Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 2173529A: Barrel-Tapping Apparatus

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Today in 1939, US Patent 2173529 A was issued, an invention of Valentine Beecher, for his “Barrel-Tapping Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The invention forming the subject matter of this application relates to barrel bung and barrel tapping apparatus generally; and more particularly to such apparatus adapted for use in sealing or drawing of liquids from barrels, casks, vessels, etc., irrespective of position, or arranged in superposed rows with their axes substantially horizontal or vertical.

The main object of the invention is to provide a compact bung and tapping arrangement by means of which a straight or curved draught tube of metal or any material may be inserted through the bung and into such position within the barrel as to facilitate the removal of part, or all of the liquid contents, whenever desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bung that is non-rigid and extremely flexible and a tapping construction requiring less physical force or pressure than would otherwise have to be created by mechanical means, adapted for use with straight or curved glass draught tubing. to enable the liquid contents of the barrels to be dispensed; and also preventing such contents making contact with metal or other substances which might have an injurious effect upon the liquids dispensed, if so desired.

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Patent No. 3054676A: Process For Producing A Cereal Adjunct For Use In Brewing

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Today in 1962, US Patent 3054676 A was issued, an invention of Albert J. Hardgrove and Howard J. Lauhoff, assigned to the Lauhoff Grain Company, for their “Process For Producing A Cereal Adjunct For Use In Brewing.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

It is an object of this invention therefore to provide an improved cereal adjunct which can be efficiently handled and employed directly in the mashing step without pre-treatment. It is also an object of this invention to provide a method for producing such adjunct.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved cereal adjunct which will produce a higher product yield in the normal brewing operation.

It is another object of this invention to provide a cereal adjunct which can be efficiently utilized in any modern automatic brewery apparatus designed to handle materials necessary in the brewing process.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved pre-gelatinized cereal adjunct for breweries which has less bulk than other similar type adjuncts, thereby reducing shipping costs, and requiring less storage space.

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Patent No. PP18039P3: Hop Plant Named ‘Summit’

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Today in 2007, US Patent PP18039 P3 was issued, an invention of Roger Jesket, assigned to the American Dwarf Hop Assoc., for his “Hop plant named ‘Summit.’” Here’s the Abstract:

A new variety of hop is described and which is characterized principally as to novelty by being semi-dwarf in stature; and which further produces cones having a high percentage of alpha-acids, high alpha/beta ratio and excellent storage stability of alpha-acids.

Summit has become such a popular hop variety that it’s hard to fathom that it’s only been around since 2007, although it was actually first released in 2003. HopUnion describes it as exhibiting “distinct spice, earthy, onion, garlic and citrus (pink grapefruit, orange and tangerine) tones.” A few beers using Summit include Widmer’s Drifter Pale Ale, Stoudt’s Black Eye PA, Fifty Fifty’s Rockslide IPA, Oskar Blues’ Gubna, Green Flash’s Palate Wrecker, and many others.

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Patent No. 5555992A: Double Hinged Opening For Container End Members

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Today in 1996, US Patent 5555992 A was issued, an invention of William A. Sedgeley, assigned to the Coors Brewing Company, for their “Double Hinged Opening for Container End Members.” Here’s the Abstract:

A container end member has a peripheral wall and integral central end wall portion with a stay-on-tab mounted on the central end wall portion for pivotal and rotational movement and a score line groove defined by two spaced apart terminal ends formed in the central end wall portion for defining a severable panel portion that is large enough so that when severed will provide an elongated opening that vents the container to permit pouring of the beverage in the container at faster pour rates than now available.

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What The New Landscape Of Beer Might Look Like

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You’d have to be living under a rock to not have seen the news that ABI was planning a takeover bid to acquire SABMiller, which might work unless SABMiller might be able to buy Heineken, thus making itself too big for ABI to get in a hostile takeover. These rumors have long been circulating so nobody who’s been paying attention to the beer industry was too surprised at these announcements.

But so far I haven’t seen too much discussion about what the beer world might look like if any of these come to pass. The online news site Quartz filled that gap by producing a chart showing that This is what the family tree of beer companies will look like if AB InBev acquires SABMiller.

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Click here to see the chart full size.

Patent No. 2014492A: Beer Faucet And Tap

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Today in 1935, US Patent 2014492 A was issued, an invention of Kenneth Miles Burdge, for his “Beer Faucet and Tap.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to a beer faucet and tap, and has more particular reference to an improved beer faucet having means for coupling it to the tap bushing ordinarily secured to the head of a beer barrel or keg, and provided with a reciprocating valve operable to drive the cork out of the tap bushing of the barrel or keg when the faucet is initially coupled thereto.

An object of the present invention is to provide a beer faucet and tap of the above kind which is simple and durable in construction, efficient in operation, and otherwise well adapted to meet with all of the requirements for a successful commercial use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a beer faucet and tap of the above kind Whose parts may be economically manufactured and initially assembled in a ready manner, and which parts may be readily disassembled for renewal or repair.

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Patent No. 3467132A: Beer Keg Fitting With Limit Stops

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Today in 1969, US Patent 3467132 A was issued, an invention of Michael J. Parisi, for his “Beer Keg Fitting with Limit Stops.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

A beer keg valve having a body portion which inserts into an opening in the keg and a valve at the inner end of the body limited to 90 rotation by abutments on the valve stem which strike against complementary abutments integral with the inside surface of the valve body.

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Patent No. 3905522A: Keg Tapping Device

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Today in 1975, US Patent 3905522 A was issued, an invention of Mack S. Johnston, assigned to Draft Systems, for his “Keg Tapping Device.” Here’s the Abstract:

In one form hereof, there is disclosed a keg adapter having a siphon body formed of bar stock receivable through the opening of a keg from without the keg. The siphon body has liquid and gas passages extending longitudinally of the keg adapter terminating at their upper ends in a pair of bores disposed eccentrically of the central axis of the keg adapter. In another form, there is disclosed a keg adapter having a siphon body formed primarily of tubular stock with tubular members receivable through the opening of a keg from without the keg. The tubular members per se comprise liquid and gas passages terminating at their upper ends in a pair of openings disposed eccentrically of the central axis of the keg adapter and opening through a flange member formed of bar stock. A coupler unit, having a pair of depending probes, is engageable with either form of the keg adapter with the probes being receivable in the bore holes or tubes as applicable to form a continuation of the liquid and gas passages. A sleeve is provided in the liquid passage of both adapters for opening a normally closed liquid valve therein. A gas valve is axially spaced from the liquid valve and in both forms includes a gas check valve comprising a flexible envelope having a slit and which envelope lies in communication with the gas passage. In the one form, the gas valve also includes a spring-biased valve plate mounting an O-ring sealing about the walls of the gas passage. The tips of the probes on the coupler unit in the one form depress the associated valve members to open the valves and permit ingress of gas through the coupler unit and keg adapter into the keg and egress of liquid from the keg through the keg adapter and coupler unit. In the other form, the tip of the liquid probe on the coupler depresses the sleeve to open the liquid valve whereby air flows through the coupler into the keg past the check valve of the adapter and beer flows outwardly from the keg through the adapter and coupler.

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Patent No. 305227A: Beer-Chip

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Today in 1884, US Patent 305227 A was issued, an invention of Bernard Rice, for his “Beer-Chip.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention has for its object to produce a beer-chip which is free from resinous and other similar matters; and to this end it consists in making the chip from a sheet or strip of veneer cut from a log, beam, or plank previously steamed, as herein more fully described.

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