Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #1948: Trailer Camp Friendships

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Monday’s ad is entitled Trailer Camp Friendships, and the illustration was done in 1953 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #79 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, a campground is filled with campers drinking beer. And even though they brought cans, they’re all poured into pilsner glasses, which seems to obviate the reason they brought cans in the first place. A newly arrived couple is waving from the next camp over. I hope they brought more beer, because that’s how trailer park friendships are forged.

079. Trailer Camp Friendships by Douglass Crockwell, 1953

Patent No. 3670929A: Beverage Dispensing Keg

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Today in 1972, US Patent 3670929 A was issued, an invention of Harry E. Berry, for his “Beverage Dispensing Keg.” Here’s the Abstract:

A beer keg construction having only a single access aperture opening midway between the top and bottom of the side wall of the keg with first and second male component quick-connect connectors being mounted inwardly of the aperture in the keg on an endwall of a cylindrical cup-like support member which can be removed from the aperture to enable cleaning and filling of the interior of the keg and with two female component quick-connect connectors on a pressure hose and lager hose being connectable to the male component connector members to enable liquid dispensing and keg pressurization with a minimum of difficulty.

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Patent No. 2988820A: Apparatus For Treating Hops

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Today in 1961, US Patent 2988820 A was issued, an invention of Albert Edward Brookes, for his “Apparatus For Treating Hops and the Like.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:

The object of this invention is to provide in a convenient form apparatus for treating hops or the like.

Apparatus according to the invention comprises in combination a chamber, a perforated endless conveyor extending across the upper part of the chamber, means for supplying hot air under pressure to the chamber, adjustable means for determining the proportion of the conveyor through which the hot air can escape from the chamber, and means responsive to the temperature of the air above the conveyor for determining the setting of said adjustable means.

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Beer In Ads #1947: Four Hands On The Keyboard

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Sunday’s ad is entitled Four Hands On The Keyboard, and the illustration was done in 1953 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #78 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, a large party has consumed so much beer that two of them sat down at a piano and are belting out tunes. BUt look at the expression on the woman in the red dress. She is not amused.

078. Four Hands on the Keyboard by Douglass Crockwell, 1953

Patent No. 521650A: Beer Filter

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Today in 1894, US Patent 521650 A was issued, an invention of Carl Hafner, for his “Beer Filter.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:

This invention relates to certain improvements vin filters, particularly beer filters. The object of the invention is to provide an improved beer filter exceedingly cheap, simple and durable in construction, and which will thoroughly and economically filter the ,beer 1n an improved manner.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in combination of the parts more fully pointed out hereinafter and particularly described in the claim.

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Patent No. 28799A: Ventilation Of Casks Containing Liquids

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Today in 1860, US Patent 28799 A was issued, an invention of Louis Wilhelm, for his “Ventilation of Casks Containing Liquids” or “Cock.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:

The nature of my invention consist-s in the arrangement of a ventilator in the top of the cask and the connection of the same by means of a cord or chain to the tap or faucet so that when the plug of the faucet is turned to allow the liquor to escape from the cask the ventilator will be opened and admit air in at the top of the cask and when the plug is turned to stop the flow of the liquor the ventilator will close itself by the action of a spring.

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Patent No. 192292A: Improvement In Malting Of Grain

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Today in 1877, US Patent 192292 A was issued, an invention of Jules Alphonse Saladin, for his “Improvement in Malting of Grain.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:

The object of my invention is the malting of grain, barley for breweries, or any other grains, and consists in causing grain to germinate in very thick layers (one meter or more) and in ventilating and stirring it mechanically, so as to obtain a great saving in manual labor over the old process, although producing with great regularity, and throughout the whole year, a malt of superior quality.

The apparatus and means used are as follows: First, a soaking-tub; second, a germinating-box; third, damp and cool ventilation fourth, a stirring apparatus fifth, a mode of carrying or transferring the grain from one apparatus to the other.

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Beer In Ads #1946: Mother’s Night Off

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Saturday’s ad is entitled Mother’s Night Off, and the illustration was done in 1953 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #77 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, Mom didn’t have to cook one evening after working nonstop since got married fifty years ago. Instead, Dad and his son appear to have cooked, while sister (or possible daughter-in-law) lights the candles. She probably set the table and poured the beer, too. There’s a whole lot of smiling going on. Even Mom is smirking.

077. Mother's Night Off by Douglass Crockwell, 1953

Patent No. 1029838A: Method Of Finishing And Preparing Beverages

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Today in 1912, US Patent 1029838 A was issued, an invention of Jacob Frederic Wittemann, for his “Method of Finishing and Preparing Beverages.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:

The invention relates to a new and improved system or method of enhancing the value of fermented beverages such as beer, wine, cider, etc, by their treatment with the volatile products of the fermentation of such beverages.

