light beers.

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Beer In Ads #1861: Facts Versus Fallacies #49

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Friday’s ad is another one for the Pennsylvania State Brewers Association, from 1915, No. 49 in series they did from 1915-17 called “Facts Versus Fallacies.” I have no idea how many were done but some of the them are numbered into low triple digits, suggesting there were a lot of them, all in an effort to stop Prohibition from happening and win over support for beer. This ad, marked “49,” and this is another weird one, equating workmen’s compensation cases, which at the time was new law, to drinking. One of the prohibitionist’s arguments was that drinking in the workplace was a dangerous problem, but statistics show that in federal workmen’s comp cases only one involved intoxication, and that one was thrown out. Statistics from other states show similar results, with very few cases involving alcohol, taking the wind out of the propaganda sails for prohibition.

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Beer In Ads #1860: Facts Versus Fallacies #48

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Thursday’s ad is another one for the Pennsylvania State Brewers Association, from 1915, No. 48 in series they did from 1915-17 called “Facts Versus Fallacies.” I have no idea how many were done but some of the them are numbered into low triple digits, suggesting there were a lot of them, all in an effort to stop Prohibition from happening and win over support for beer. This ad, marked “48,” and this is another weird one, equating personal wealth with whether or not a state is wet or dry. Statistics at the time suggested that in wet states, people’s personal per capita wealth was much greater than people in dry states. I’m not sure about the causation question, or other factors, but it’s certainly an interesting strategy.

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Patent No. 882862A: Beer Cooling And Purifying Apparatus

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Today in 1908, US Patent 882862 A was issued, an invention of Valentine F. Boehm, for his “Beer Cooling and Purifying Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, and in the description it probably includes a summary, but the OCR did a pretty bad job and it’s all but unreadable. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
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Beer In Ads #1859: Facts Versus Fallacies #47

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Wednesday’s ad is another one for the Pennsylvania State Brewers Association, from 1915, No. 47 in series they did from 1915-17 called “Facts Versus Fallacies.” I have no idea how many were done but some of the them are numbered into low triple digits, suggesting there were a lot of them, all in an effort to stop Prohibition from happening and win over support for beer. This ad, marked “47,” and details the failed efforts of a prohibition in neighboring Ohio. They quote several prominent citizens in Ohio, including a former U.S. president. Their conclusion. “The fallacy of Prohibition is best shown by the fact that whenever tried it has proven a failure, because it is neither just nor practical.”

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Beer In Ads #1858: Facts Versus Fallacies #42

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Tuesday’s ad is another one for the Pennsylvania State Brewers Association, from 1915, No. 42 in series they did from 1915-17 called “Facts Versus Fallacies.” I have no idea how many were done but some of the them are numbered into low triple digits, suggesting there were a lot of them, all in an effort to stop Prohibition from happening and win over support for beer. This ad, marked “42,” and is an interesting tactic. It’s simply a reprint of a letter from a federal judge, D.E. Bryant, explaining why in his opinion the local option is a terrible idea and will not work. But here’s my favorite paragraph.

My experience is that prohibitory laws do not prohibit; that they do no good, but to the contrary they are extremely hurtful. There is but one answer to this, and it is that you cannot legislate successfully upon what men regard as a matter of taste. When legislation trenches upon taste the citizen will violate the law with impunity, and in so doing he does not regard himself as a criminal.

Sounds to me like he knew what he was talking about, as that’s pretty much exactly what happened during prohibition.

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Beer In Ads #1857: Facts Versus Fallacies #31

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Monday’s ad is another one for the Pennsylvania State Brewers Association, from 1915, No. 31 in series they did from 1915-17 called “Facts Versus Fallacies.” I have no idea how many were done but some of the them are numbered into low triple digits, suggesting there were a lot of them, all in an effort to stop Prohibition from happening and win over support for beer. This ad, marked “31,” and again discusses the Brooks High License Law (no relation) and the fallacy of the local option where counties can choose to ban alcohol, even if the rest of the state doesn’t. It’s what became known, after prohibition ended, as dry counties and wet ones, a system that was as bad then as it is today.

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Patent No. 493896A: Keg Rack

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Today in 1893, US Patent 493896 A was issued, an invention of Ward E. Pierce, for his “Keg or Tool Rack.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to keg or tool racks and particularly to that class which is adapted to be stored and shipped in knock-down shape, to be readily set up in stores and vending places, and which afford easy and convenient means for holding nail kegs, agricultural implements.

My object is to produce such a rack which may be readily assembled at the place where it is desired to be used, and adapted to hold kegs in a very convenient position so that the goods may be readily displayed therefrom; and also easy and convenient means for holding hoes, forks, brooms, &c.,taking up a minimum amount of space.

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