Today in 1915, US Patent 1143243 A was issued, an invention of Leopold H. Vogel and John Burrows, for their beer or keg “Refrigerator.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:
This invention relates to an improved refrigerator to he used in connection with a bar for serving liquors and the like.
Today in 1978, US Patent 4094445 A was issued, an invention of James Bevan, for his “High Speed Beer Dispensing Method.” Here’s the Abstract:
A method is provided for dispensing beer rapidly into a series of containers for mass distribution to consumers at public gatherings such as stadiums, race tracks, etc. The beer is contained in kegs and is supplied to a multi-tap dispenser through a refrigerated supply line. A coolant is circulated around the beer in the supply line and in the dispenser for cooling the beer. The temperature of the beer is maintained sufficiently close to its freezing temperature as to permit pouring from the taps while preventing excessive foam from being generated in the containers as the beer is poured. Preferably, the beer is maintained at less than 34° F and preferably within about 1/2°-2° F of its freezing temperature which is approximately 28° F for most beer. The pressure drop in the beer supply line is also controlled in order to avoid excessive agitation of the beer.
Today in 1950, US Patent 2511623 A was issued, an invention of Leonard Darcangelo, for his “Keg Truck.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:
My invention relates to improvements in, or a new type of, keg truck.
The principal object of my invention is to provide a one-man truck, of simple and inexpensive construction for lifting and transporting kegs of different sizes conveniently and easily, and when a keg is mounted on the truck it will be held securely in position and prevented from slipping while being moved, or transported.
Today in 1956, US Patent 2749930 A was issued, an invention of Sumner T. Whitnall, for his “Apparatus For Dispensing Beer.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:
The invention provides a solution .to the problems of dispensing from a number of barrels or other containers sequentially and facilitating replacement or interchange of empty or partially filled containers. The desired results are achieved by a tapping rod assembly which is applied to each of the several containers, each, such assembly having dispensing and pressure and transfer connections, the latter connection leading through the upper portion of the rod, but opening through a side portion thereof. above the level of the beer in the container to which beer is being transferred from a preceding container. By delivering the transferred beer (or gas, from empty barrels) at or above the level of the beer in the receiving container, I avoid turbulence, this being an important factor which makes the device of this invention. a success where other attempts to solve these problems have failed.
As the transferred beer is applied at or above the level of the beer in the receiving container, under pressure of gas applied to another container in the series, the beer in the receiving container is expelled through the rod from the bottom of the receiving container in substantially the same way as if the pressure had been applied directly to the surface of the beer in the container from which the beer is dispensed to the faucet.
Today in 1878, US Patent 204687 A was issued, an invention of Henry Shlaudeman, for his “Improvement in Safety-Valves for Fermented-Liquor Casks.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:
The object of my invention is to produce a safety-valve to be placed upon storage-casks, hogsheads, &c., in which malt and other fermenting or fermented liquors are placed in stock viz., before drawing into vessels for consumption or sale-and is constructed so that the weighted valve will be raised automatically if more than a certain quantity of carbonic-acid gas is generated, and allow said gas to escape without exposing the liquors to the open air, and by thus excluding the air stopping fermentation at a fixed degree, and preventing the bursting of the cask or hogshead, the device inclosing a weighted valve that shall have a fixed and definite capacity of retaining the gases.
Today in 1999, US Patent WO 1999007820 A3 was issued, an invention of Charles Bamforth, Robert Muller, and Kamini Dickie, for their “Lipid Removal.” Here’s the Abstract:
A method for removing lipids material from beer or other beverages. The beer is contacted with immobilised lipid binding protein which binds any lipid present in the beer or other beverage. After the lipid removal stage is complete there are no lipid binding additives remaining in the beverage.
Today in 1908, US Patent 890031 A was issued, an invention of John F. Dornfeld, for his “Malting Kiln.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:
I have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Malting-Kilns, of which the following is a specification.
Malting kilns as heretofore constructed comprise buildings of considerable height, in the upper part of which are arranged the malting floor or floors, and in the lower part are introduced the hot gases and. products of combustion from a furnace, together with a quantity of fresh air. No means is provided for mixing the hot and the cold air to produce a uniform temperature throughout the kiln and asa consequence the hot air rises in columns through the cooler surrounding air reaching the top of the kiln and there escaping through the ventilator at a temperature considerably in 4excess of the cool fresh air remaining in the bottom of the kiln.
One of the objects of this invention is to obviate the difficulty mentioned by mixing by mechanical means, the hot air and gases with cool fresh air, making a uniform mixture and introducing said mixture into the Further objects of the invention are to reduce the height of the kiln building, which reduction is rendered possible by locating the furnace outside of the kiln proper, and in other ways to improve the construction of such kiln.
Today in 2010, US Patent 7730912 B2 was issued, an invention of John Richard Blichmann, for his “Bottle Filler.” Here’s the Abstract:
An improved bottle filler assembly for filling bottles from kegged carbonated or non carbonated beverages without carbonation loss or oxidation that is intuitive to use, sanitize, and keep free of bacteria. In the preferred embodiment, a long hose gradually reduces the pressure of the beverage on the way to the filler. Two tubes are placed inside each other forming an annulus where CO2 can be forced to the bottom of the bottle via a CO2 valve thereby purging the bottle of air (O2). A valve seat placed on the bottom of the tubes allows the beverage to flow into the bottle from the bottom by depressing a trigger.
Today in 1937, US Patent 2083281 A was issued, an invention of Fred M. Spayd, for his “Beer Tap Fitting.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:
This invention relates to liquid dispensing apparatus and more particularly to beer dispensers and cleaning apparatus therefor.
One object of the invention is the provision of a beer keg or the like having a thing through which the draft tube can be inserted and having a bayonet connection with the keg bung, the fitting having a self-closing valve adapted to be opened and to be held open by the draft tube, but normally closed when the draft tube is withdrawn so that the pressure within the keg may be maintained.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a self-closing valve fitting adapted to be readily attached to and disconnected from a barrel bung, and having attaching means at its opposite ends which are complementary to one another so that the fitting is adapted for use with standard connections.
Today in 2012, US Patent WO 2011150933 A3 was issued, an invention of Lene Mølskov BECH, Søren Knudsen, Ole Olsen, Preben Riis, and Birgitte Skadhauge, assigned to Carlsberg Breweries A/S and Heineken Supply Chain B.V., for their “Energy Saving Brewing Method.” Here’s the Abstract:
Barley based beverages are produced in large quantities, employing highly energy consuming methods, for example in the malting and brewhouse facilities for kiln drying and wort boiling operations, respectively. The present invention relates to energy saving methods for preparing barley based beverages, as well as to barley plants useful in such methods. In particular, the invention describes barley plants with combined traits of null-lipoxygenase-1 (null-LOX-1), null-lipoxygenase-2 (null-LOX-2) and null-S-adenosylmethionine:methionine S-methyltransferase in one plant, which is particularly useful for energy saving methods to prepare barley based beverages, such as beer.
