Today in 1998, US Patent 5735425 A was issued, an invention of Leigh P. Beadle, for his “Reusable Beer Keg Plug.” Here’s the Abstract:
An improved reusable beer keg plug replaces the conventional wooden bung and is formed of an elastomeric material as a tapered, expandable plug suited to being snugly fitted within a conventional beer keg sidewall tapered hole and thereafter expanded by an adjustable tightening device forming part of the plug.
Wednesday’s ad is entitled Backyard Barbecue, and the illustration was done in 1947 by Stevan Dohanos. It’s #4 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, four men and two women are in a backyard on what looks like a beautiful spring day. One of the men is grilling steaks on the ginormous stone barbecue while the two women toss the salad and butter buns. The other three guys are holding, choosing or drinking beer but not contributing to the meal, the lazy weasels. I keep thinking there must be two more women out of the scene, because in postwar American everyone traveled in pairs, at least in the typical advertising of the day.
The city of Portland, Oregon was founded in 1845, incorporated on February 8, 1851, and the charter creating the city became effective April 6, 1851. In my regular searches, I’ve turned up a number of photos of early saloons, bars and taverns in Portland and it seemed like today was as good a day as any to share them.
This is the Columbia Saloon, which served Henry Weinhard beer and had a bowling alley inside.
The Fountain Saloon, also known as Hergert’s Saloon, was located E Union and Russell. Henry Elias Hergert Sr. (1876-1937) is shown behind the bar.
The White Eagle Saloon, built in 1905. According to one source, it “was at once an opium den, bordello and wild watering hole, a trifecta that resulted in so many ugly bar fights that the place eventually earned the nickname ‘Bucket of Blood,'” and is considered haunted. “One spirit is blamed for most of the mischief: The ghost of Sam Warrick, an early White Eagle cook and bartender who spent his last days living above the bar. A ghost with a prankster side, he’s been known to toss large containers of mustard across the kitchen with great force, startling the cook who’s taken over his old post.”
Erickson’s Saloon, built in the 1880s. Here’s a history of the place.
The Gem Saloon and Oro Fino Saloon and Theater, located on First Street between Oak and Stark, in 1876.
And finally, below is the Oregon Experience Documentary “Beervana,” about how beer culture has evolved in Portland. Happy Birthday Portland.
Today in 1988, US Patent EP 0262762 A1 was issued, an invention of James N. Dewes, James P. Hagan, and Jeffrey W. Gunn, for their “Valve For Beer Keg.” Here’s the Abstract:
A valve (10) for use with a beverage container is fully compatible with, and enhances the utility of, conventional automatic filling equipment. The valve is preferably of formed of plastic components and is therefore can form an economical throw-away unit in combination with a plastic keg. A cylindrical outer cage (18) includes a plurality of lengthwise apertures (20,22,24,26,). A transversely-oriented deflector plate is fixed to an inner cage (30) that is movable with respect to the outer cage. springs (38) urge the inner and outer chambers of the valve to closed positions. The valve is arranged so that both chambers are opened by the insertion of the filling head of a conventional automatic racking machine. The plate deflects a pressurized beverage input, lessening agitation and turbulence, whereby only minimal, if any, foam or head is generated during the filling process.
Today in 1897, US Patent 580303 A was issued, an invention of Henry E. Bailey, for his “Apparatus For Cleaning Pipes.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
In using beer and other malted liquors there is found a tendency to the formation of slime and other offensive matter that is deposited therein by the liquid from which it emanates. This deposition will soon produce a cloudy appearance and objectionable taste in the liquid that flows through the pipe.
The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus that will chemically dissolve the slime and other depositions in the pipe and then, by a flow of clear water which passes through the apparatus,thoroughly cleanse the pipe of all improper matter and restore it to a condition of purity and cleanliness.
Tuesday’s ad is entitled New Beau, and the illustration was done in 1947 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #3 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, an experience that no one really has to go through anymore is shown in all its awkward uncomfortableness. A man who presumably has a date with the girl sitting as far away from as she can on the sofa is being interrogated by her father, while Mom is carrying a tray of beers in with one for each of them. If you’re old enough to drink beer, I’m thinking you are probably too old to have to go through that. But why are they all smiling?
This is my ninth annual annotated list of the Top 50, skipping two years ago because the BA provided that information then, so here again you can see who moved up and down, who was new to the list and who dropped off. So here is this year’s list again annotated with how they changed compared to last year.
Not too much movement this year, except for a few small shufflings. The top is virtually unchanged, with only numbers 10 and 11 switching places. And apart from those two small changes, the top 13 were all the same as 2014. The biggest jump came from Ballast Point, which leapt up 20 spots, while Shipyard slipped the furthest, dropping six slots. Only two new breweries made the list; Green Flash Brewing and Narragansett Brewing. Off the list was World Brew/Winery Exchange, a California contract label brewer making private label beers for retailers, and Bear Republic Brewing.
If you want to see the previous annotated lists for comparison, here is 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006.
The Brewers Association just announced the top 50 craft breweries in the U.S. based on sales, by volume, for 2015, which is listed below here. I should also mention that this represents “craft breweries” according to the BA’s membership definition, and not necessarily how most of us would define them, as there’s no universally agreed upon way to differentiate the two. For the eighth year, they’ve also released a list of the top 50 breweries, which includes all breweries. Here is this year’s craft brewery list:
Here is this year’s press release. The last couple of years, the BA has helpfully annotated the list, saving me lots of time, since I’ve been annotating the list for the last eight years, but they’ve abandoned that practice this time around. So for the eighth consecutive year, I’ll also posted an annotated list, showing the changes in each brewery’s rank from year to year, but it will take me some time to put together so I’ll have that again later today.
The BA, this year, did create a map showing the relative location of each of the breweries that made the list.
Today in 1966, US Patent 3244326 A was issued, an invention of Glen C. Bull Jr., for his “Apparatus For Dispensing Fluid Material.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
The present invention comprises, in brief, maintaining a substantially constant desired pressure on a body of beer within a spigotted container of draught beer by incrementally admitting gas under pressure from a reservoir into an expansible bag within the container, to preserve the effervescence of the beer and to discharge desired quantities of beer when the spigot is opened.
The primary object of this invention is, therefore, to effectively, economically, and safely store, transport, and incrementally dispense beer at a nearly constant pressure from a packaged unit.
Another object of this invention is to provide for the u safe, convenient, and economical handling, storing,l preserving, transporting, and/or dispensing of any liquid which requires a continuous surface pressure, or freedom from contamination by air or other similar infuences, or a covering membrane which will effectively follow the liquid surface as the liquid is dispensed, or any combination of these requirements, at a pressure which remains nearly constant as the liquid is dispensed.
The Brewers Association has also just announced the top 50 breweries in the U.S. based on sales, by volume, for 2015. This includes all breweries, regardless of size or other parameters. Here is the new list:
Here is this year’s press release.