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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
