Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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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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Patent No. 3161522A: Continuous Lautering Of Brewer’s Wort

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Today in 1964, US Patent 3161522 A was issued, an invention of John Compton, for his “Continuous Lautering Of Brewer’s Wort.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to a method of lautering, i.e., straining and recovery of wort liquid from mash grains in the brewing of beer. Lautering has been one of the most critical of the numerous operations involved in brewing and has heretofore required a great amount of skill and experience on the part of the operator to produce quality beer without lost time.

This method may generally be defined as a method of continuous lautering which comprises the steps of feeding a mixture of grains and wort liquid from a mashing operation in a brewing process onto the upper flight of a moving continuous perforated belt at a point adjacent one end of said upper flight, regulating the speed of said belt, and the rate of feed of the mash thereon to, to form a filtering bed of grains on said belt, collecting a filtrate of clear wort liquid which has passed downwardly through said grains and through the upper flight of said perforate belt, subjecting the filtering bed to water-spraying to sparge out residual sugar values and removing said bed of grains from said belt in the region of the other end of said upper flight.

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Patent No. 4363336A: Keg-Tapping Structure

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Today in 1982, US Patent 4363336 A was issued, an invention of Vincent J. Cerrato, for his “Keg-Tapping Structure.” Here’s the Abstract:

The invention contemplates removable structure to facilitate keg-tapping, and pressurized dispensing of liquid contents of the keg. A so-called Barnes neck forms part of the keg and has a bore with an elastomeric ring seal and flange at its lower end, and a valve-and-tube subassembly is inserted through the neck, to the point of valve-body compression of the seal, when secured by a removable retaining ring. In the course of such insertion, one or more radially inward lugs on the neck flange track corresponding slot formations in the subassembly. Each such slot formation has a first upward longitudinal course, leading to an angular bayonet-like offset course, and then to a second upward longitudinal course. The location of the angular offset is such that the valve body cannot compressionally load the seal ring in the absence of the partial rotation needed to develop lug alignment with the second upward longitudinal course.

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Patent No. 2102208A: Process Of Packaging Beer In Open Top Metal Containers

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Today in 1937, US Patent 2102208 A was issued, an invention of Alfred L. Kronquest, assigned to the Continental Can Co., for his “Process of Packaging Beer in Open Top Metal Containers.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to new and useful processes for the pasteurizing of the beer.

The present invention has to do with a method of making and treating a container so as to provide a suitable coating covering the entire inner surface of the metal container so as to prevent the beer from contacting with the metal at any time. It is well known that when metal sheets are coated with an enamel that has no clouding effect upon the beer, the bending or drawing of the sheet to form the ends and to form the body seams, is likely to fracture the enamel coating temperature necessary to heat the sealed container so as to expose the metal there beneath. Even if the can body and the bottom end thereof is coated with enamel, the shaping of the parts is likely to fracture the enamel coating and render the container thus formed unsuitable for 5 the packaging of beer.

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Patent No. 978476A: Hop-Extraction Process

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Today in 1910, US Patent 978476 A was issued, an invention of Arvid Nilson, assigned to the Wahl-Henius Institute Of Fermentology, for his “Hop-Extraction Process.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The object of my invention is to provide a process of extracting these constituents from the hops which shall produce the extract in a peculiarly desirable condition for the uses referred to; and this I accomplish by the novel procedure hereinafter described and claimed.

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Patent No. 2140187A: Bottle Filling And Gassing Machine

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Today in 1938, US Patent 2140187 A was issued, an invention of James Kantor, assigned to the Liquid Carbonic Corp., for his “Bottle Filling and Gassing Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to improvements in bottle filling machines particularly adapted for filling bottles with beer, and to a method of filling bottles with beer.

It ha been found that air has a decidedly deteriorating effect on beer and it has been found that where beer has been bottled and the content of air in the bottles is comparatively large, that after storage for a short period the bottled beer not only deteriorates as to color but as to the taste.

As a matter of fact, in the bottling of beer, if the air content of the bottle, after it has-been crowned, is greater than two per cent, the deteriorating effect is decidedly noticeable.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a machine and method for filling bottles with beer and to fill the same in such a manner that the air content of the bottle after crowning is reduced to the In the apparatus and in the method in which I am able to fill the bottles, I am enabled to deliver filled and crowned bottles with approximately not more than four-tenths of one per cent of air.

