Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 154367A: Improvement In Faucets

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Today in 1874, US Patent 154367 A was issued, an invention of Lemen J. Birgler, for his “Improvement in Faucets.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

My invention relates to a faucet with vent attachment, for drawing of fermented or other liquors from the barrel or keg without the aid of a vent in the bung or other part of the barrel, the vent working automatically in connection with the opening or closing of the faucet, and forming a very convenient, regularly-acting, and independent attachment for keeping the liquids .fresh and nice for any length of time.

The invention consists of a faucet with guide-tube and sliding vent-tube, which is provided at the inner end with a flexible rubber tube and floating valve, and with a second valve at the outer end, through which air is drawn into the barrel when the faucet is opened.

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Beer In Ads #2012: Motoring To Carlsberg

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Wednesday’s ad is for Carlsberg, from 1930. In this ad, a couple on a motorbike are on the brink of overtaking an automobile, a pair of cyclists, all turning left at the next intersection on their way, apparently, to either the building with Carlsberg Lager on the side, or the one with Carlsberg Pilsner on it. Presumably there’s beer in those buildings.

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Patent No. 932284A: System For Dispensing Beverages

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Today in 1909, US Patent 932284 A was issued, an invention of William Gee, for his “System For Dispensing Beverages.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

This invention relates to dispensing beverages, and particularly to cleaning and dispensing systems wherein the beverage is forced from a keg or a series of kegs through cooled piping to the service bar, and in which means for automatically cleaning the entire system forms a component part. In such systems the beer is carried through long coils of piping in order to expose a large surface of the same to the cooling medium, whereby no matter how rapid the flow the beer dispensed from the faucets is always cooled sufficiently. But because of the necessary employment of long coils of pipe there is always stored therein after tapping the kegs comparatively large quantities of beer, which if not removed when the bar is closed will spoil as a result of flattening and prolonged chemical action between the beer and the piping.

It is the object of my invention to introduce into such a system means operated from a single controller, which also operates the cleaning means of the system; to automatically cut off the flow of beer from the supply source and return such as remains in the pipe coils back into the kegs for proper preservation for future use; and to provide additional automatically operated means whereby said pipe coils, after the beer has been forced therefrom into the kegs or after a keg has been exhausted, may be blown out at will through the medium of compressed air or gas, and thereby cause any particles of beer adhering to the walls of the piping to be removed through the faucets.

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Patent No. 106686A: Improvement In Apparatus For Cooling Beer

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Today in 1870, US Patent 106686 A was issued, an invention of William Gee, for his “Improvement in Apparatus for Cooling Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

My invention consists in a cooler made up of a series of spiral pipes, arranged with their coils one within the another, within a spiral trough, down through which latter the beer or liquid to be cooled is allowed to run, while the cooling water passes, in an opposite direction, up or through the pipes that combine strength with a large area of cooling surface, and, being independent of the bottom of the beer-trough, provide for the more perfect cleaning of the latter.

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Beer In Ads #2010: Clean Fresh Pilsner Taste

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Monday’s ad is for Carlsberg, from 1990. This is another ad from a series done in July of 1990 that was designed to look older, and one presumes, nostalgic. A woman at the grocery store is adding a bottle of Carlsberg Pilsner to her basket. It was undoubtedly on her list. The text appears to claim “Yes…HOF has the clean fresh Pilsner Taste..!”

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Inside Guinness August 22, 1953

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In England, the Picture Post was the equivalent of Life magazine here in the U.S. It “was a photojournalistic magazine published in the United Kingdom from 1938 to 1957. It is considered a pioneering example of photojournalism and was an immediate success, selling 1,700,000 copies a week after only two months.”

On August 22, 1953, one of the photographers for the Picture Post — Bert Hardy — visited Dublin, Ireland, and was permitted inside the Guinness brewery at St. James Gate. I’m not sure how many photos he took, but recently Mashable featured twenty-two of them. Here are a few of them below, it’s a great glimpse into the past, and to see all of them, follow the instructions below.

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Workers drain beer from a mash tun.

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Workers watch as yeast is skimmed off the top of the beer before it is passed to vats for maturing.

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A worker fills casks in the racking shed.

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Workers at the Guinness brewery at St. James’s Gate in Dublin.

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Workers hose down casks.

You can see all 22 of them below, or visit Mashable.

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Patent No. 3685508A: Tank Construction

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Today in 1972, US Patent 3685508 A was issued, an invention of Le Roy W. Heilmann, for his “Tank Construction.” Here’s the Abstract:

A tank bottom having spaced inner and outer members, said inner member being made of relatively thin material having good heat transfer, said spaced inner and outer members forming part of a pressure chamber for heating the contents of said tank, said pressure chamber being subjected to relatively high pressures and temperatures, said inner bottom having strengthening means connected to the outer surface thereof, said strengthening means not being connected to said outer member, said inner member being strong enough to hold the contents of the tank but not strong enough to withstand the cyclical pressures within the pressure chamber over a period of use without said strengthening means.

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Beer In Ads #2009: The Royal Beer

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Sunday’s ad is for Carlsberg, a.k.a. “The Royal Beer,” from who knows when. This one features quite a dandy, dressed to the nines — maybe tens with that ridiculous medal below his bow tie. Although curiously, his servant is wearing almost the same outfit, so maybe he’s just the maître d’ taking a break, and not so royal after all.

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Patent No. 4165388A: Torrefied Barley For Brewer’s Mashes

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Today in 1979, US Patent 4165388 A was issued, an invention of Robert D. Bryce, for his “Torrefied Barley For Brewer’s Mashes.” Here’s the Abstract:

Torrefied, expanded barley for use as a partial replacement for malt in brewer’s mashes is prepared by heating unmalted barley having a protein content of at least about 12% to a temperature sufficient to expand the barley to a degree that a given volume of barley before heating weights about 1.4 to about 1.75 times the weight of the same volume of barley after heating. Before heating, the unmalted barley preferably has a moisture content of about 12% to 20% by weight.

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