Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 562414A: Bung For Beer Barrels

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Today in 1896, US Patent 562414A was issued, an invention of Jeremiah J. O’Leary and Patrick T. O’Leary, for their “Bung For Beer Barrels.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:

Our invention relates to bungs in the heads of beer barrels or hogsheads, which are adapted to receive a coupling fora pipe, through which the beer passes to one or more faucets, from whence it is drawn.

Our invention consists in the improved construction of the bung proper, and also of the coupling which enters said bung for the purpose of making a pipe connection, as will be hereinafter fully described, and the nature thereof indicated by the claims.

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California Reaches 700 Brewery Milestone

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The California Craft Brewers Association announced today that the number of breweries in the state reached 700, more then at any time in California’s history. The number of breweries has more than doubled in just the last four years. There are more breweries in the Golden State, by a wide margin, then any other state. Eleven of the breweries on the list of the nation’s top fifty craft breweries, as defined by the Brewers Association, are from California.

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California has more breweries than many countries. So it only makes sense that we have our own world class, statewide events. This September, the CCBA will put on the second annual California Craft Beer Summit and Beer Festival in the state capitol of Sacramento.

The three-day Summit includes 24 educational sessions, 60,000 feet of interactive displays, 450 beers, 160 breweries and unlimited tastings. It’s an amazing event, especially the huge beer festival. I’ll be there again this year, and if you work in any part of the beer industry, or want to, you should be there, too. Here’s more information about it from the CCBA’s press release.

“California continues to lead the nation’s craft beer movement and the Summit showcases the wild success of a community united over a common passion: craft beer,” said Tom McCormick, executive director of the CCBA. “CCBA’s signature event is the ultimate opportunity for craft beer enthusiasts to join the tribe, learn from brewers and experts across the Golden State and taste the creativity and passion that serves as the foundation of the industry.”

Reigning as the largest California-brewed craft beer event of its kind, the 2016 Craft Beer Summit and Festival gives attendees a tasting tour through the state’s craft brewing landscape.

“At the Summit, beer lovers and brewers have the chance to experience wonderful techniques and ideas from the best of the industry,” said McCormick. “David Walker from Firestone Walker, Fritz Maytag, the founder of the American craft beer movement, the brewers and owners from AleSmith, 21st Amendment, Russian River Brewing Company, and many others will share their knowledge, history, expertise and passion with every person connected or passionate about the craft beer industry.”

Educational highlights at the Summit include:

  • How to start a career in craft beer from the hiring managers of Mikkeller Brewing San Diego, Russian River Brewing Co. and other growing breweries
  • Advanced homebrew lessons, including how to go “off recipe” and explore yeast management, hosted by the homebrewers now running successful commercial breweries
  • Mock judging at a “Taste Like a Judge” session teaching attendees how rate and taste beers
  • The rise of sour beer as a style, including how to differentiate between sour beers and what you can expect in a wild ale versus a spontaneously fermented sour
  • How to develop a beer list for taproom managers and beer buyers looking to advance their offerings in the craft beer sector

“The Summit has become, in a very short period of time, one of the largest and most significant craft beer events not only in California but across the nation,” said Natalie Cilurzo, co-owner of Russian River Brewing Company and president of the CCBA Board of Directors. “The unique part about the Summit is the bringing together of brewers, retailers, wholesalers, suppliers, and consumers all in one location, something I have not experienced to this level at any other event. I’m proud to be a part of this incredible state trade association as well as the second annual Summit.”

Early bird tickets, available online through June 30, 2016, include: 25 percent off the Summit Beer Festival ($45 at early bird, $60 regular price), single-day Summit entry ($99 early bird, $119 regular price) or full weekend packages ($219 early bird, $239 regular price).

Patent No. 1100818A: Bottle Cap Remover

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Today in 1914, US Patent 1100818 A was issued, an invention of Robert O. Boardman, for his “Bottle Cap Remover.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:

This invention relates to bottle closures. and .more particularly to a device for removing the cap closures from beer bottles, and the like. As is well-known. such cap closures are ordinarily removed by the use of an implement entirely separate and distinct from the cap. Such opening devices are liable to be lost and misplaced, and even, when at hand must be applied to the cap prior to manipulation to pry the cap from it has been proposed to provide, as a substitute for such opening devices, a cap having an integral tongue designed to be grasped by the fingers and pulled to remove the cap, or to provide a cap constructed in sections, arranged to be separated to such an extent as to permit of removal of the cap without the use of the ordinary opener. Such caps, however, present the disadvantage that a special machine is necessary for their manufacture and usually they are not so constructed as to permit of the use of the ordinary capping machine. Furthermore, they are expensive to manufacture and can usually only be manipulated by a person capable of exerting a strong grip.

