Sunday’s ad is for Heineken, from I’m not sure when. It looks like it may be older, but it could just as easily be a newer at playing on the nostalgia when most breweries delivered by horse and wagon. I like the bright colors of the ad and even though they’re not Clydesdales, they’re still some fine-looking horses.
Today in 2012, US Patent 20120297512 P1 was issued, an invention of Eugene G. Probasco and Jason Perrault, assigned to the Hop Breeding Company, L.L.C., for his “Hop Plant Named ‘HBC 369.'” Here’s the Abstract:
A new hop plant named ‘HBC 369’ is disclosed. The cones of ‘HBC 369’ mature in mid September, and yield a crop of 1600 to 2000 pounds per acre. ‘HBC 369’ is used for its unique aromatic quality, resistance to powdery mildew, high alpha acid content and exceptional yield.
If you don’t recognize that number, they quickly gave 369 a name, and it’s one you probably will know: Mosaic. The Hop Breeding Company has more info about Mosaic at their website, and co-inventor Gene Probasco gave a presentation at an MBAA meeting in 2012. This how Yakima Chief describes it. “Mosaic™ Brand HBC 369 cv is a daughter of the YCR 14 cv hop variety and a Nugget derived male. It has high alpha acids and tropical, blueberry, tangerine, floral, and earthy aromas.” And you can see it’s listing at HopUnion, and although the two merged to become YCH Hops, their hop varieties page is blank. It’s become a fairly popular hop variety in a very short time.
Today in 1898, US Patent 614465 A was issued, an invention of George J. Habermann, for his “Bung and Tube.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention relates to improvements in tubes and bungs for barrels and other vessels from which beer, ale, porter, cider, mineral water, and other liquids are drawn under artificially-sustained pressure.
Saturday’s ad is for Stella Artois, from 2006. This is not a particularly old ad, but it’s meant to look older, or at least more classic, than it is. I really like the visuals of it, if not the beer itself. But then I love flags and am an amateur vexillologist. I visited the Stella Artois brewery in Leuven last year, with a large group of beer judges, and it holds the record for “worst beer tour” ever. Not the longest (that was a couple of days later) but they kept us sweating in hot, confined area, restricted our movement like they were afraid we were spies and generally treated us like children. Oh, and I later found out they thought we were rude, which is hilarious. I had also hoped that at the source, I’d finally understand what all the fuss is abut the beer. Nope, it still didn’t taste very good, at least to me.
Today in 1967, US Patent 3353724 A was issued, an invention of Mack S. Johnston, for his “Beer Tapping Device.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
Disclosed is a tapping device for beer kegs and the like and, more particularly, a probe adapter for installation in a beer keg opening. The adapter is provided with a liquid valve opened when a probe is inserted into the adapter. Also forming a part of the adapter is a positive acting gas valve which has a closure member moved by the probe to permit gas to flow into the keg through the adapter. The gas flow path through the adapter is at all times separated from the liquid flow path.
The present invention relates to a new and 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, said tapping device including a sub-unit called a keg adapter which is sealingly installed in the keg and a second sub-unit called a coupler which is attached to the beer dispensing apparatus in a restaurant, tavern or the like and is readily connectible to the keg adapter so that the tapping device is automatically set up in operating condition. More specifically, this invention relates to a new, improved keg adapter which is usable with conventional beer kegs having a. standard three-fourths inch diameter beer removal opening therein and which includes a valve means formed therein that positively prevents gas and/or beer from passing either into or out of the keg whenever the coupler is not assembled with the keg adapter, and in which gas check valve means in addition to the liquid valve means are enclosed completely within the keg adapter body.
Today in 1950, US Patent 2530594 A was issued, an invention of Fremont W. Benedict, for his “Separating Solid Matter From Hot Wort.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
The present, invention aims to effect air separation from the hot wort of most of the nitrogenous substances, and hop resins prior to the delivery of the wort to the coolers and starters. The method of the invention involves introducing the hot wortl into a charging zone where the wort is under some turbulence and from whence it flows into an adjacent and substantially larger quiescent zone. The communication between the two zones is well below the liquid level; and substantially clear wort is withdrawn from the quiescent zone near the liquid level and at a point as remote as practical from the charging zone. The apparatus of the invention comprises a tank of any desired configuration having a partition dividing the tank into a charging or feeding compartment and a’ settling compartment of considerably larger volume than the charging compartment. The lower end of the partition is spaced a short distance above the bottom of the tank, and the space between the partition and the tank bottom provides the communication between the two compartments. The hot wort is preferably delivered in a stream above the. liquid level, so that it splashes into the wort in the charging compartment and keeps the wort there in agitation. A float-controlled discharge is provided for withdrawing substantially clear wort from near the liquid level “of the-settling compartment at a point remote from the partition.
Today in 1905, US Patent 804979 A was issued, an invention of Carl Rach, for his “Brewing Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My present invention has reference more particularly to the construction of that part of brewing apparatus which has to do with the mashing portion of the process.
The object of my invention is to so construct the apparatus as to facilitate the mashing, the heating of the mash, its transfer from one vessel to another, and the separating of the thick mash from the thin mash, or, as it is commonly termed, lauter mash.
Friday’s ad is for Heineken’s Extra Stout, from maybe the early 1960s. I did come across a label for Heineken Extra Stout from 1961, but little else about the beer. Given Heineken’s image today, it certainly seems odd that they would have brewed a dark beer, but why not.
Today in 1984, US Patent 4483881 A was issued, an invention of Bernhard Lenz, for his “Process For Discontinuous Wort Boiling During Beer Manufacture.” Here’s the Abstract:
In discontinuous wort boiling for the manufacture of beer, the energy of the vapor arising from the boiling is used in a heat exchanger for the production of hot water. The heated brewing water is reheated in a second heat exchange process by the energy from the vapor arising from the boiling and, with this reheated brewing water, the refined wort is heated again in another heat exchange process before the boiling, whereby the brewing water which is cooled in this heat exchange process is reheated by the energy from the vapor arising from the boiling. Thus, the energy from the vapor produced during the wort boiling is fed directly back into the wort boiling process.
Today in 1934, US Patent 1981627 A was issued, an invention of Ralph S. Merriman, assigned to the Closure Service Company, for his “Coaster.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention relates to an article of manufacture designed for use as a tray or holder for glass tumblers, bottles or the like.
