Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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First Casualty Of Cuban Tourism: Beer Shortages

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You’ve no doubt seen the news that we’ve finally relaxed travel restrictions to Cuba, along with many other changes to our policies regarding the island nation. Last summer, the two countries agreed to reopen embassies on their respective soil, and re-establish diplomatic relations. President Obama recently visited Cuba, the first American head of state to do so since 1928, 88 years ago. Despite the travel ban, small numbers of Americans had been visiting Cuba by going through Mexico or other countries where travel there is not restricted. But now that it’s legal again, record numbers are visiting, leading to the first real problem caused by this influx of American tourists. According to Mashable, Tourists are drinking all of Cuba’s beer.

“The first clear sign that Cuba will have difficulty keeping up with the influx of American tourists — certain only to increase as restrictions are loosened — is a beer shortage.

Good job, America.”

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Patent No. 4148873A: Method For Treating The Skin With Extracts Of Hops

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Today in 1979, US Patent 4148873 A was issued, an invention of Joseph L. Owades, assigned to S. S. Steiner, Inc., for his “Method For Treating the Skin with Extracts of Hops.” Here’s the Abstract:

There is provided a new method of treating human skin to protect said skin from erythema-producing sunlight radiation while promoting tanning thereof, the method comprising using an active sunscreening ingredient, an ultraviolet radiation absorbing extract of hops.

This seems similar to another patent Owades was granted in 1981, Patent No. 1112183A1: Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract As Sunscreen Agent. That patent appears to have expired in 1998, and I’m not sure if his sunscreen was ever available commercially. This one’s more of a skin treatment, and I did find one that claims to use hop extracts, Balancing Oil Free Skin Conditioning Serum. While it doesn’t say so on the product’s main page, on another one, Benefits of Hops in Natural Skin Care, in which they state that “Lily Farm Fresh Skin Care utilizes the benefits of hops in Balancing Oil Free Skin Conditioning Serum. This multi-tasking product is for people who both do not want oil in a moisturizer and people and who are struggling with blemishes and wrinkles. They need a cure for both with one product. Balancing Oil Free Skin Conditioning Serum conditions and firms the skin while also healing and moisturizing.” So maybe that’s it, hard to say.

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Beer In Ads #1876: Horseshoe Pitching

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Saturday’s ad is entitled Horseshoe Pitching, and the illustration was done in 1947 by John Falter. It’s #7 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, the art is more stylized than in the previous ones. It’s also a product of its time. The menfolk are off in the yard on the side of the house playing horseshoes and drinking beer, while all of the women are on the front porch, undoubtedly gossiping. At least two are just watching the men play. I certainly remember how at family gatherings in the 1960s, when I was little, after a big meal like Thanksgiving, all of the men in my family would retreat to the living room to watch football, while all the women stayed behind to clean up. That would never happen in my house today.

007. Horseshoe Pitching by John Falter, 1947

Patent No. 5505018A: Decorative Beer Dispenser For Killing Slugs

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Today in 1996, US Patent 5505018 A was issued, an invention of G. R. Parker, for his “Decorative Beer Dispenser For Killing Slugs.” Here’s the Abstract:

A decorative beer dispenser with a weighted base and storage vessel constructed of a single piece of blow molded beer impervious material in a decorative shape defining a base compartment, and a reservoir compartment; said base having a top defining a shallow drip reservoir filled with beer to attract snails, slugs, and the like to ingest beer and be killed; and said reservoir compartment structured to store and continuously deliver beer into the drip reservoir.

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Bistro IPA Festival Winners 2016

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Today was only a little wet in Hayward for the 19th annual IPA Festival at the Bistro. It was perfect beer-drinking weather once we emerged from judging in the basement all morning. This year’s big winner was Today Was a Good Day IPA, from Pizza Port Carlsbad, which was chosen best in show, out of 64 IPA offerings. The full list of winners is below.

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Perfect Beer Drinking Weather.

Beer In Ads #1875: Picnic On A California Beach

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Friday’s ad is entitled Picnic on a California Beach, and the illustration was done in 1947 by John Gannam (and here’s some of his other work). It’s #6 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 group of people — I count 14 — are having an nighttime party on a California beach. It looks like a cool, windy evening and many of them are wearing overcoats, although they also seem to be wearing bathing suits, which suggests they’ve been there all day. It looks like reinforcements are arriving, with a cooler being carried in to keep the party going.

006. Picnic On a California Beach by John Gannam, 1947

Patent No. 2237879A: Display Stand For Beer Bottles

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Today in 1941, US Patent 2237879 A was issued, an invention of William Hinkel, assigned to the Schlitz Brewing Co., for his “Display Stand” for beer bottles. There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to `advertising displays and refers particularly to a display stand for use in displaying bottled goods like beer and other beverages.

In advertising displays of this type, empty bottles must be used; but empty bottles lack the appeal of full bottles. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a display stand so constructed that it imparts the illusion of a full bottle when the display is viewed in the normal manner.

Another object of this invention is to provide a display stand so constructed as to support a plurality of bottles in a novel pyramid fashion.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of means for securing the bottles in place on the stand so that they cannot be removed or shifted from their proper positions with respect to that portion of the stand which serves to create the illusion of fullness for the bottles.

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Beer In Ads #1874: After The Wedding

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Thursday’s ad is entitled After The Wedding, and the illustration was done in 1947 by John Gannam (and here’s some of his other work). It’s #5 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, it appears the parents of a bride and groom (plus one more person, possibly the best man?) are relaxing with some beers after the wedding reception ended. One couple looks out the window, possibly watching the newlyweds drive away toward their honeymoon. They look like they’ll sleep soundly tonight.

005. After the Wedding by John Gannam, 1947

Patent No. CA2133272A1: Preparation Of Beer, Probably Samuel Adams Triple Bock

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Today in 1995, CA 2133272 A1 was issued, an invention of Charles J. Koch, though the “Applicant” is listed as Charles J. Koch, Boston Beer Company Limited Partnership D/B/A Boston Beer Company (The), A Massachusetts Partnership; General Partner, Boston Brewing Company, Inc., for his “Preparation Of Beer.” Here’s the Abstract:

High alcohol beer having a full, round flavor is prepared by employing as the yeast a wine or champagne yeast, and a sweetened wort.

While I can’t be sure, I think this is essentially for Samuel Adams’ Triple Bock, which was first released in 1994. While the patent wasn’t granted until 1995, it was filed in the fall of 1994, but the “priority date” listed is October 6, 1993. The “inventor” listed is Charles J. Koch, who was Jim Koch’s father, although under “applicant” the Boston Beer Co. is also listed. In addition, I recall Jim explaining that it was in fact Champagne yeast that was used to create the beer. So it certainly seems likely that they patented the process used to make that unique beer. I still have a few bottles of it in my cellar though the last couple I opened tasted a lot like soy sauce. To be fair, the bottles that were opened during an anniversary dinner that I was lucky enough to attend in Boston Beer Co.’s barrel room a few years ago were tasting quite good. Although the OCR errors make it difficult reading, it’s still interesting to see the thought process and how they went about it laid out. I may have to open another bottle soon.

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