Thursday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from 1948. In this ad, on a bright red background, a drawing of a Miller High Life tavern or inn sits in a golden frame, with a glass and bottle of beer sitting in front of it. And lo and behold, it’s another one of those magic bottles, where even though the bottles is only half-empty, the glass is completely full. So it’s either a tiny glass or a giant bottle. Or possibly both?
I was at a conference in Sacramento most of the day, but it was hard to escape the jaw-dropping news that Anheuser-Busch InBev has acquired another brewery to add to its growing portfolio. That kind of news is becoming almost routine, but this time the brewery they bought is a little surprising. Brouwerij Bosteels, who until this deal was a member of the Belgian Family Brewers, makes a trio of high profile, well-known beers: Kwak, Tripel Karmeliet and DeuS. Until now, the brewery had been in the same family — the Bosteels — for over 200 years, and seven generations, having been founded Evarist Bosteels in 1791.
While the price was not disclosed, the rumor is $225 million, or “15 times enterprise value to Ebitda,” according to The Street, by way of reports coming out of Belgium. Antoine Bosteels will continue to run the family business
Antoine Bosteels (center, with his father to the right) during a visit to the brewery in 2013.
Via Craft Business Daily, Korneel Warlop, who is the Manager External Communication BeLux & Global at Anheuser-Busch InBev, said “Bosteels will continue brewing its heritage brands Tripel Karmeliet, Kwak and DeuS in the original brewery in Buggenhout, Belgium.
The Bosteels brewery during a second trip there, also in 2013.
Today in 1964, US Patent 3147874 A was issued, an invention of Donald D. Hundt and Edward W. Merrill, for their “Seal For Crown Closures.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:
This invention relates to seals for crown, screw, lug and similar caps or closures. It is more particularly concerned with a composite seal utilizing a molded rubber ring sealing element, to replace the cork and composition cork seals now used for caps.
A seal for crown closures needs to be impervious to prevent gas leakage, resilient to maintain a good seal for several months, mechanically strong enough to be adapted to existing bottling equipment and must present a surface to pack side that is sufficiently soft or deformable to conform to minor imperfections on the lip of the bottle or can. The seal should not impart odor or taste to the contents of the bottle and should be capable of withstanding relatively high temperatures after capping without failure.
The seal of this invention comprises a resilient molded elastomer ring carried on a gas impervious for -stable disc, with the ring in use being between the cap and disc, and generally positioned over or registering with the lip of the container. The elastomeric or rubber ring is not capable of undergoing any appreciable cold or plastic iiow and imparts the necessary compressive force or spring action to the seal.
Today in 1970, US Patent 3527391 A was issued, an invention of Anthony George Dimuria, for his “Means for Expelling Liquid from a Container by Applied External Pressure.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:
A liquid container having two generally side by side openings, one for ingress of pressure applying medium and the other for egress of liquid, valve means normally maintaining said openings closed and a unit having a connection to a source of pressure applying medium and a liquid dispensing connection adapted to be applied to the container, the unit having means for operating the valve means to open said openings and thus put said container in communication with said connections respectively. Each Opening may have a valve seat with a valve element normally maintained resiliently seated thereon and each connection is dimensioned to project through its corresponding valve seat and to unseat the valve element associated therewith when the unit is applied to the container, said connections sealingly engaging said valve seats before unseating the respective valve elements whereby each valve seat also acts as a seal for one of said connections.
This invention relates to means for expelling liquid from a container by applied external pressure. While the invention has broad application it is particularly well adapted for use in dispensing beer from a barrel or keg. For purposes of explanation and illustration the invention will be described as embodied in means for dispensing beer from a barrel, as in the dispensing of draught beer in a tavern, but it is to be distinctly understood that the invention has other applications. The dispensing container may take various forms, the liquid being expelled or dispensed from the container may be any liquid and the pressure applying medium, which is preferably carbon dioxide in the case of dispensing beer, may in other cases be compressed air or other gas.