The object. of my invention is to treat such beverages when they are matured, clarified or filtered, either or all,, to the required standard, but lacking sufficient incorporation of carbonic acid gas and fermentation ethers, generated during the fermentation of such liquids to impart to them the desired degree of effervescence, flavor and improved character by incorporating with such beverages such volatile fermentation products .while .the latter remain substantially in the same condition, as when generated by the fermentation of such beverages, but at such density or pressure and temperature that the stated object shall be attained, namely, that .the more or less quiescent state in which such beverages mature and clarify most readily, is transformed into a condition of effervescence or a foam-maintaining state at a temperature at which they attended by more or less disintegration, deterioration or other undesirable change in the character or composition of this complex gas, owing to improper treatment thereof, such as overheating during dry me chemical compression or compression in the presence of insufficient cooling medium, or its contact with a more or less impure cooling medium or with disintegrating metal surfaces, or owing to its degeneration or decomposition while kept in storage under high pressure. By my improved method all such undesirable changes or alterations in the composition, flavor and taste of the volatile products of fermentation are avoided when they are incorporated in the desired proportion with a matured, but-as yet more or less unmerchantable, beverage, owing to its lack of a sufficient proportion of such gas. The compression of the gas to the necessary density in which it capable of producing the desired effect in such beverages is preferably effected in part by its retention within the fermenting vessel, up to a pressure within a safety limit, dictated by the nature or construction of such vessel, and with the beverage into which it is to be incorporated by a liquid and gas-forcing mechanism such as a force pump.

As {this invention will find its principal use in the manufacture of beer, I shall hereafter use the term beer as a generic term for all similar beverages and in the accompanying drawing show an embodiment of ,one apparatus for carrying out my new and improved method or process as it would be used in a brewery; but I in no wise confine the use of my invention to beer only, as the process can as readily be applied to the manufacture of other similar beverages and by the use of other constructions of apparatus according to varying conditions or requirements, yet carrying out. the same method in principle.

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Patent Nos. 3094213A & 3094214A: Fill-Height Inspection Device For Fluid In Bottles/Automatic Container Fill-Height Inspection Machine

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Today in 1895, US Patent 3094213 A and US Patent 3094214 A was issued, both inventions of James H. Wyman, with the second also by Robert G. Husome, for their “Fill-Height Inspection Device For Fluid In Bottles” and “Automatic Container Fill-Height Inspection Machine.” There’s no Abstract for either, though they’re described this way in the application:

This invention relates to inspection apparatus of the type used to deter-mine whether a transparent container, such as a bottle, has been filled to the proper height with a liquid, and, more particularly, to improvements therein.

The requirement that the volume of beverage in a bottle correspond to the volume specified on the label on the bottle is a legal one. Good customer relations also provide more incentive to a bottler of liquids which require him to make sure that the contents of the bottle are as specified. On the other hand, should more than the specified amount of liquid be poured into the bottles, the bottler suffers an economic loss. Thus, a number of different systems have been proposed which inspect translucent containers, such as bottles, to determine whether the fill-height of the bottle is proper. These systems usually apply radiation on one side of the bottle and a detector on the other side of the bottle in the region of the bottle wherein desired fill-height occurs. However, due to various factors, such as the differences in bottle thickness, bottle color, variations in beverage color, as well as the presence of foam in many beverages, none of the heretofore-produced systems have proven consistently satisfactory.

An object of this invention is to provide a fill-height inspection system which is not adversely aifected by variations in bottle thickness or color.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a fill-height inspection system which is not adversely affected by differences in beverage color or the presence of foam.

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel and unique fill-height inspection system.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved by taking advantage of the fact that light is refracted or bent at ‘a unique angle by the liquid and its container. Thus, if a photocell is positioned on one side of a container so that no illumination from a light source can reach that photocell, unless it is refracted by the liquid in the container, a positive arrangement for detecting the fill-height of the liquid in the container may be obtained. The photocell is positioned adjacent the container at a level just below the minimum acceptable level. Similarly, to determine whether a container has been overfilled, a photocell may be positioned adjacent the container just above the maximum desired fill-height level, to be illuminated only by light which is refracted by the liquid in the bottle.

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This invention relates to automatic fill-height inspection machines and, more particularly, to an improved arrangement for determining that a translucent container has been filled to the proper level.

Presently known automatic fill-height machines for photoelectrically inspecting a translucent container are not completely reliable, as a result of difficulties experienced with different colored bottles or bottles of varying opacity, thickness, or even in view of the fact that some liquids which are carbonated, such as beer, will have a foam at the top of the liquid which can provide a false signal as to the actual level to which the container is filled. Another difficulty which arises is that the prior systems are substantially limited to use with only one size of a container. If a production run of a different container size or even different fill-height requirements is desired, a considerable realignment of the fill height inspection apparatus parameters is required. A further limitation of prior systems is that they may be applicable only to translucent liquids.

An object of this invention is the provision of a reliable fill-height inspection apparatus.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a novel and useful fill-height inspection apparatus.

Yet another object of this invention is the provision of a fill height inspection apparatus which is easily adjustable for inspecting containers of different sizes.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide fill height inspection capability for opaque liquids, translucent liquids with foam on top, or solid (e.g., granular or powdered) materials in translucent containers.

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