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Patent No. 20130327064A1: End Table With Concealed Built-In Refrigerator

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Today in 2013, US Patent 20130327064 A1 was issued, an invention of Thomas C. Stein, for his “End Table with Concealed Built-In Refrigerator.” Here’s the Abstract:

An end table with a concealed built-in refrigerator unit for use next to a chair, sofa, or bed with a front door that opens down like a dishwasher door for easy access to the interior compartment of the refrigerator unit to retrieve canned and bottled beverages or food, while in a seated position. The built-in refrigerator of the end table has a thermoelectric Danby Diplomat type cooling system for maximum efficiency in cooling and whisper soft operation.

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I’m not sure why this patent was granted, such end tables have been around for at least a few years, if not longer. I wrote about ManTables’ End Table Refrigerators five years ago, and this was patented two years back. There’s also another Man Tables – Mini Fridge End Tables for sale that looks remarkably like the drawings filed with the patent application.

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But a quick Google search reveals quite a few similar, but distinctly different, designs for refrigerator end tables. Here’s one that’s at least similar to the patented design.

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And here’s another one that has more of side door instead of folding down from the top, and also includes an actual working drawer.

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Patent No. 2183505A: Keg

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Today in 1939, US Patent 2183505 A was issued, an invention of Gerald D. Peet, for his “Keg.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My present invention is concerned with transportation beer kegs or barrels, and more especially with such kegs as are intended not only to serve as dispensing containers but also to cool and maintain the brew cool within the interior thereof by the circulation of cooling fluid therethrough.

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Patent No. WO1997046116A1: Roasted Hop Solids

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Today in 1997, US Patent WO 1997046116 A1 was issued, an invention of Vinod K. Chaudhary, Laurel E. Maney, Robert J. Mizerak, David P. Newell, Sydney R. Rader, Subba C. Rao, David S. Ryder, Joseph E. Snyder, and Matthew L. Tripp, assigned to Miller Brewing, for their “Roasted Hop Solids and Methods of Using Them.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

A method of roasting hop solids (spent hops) is disclosed. The roasted hop solids are useful for making a light stable, fully kettle hop flavored beverage.

One aspect of the present invention provides a method of roasting hop solids, comprising the steps of feeding the hop solids to a heating means; and exposing the hop solids to a predetermined heating profile in the heating means to produce a roasted hop solids, wherein the predetermined heating profile is chosen so that a fermented hop flavored beverage made using the roasted hop solids has enhanced kettle hop flavor and greater light stability compared to such a beverage if made with an equal amount of unroasted hop solids. The heating means can be any type of dryer capable of drying particulate solids such as flakes, pellets, granules, powders, chips, shreds, leaf, agglomerates, and irregular shapes. For example, a truck dryer or a fluidized bed dry can be used. The predetermined heating profile is preferably further chosen so that substantially all the alpha acids are destroyed. Preferably, the predetermined heating profile is further chosen so that if a fermented hop flavored beverage is made using the roasted hop solids it is light stable. Most preferably, the predetermined heating profile is 98°C for 23-24 hours.

Another aspect of the invention provides a method of making a hop flavored beverage from a fermentable growth media, comprising the steps of adding to the media, prior to bio-conversion, a hop flavoring agent; and bio- converting the media to form the hop flavored beverage, wherein the hop flavoring agent comprises roasted hop solids.

A still further aspect of the invention provides a hop flavored beverage prepared by adding to a fermentable growth media, prior to bio-conversion, a hop flavoring agent comprising roasted hop solids, and then bio- convert the media to form the hop flavored beverage.

Several years ago, I gave a wine writer a hard time for, among other things, referring to the history of hops in northern California’s past, explaining how hops were once “roasted” throughout the region. Moonlight’s Brian Hunt chimed in, and claimed he’d actually “seen ‘roasted hops’ in print before.” So imagine my surprise when Miller Brewing actually patented a process for roasting hop solids, the spent hops after they’ve been used in the brew, and they also claim that “roasting the hop solids further enhances the fruity/estery hop character imparted by the hop solids.” Hmm.

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Patent No. 530600A: Apparatus For Bottling Beer

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Today in 1894, US Patent 530600 A was issued, an invention of Valentin Oppl, for his “Apparatus For Bottling Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to an apparatus for bottling beer, and the invention consists in the construction of apparatus substantially as shown and described and particularly pointed out in the claims

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