Wednesday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from the early 19th century, I think. In this ad, there’s some pretty funny text, beginning with that it’s “First Choice Among Connoisseurs.” But “Cleanliness a certainty — the light bottle does it,” is pretty good, too.
Between 1951 and 1953, P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company, or simply Ballentine Beer, created a series of ads with at least thirteen different writers. They asked each one “How would you put a glass of Ballantine Ale into words?” Each author wrote a page that included reference to their beer, and in most cases not subtly. One of them was Henry Morton Robinson, who was reasonably well known in 1951, when his ad ran.
Today is the birthday of Henry Morton Robinson (September 7, 1898–January 13, 1961), who “was an American novelist, best known for A Skeleton Key to Finnegans Wake written with Joseph Campbell and his 1950 novel The Cardinal, which Time magazine reported was ‘The year’s most popular book, fiction or nonfiction.'”
His piece for Ballantine was done in the form of his reminiscences about how Ballantine Ale has helped him relax over the years:
If Ballantine Ale didn’t exist, it would be necessary to invent it.
The tensions generated by modern life begin to lessen for me whenever I pluck a dewy-cold bottle of Ballantine Ale from the refrigerator. Anticipation mounts as I snap off the cap with its familiar three rings. There’s a promissory gurgle in the neck of the green bottle, then a swirl of full-bodied amber ale into my tilted glass. I watch the creamy collar rise to the brim — and the ritual of pouring is complete.
A sip, a swallow, a draught — according to my mood. Deep speaks to deep, as thirst and tension vanish together. Relaxed, I savor the distinctive after-tang prized by everyone who has ever tasted this hefty brew.
I lift glass and bottle to gauge my remaining measure of enjoyment. I’m prolonging, not scanting, an experience that will be repeated when I open another bottle of Ballantine Ale to be my companion at lunch or dinner.
Today in 1976, US Patent 3979527 A was issued, an invention of Derek Roy, James Laws, and John Anthony Pickett, assigned to Brewing Patents Limited, for their “Preparation Of Hop Oil.” Here’s the Abstract:
An improved method of making hop oil is described involving steam distilling the hop oil under vacuum at a temperature not exceeding 50°C. The distillate can be collected by cooling to less than -20°C. The collected distillate or hop oil extracted therefrom can be used in beer making processes to give beer having a hop character very similar to that obtained by dry hopping.
Tuesday’s ad is for Miller High Life, from 1939. In this ad, like yesterday’s ad, it’s all about the action! “Wherever there’s action — wherever people are doing things — you’ll find Miller High Life. There’s a blithe lift to this sparkling, amber brew that puts it in time with action and fun,” whatever that means.
Today in 1979, US Patent DE 2808712 A1 was issued, an invention of Simon Redl, assigned to Anton Steinecker Maschinenfabrik, for his “Plant to Manufacture Beer Wort by Hydrating Crushed Malt — Introduces Water as Unbroken Film to Avoid Aeration of Product.” Here’s the Abstract:
The installation comprises a pressure roll mill for wet crushing brewers malt into a wort mixing chamber where a hydrator introduces additional water and an agitator mixes the milled malt and water. The hydrator is designed to introduce water in the form of a continuous, film which runs down a guiding surface extending into the wort mix. The guiding surface pref. extends alongside or beneath and for the full axial length of the mill rolls. The guiding surface is a side wall of the casing which forms the chamber containing the mill rolls and the agitator. Both walls are pref. employed as guiding surfaces. Water is pref. run on to the guiding surface from an adjustable width slot at the bottom of a supply pocket. The guiding surface pref. form one edge of the slot which has a width of 0.5-5.0., (1.5-3.0) mm. The hydrator offers faster and more homogeneous mixing in of water than single exit water inspectors. Undesirable aeration of the wort is held to an absolute minimum which was not possible with spray injectors.
Today in 1910, US Patent 969224 A was issued, an invention of Ferdinand Turek, for his beer “Filter.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:
This invention relates to filters and has for its object to provide an improved filter construction.
