Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 2226813A: Hop Picking Machine

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Today in 1940, US Patent 2226813 A was issued, an invention of Charles John Gray, assigned to Guinness Son & Co. Ltd., for his “Hop Picking Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

In this machine, although a number of hops are successfully separated from the bine, some of them are not so successfully separated, as they are either detached in clusters or singly, upon the short stalks or stems by which they were originally attached to the bine.

It has been proposed to provide a machine of this kind with an endless screen, or wire mesh, having its respective ends passed around drums which serve to support it, and which drums are suitably driven to in turn drive the screen.

In this proposed arrangement, the wire mesh screen has been so arranged as to permit all the properly picked hops to fall down through it whilst retaining upon its upper surface any hop bearing stalk or stem portions and carrying them beneath fingers, between which and the screen such relative movement takes place as will cause said fingers to, in effect, sweep said screen in a longitudinal direction, and, in so doing, cause the hops to be caught up against the sides of the mesh openings of the screen and so become detached in this manner from the stalks, or in some cases the fingers directly detach them.

The short stalks or stems from which the hops 35 are separated as just described, are carried along by the screen until they fall off it as it passes around one of the screen carrying drums. Leaves also fall through the mesh with completely picked hops, and are subsequently separated in any suitable manner from these hops. The arrangement just described has been found to be open to the objection that all the hops are not detached from the aforesaid short stalk or stem portions.

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Beer In Ads #1775: A Tradition In Hospitality

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Wednesday’s holiday ad is for Budweiser, from 1962. The slogan “A Tradition in Hospitality” was used by Anheuser-Busch in holiday ads over a number of years, from at least the 1940s. It’s quite a spread they’ve put out; large turkey, grapes and a Jell-O mold in the background. Who the hell is serving Jello-O with dinner?

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Patent No. 2623672A: Beer Jetter

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Today in 1952, US Patent 2623672 A was issued, an invention of James H O’Neil, assigned to the Continental Can Co., for his “Beer Jetter.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a method of packaging beer in containers and more particularly in open top cans. The elimination of air from the head space of the container before sealing is recognized as desirable. Many expedients have been proposed and utilized for this purpose, including the directing of a jet of inert gas into the beer beneath the surface thereof through a nozzle submerged in the beer in an open top can for causing foam to ll the head space and force the air therefrom. The wide open mouth of the open top can presents difficulties when attempts are made to direct a jet of inert gas into the beer from a point above the surface of the beer, because the jetted stream entrains surrounding air which is driven into the beer along with the inert gas causing an excessive amount of air to be entrapped in the beer and foam. Also, the velocity of the jet must be controlled to avoid blowing the foam from the surface of the beer thereby causing excessive foaming and Waste of beer.

An object of the invention is to provide a method of directing inert gas into an open top can partially filled with a gas containing beverage which includes the step of first covering the mouth of the can so as to provide a closed head space with a vent opening leading to the atmosphere and then directing a jet of inert gas through the closed head space at a point above the surface of the beer at a velocity sufficient to cause the gas to penetrate the surface of the beer for causing the beer to foam and iill the head space with foam.

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Bernick’s Periodic Table

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Several companies produce a Periodic Table of Beer Styles poster. Here’s another one, and another, and still one more. They all look more or less the same, and convey almost the exact same information. But yesterday I came across a new one, done by Bernick’s, a distributor in Minnesota, that in addition to most of the usual info, also added the preferred glass for each style. Although they did drop final gravity and any color range information. Still, it’s nice to see someone try to change it up a little. They also added some gold wreaths to indicate the best-selling varieties.

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Click here to see the chart full size.

Patent No. 717493A: Wort-Cooler

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Today in 1902, US Patent 717493 A was issued, an invention of Albert Zeiger, for his “Wort-Cooler.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to an apparatus for cooling wort as it comes from the kettles in the brewery; and it embodies certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which enables it to be used not only as a wort-cooler, but as a strainer to remove the hops from the wort, thus permitting the wort to be run directly from the cooler into the fermenting-room and dispensing with the necessity of the hopper-jack, which has heretofore been used.

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Patent No. 3550818A: Keg Tapping Device

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Today in 1970, US Patent 3550818 A was issued, an invention of Mack S. Johnston, for his “Keg Tapping Device.” Here’s the Abstract:

Disclosed is a keg adapter having a siphon body receivable through the opening of a keg and a retainer nut within the keg. The siphon body has liquid and gas passages extending longitudinally of the keg adapter terminating at their upper ends in a pair of bores disposed eccentrically of the axis of the opening. The gas passage terminates intermediate the ends of the siphon body in a lateral opening. The retainer nut has a central opening for receiving the lower portion of the siphon body and an annular recess for communication with the lateral siphon body opening, the recess communicating through a bore in the nut into the keg. A coupler unit having a pair of depending probes is engageable with the keg adapter with the probes being receivable in the bore holes in the siphon body. A liquid valve is disposed in the liquid passage and the lower end of the liquid probe engages an axially moveable member engageable with the valve to open the latter, permitting egress of liquid from the keg through the keg adapter and coupler unit. A flexible envelope having a slit is provided on the lower end of the retainer nut in communication with the bore therethrough to permit ingress of gas through the coupler unit and keg adapter into the keg. The body of the keg adapter is hexagonal as to be receivable within the head of a wrench.

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Patent No. 466310A: Wort And Yeast Aerator For Beer Vats

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Today in 1891, US Patent 466310 A was issued, an invention of Otto Hitter, for his “Wort and Yeast Aerator For Beer Vats.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

I have invented a-certain new and useful Improvement in Wort and Yeast Aerators for Beer Vats, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This apparatus is constructed and arranged consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims. Figure I isa detail view of the aerator and shows the coupling for the air-hose, the air filter, the bulb-casing of which later forms a handle or hold for the operator, by which he directs the instrument. It also shows the inception filtered air-chamber, the supply air tube, and the compound aerating-bulb; and Fig. II is a vertical section of a brewers fermenting vat and shows the yeast and wort aerator in active operation therein.

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Beer In Ads #1773: Holidays Were Made For John Forsythe

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Monday’s holiday ad is for Michelob, from 1980. This holiday ad for Michelob featured actor John Forsythe, who’s best know for being the voice of Charlie in Charlie’s Angels and on the 1980s TV show Dynasty. And right before joining the cast of Dynasty, he did this ad for Michelob, where he’s putting out some bottles of beer into a bowl of ice for a party. Notice the six-pack in the corner that’s been decorated with a wreath. I can’t say I recall them doing special holiday carriers, but then I didn’t really drink the beer in 1980, either.

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Patent No. D152196S: Design For A Combination Key Holder & Bottle Opener

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Today in 1948, US Patent D152196 S was issued, an invention of Arthur R. Glidden, for his “Design For a Combination Key Holder and Bottle Opener.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

I have invented a new, original, and ornamental Design for a Combination Key Holder and Bottle Opener, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof.

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