In connection with the foregoing it is the object of the present invention to provide a bottle cap opener so constructed that it may be readily assembled with the ordinary bottle cap at the time of placing the latter upon the bottle to be sealed, and may be readily and quickly manipulated by anyone for the purpose of prying oil the cap.

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Beer In Ads #1950: First Fine Day Of Spring

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Wednesday’s ad is entitled First Fine Day Of Spring, and the illustration was done in 1953 by John Gannam. It’s #81 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, which looks more impressionist than previous ones, several couples are enjoying the first decently warm day of spring. Still wearing jackets and long sleeves, they’ve got lots of beer to keep them warm.

081. First Fine Day of Spring by John Gannam, 1953

Patent No. 3586514A: Thin-Walled Plastic Container For Beer

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Today in 1971, US Patent 3586514 A was issued, an invention of Taco Vijlbrief, assigned to Heineken Tech Beheer NV, for his “Thin-Walled Plastic Container For Beer.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, it has been found that a thin-walled container specially suitable for beer and other oxygen-sensitive materials is obtained by having a hard polymer or copolymer of vinyl chloride containing such a quantity of anti-oxidizing agent that the oxygen permeability of this hard polymer or copolymer, measured as the number of cm. of oxygen of standard temperature and pressure which has passed through 1 cm. of the plastic through a thickness of 1 mm, per second, per cm. of oxygen overpressure at 20 C. (mercury), amounts to about 10- cm. (STP)mm./cm. sec., cm. Hg or lower.

By thin-walled throughout the specification and claims is understood that the thickness of the wall does not exceed 2.5 millimeters. Thicker walls present working difficulties and moreover, the problem of undesired oxygen permeation through the wall is felt only if the wall is thin.

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A modern PET Heineken bottle.

Beer In Ads #1949: First Catch Of The Season

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Tuesday’s ad is entitled First Catch of the Season, and the illustration was done in 1953 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #80 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 departure from the earlier ads, a series of ten smaller illustrations tells a story of fishing, beer, fish and beer and fish, and of course the one that got away.

080. First Catch of the Season by Douglass Crockwell, 1953

Patent No. 243297A: Alcohol Still

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Today in 1881, US Patent 243297 A was issued, an invention of Oliver L. Perin, for his “Alcohol Still.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:

My invention is in the nature of an improvement upon a continuous still for the manufacture of alcohol for which Letters Patent were granted myself, Daniel Horan, and Dominick McGoen, July 20, 1880, and has for its object the arrangement of the several elements of the vaporizing-chambers in a novel manner, to be hereinafter described, which is calculated to improve the efficiency of the still, and at the same time will materially cheapen the construction thereof; and it consists in constructing the vaporizing-chamber of the usual rectangular form, and providing a bottom or licor of copper or other suitable material, which shall contain a great number of small perforations. Upon this bottom I erect three (or any odd number more than three) partitions, alternately attached to the opposite end timbers of the chamber. The partitions are made as much shorter than the clear length of the chamber as the width of spaces between the partitions and side timbers of the chamber and between adjacent partitions. At the end of one of the spaces between a partition and its corresponding side timber of the chamber I construct a box or bay with a weir or overflow plate of copper, raised two or three inches above the floor or bottom of the chamber. The partition at the bay is raised higher than the edge of the weir, in order that all beer or mash delivered into the bay shall be compelled to pass over the weir in a thin sheet, and be evenly distributed over the bottom of the chamber as it flows along the next connecting channel. From the next chamber above a down-pipe is’ suspended, which dips into the bay below the level of the Weir-plate sufficiently to form a seal against the steam-pressure in the chamber and prevent the steam ascending to the next chamber above through At the opposite side of the chamber a down-pipe is suspended to dip into the bay of the next lower chamber. The upper end of the down-pipe is raised sufficiently above the floor or bottom of the chamber to which it is attached to maintain a thin sheet ot’ liquid over the perforations in the bottom previously mentioned. The beer or mash flows through the down-pipe into the bay, over the weirplate and down one channel. formed by the partitions previously mentioned, and up the next, and down the next, and so on until it reaches the down-pipe at the opposite side of the chamber, through which it descends to the next chamber below, where the same operation is repeated, the direction of the currents of beer, however, being reversed. Meanwhile the beer or mash, passes over the floor, the steam (introduced first into the lowest chamber but one of the still) and the spirituous vapor ascends from chamber to chamber through the perforations in the bottoms of the chambers, these perforations being of such dimensions that no beer or mash can descend through them against the pressure (usually five or six pounds) in the still. The heat in the steam being transmitted to the beer to expel the spirit, it condenses and works back through the down-pipes to the bottom of the still, where it is drawn oft with the residuals of the beer as slop.

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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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