Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 5564568A: Insulating Cover For Keg Beer

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Today in 1996, US Patent 5564568 A was issued, an invention of Pleasant P. Rankin, Sr., for his “Insulating Cover For Keg Beer.” Here’s the Abstract:

An insulating cover for keg beer. The cover consists of a relatively flexible insulating material which substantially surrounds one or more kegs of beer. In a first embodiment the cover closely conforms to a single keg of beer, and thus has a cylindrical shape. Handles are provided on the exterior of the cover for easier manual transport of the keg and cover combination. The insulative properties are sufficient to maintain a relatively constant cool temperature without the use of ice, although multiple-use sealed freeze packs may be placed within the cover. In a further embodiment the cover is sized to fit upon a pallet and enclose up to four kegs. A side wall and top of the cover is openable to remove one or more of the kegs.

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Patent No. 2017365A: Device For Tapping Kegs

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Today in 1935, US Patent 2017365 A was issued, an invention of August L. Klein, assigned to the Blatz Brewing Company, for his “Device For Tapping Kegs.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to apparatus for increasing the pressure in beer kegs; and more particularly, a utility device which may be used where expensive tapping apparatus is not available.

Although my invention is not limited to the dispensing of beer, beer is often stored in kegs and at picnics and other functions, difficulty is experienced in dispensing the same. It is common practice to place in the side of the keg a wooden spigot, but due to lack of internal pressure, the beer or liquid flows very slowly. My invention increases the internal pressure so that the contents of the keg are under pressure and will be forced out through the spigot.

The prime object of the invention is to provide quickly attachable means whereby the internal or head pressure may be increased, thus facilitating the dispensing of the contents of a drum or keg.

Another object is to provide means for indicating the internal pressure so that the operator will be guided in this respect.

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The Muppets Drink Lagunitas IPA

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As I’ve revealed many times here, I’ve been a huge fan of The Muppets since I was a kid. I’ve even gotten my own kids to love them, as well, showing them the old Muppet Show on DVD, along with all of the films. So imagine my delight when ABC announced a new Muppet Show called simply “the muppets” that debuted last month. So far it’s been pretty good, with their signature bad puns, musical numbers, celebrity cameos and much of the same type of humor that I loved in the 1970s. Plus, they’re making fun of reality shows, which as a genre I absolutely loathe, so that’s a bonus.

With the kids schedule, and mine, we Tivo almost everything and finally got around to watching Episode 4, Pig Out, yesterday. If you don’t have Hulu, try Putlocker or, depending on your cable provider, the ABC website.

The episode’s plot revolves around the staff unwinding after hard days dealing with their insufferable boss, Miss Piggy, who is miffed she’s never been invited to one of these after parties. She manipulates Kermit into geting her invited with the promise that she’ll turn them down. Then, as you’ve probably guessed, she accepts and everyone assumes that the evening will go downhill fast.

They go to a karaoke bar, and indeed it is quite awkward at the beginning. In fact the bar is called “Rowlf’s,” as you can see on the beer mugs they’re shown drinking out of. Rowlf, a brown shaggy, piano-playing dog, was one of the very first Muppet characters back in the 1960s, so it makes sense that he’d own a bar in the new incarnation.

But then Ed Helms unexpectedly arrives at the bar and things begin to liven up. There’s much drinking and karaoke singing — the Swedish Chef’s turn at the mic is particularly memorable. Halfway through the evening Helms’ is leading a sing-a-long to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” when at one of the tables in the bar, something caught my eye. One of the more obscure Muppets, Chip, and the Swedish Chef were drinking Lagunitas IPA! Chip was drinking out of a mug but the bottle sat on the table while the Swedish Chef was drinking straight from the bottle.

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It’s only there for a few seconds, but there’s no doubt what it is. If you don’t think that trademark is important, or that typefaces and fonts can, or should, be protected, both my wife and my son immediately recognized the bottle when I showed it to them as being from Lagunitas, and all you can see of the label is the single letter “I” on the sideways bottle.

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You can also see humans in the bar holding bottles of Lagunitas IPA throughout the scenes shown in Rowlf’s. They’re all quick cuts but it’s still unmistakable. The Muppets definitely drink Lagunitas IPA. Nice to see my local brewery’s beer on a show I love.

Patent No. 5564602A: Beer-Dispensing System And Apparatus

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Today in 1996, US Patent 5564602 A was issued, an invention of James Cleland and Melvin Kyees, for their “Beer-Dispensing System and Apparatus.” Here’s the Abstract:

A beer-dispensing apparatus including a source of cooled pressurized gas-ladened beer, an elongate beer delivery line extending from the source of beer to a remote beer-dispensing station, a normally closed beer-dispensing valve at the beer-dispensing station, a liquid glycol chilling and recirculating unit, a heat exchanger beer delivery structure including an elongate beer-conducting balance line smaller in inside diameter than the beer delivery line and connected with and extending between the beer delivery line and the valve, an elongate glycol-conducting tube extending longitudinally of and in heat transfer relationship with the balance tube and connected with the glycol chilling and recirculating unit to cause chilled glycol to continuously circulate through it; a thermally insulated heat-storing aluminum body about the balance and glycol tubes; glycol flowing through the glycol tube progressively lowers the temperature of beer flowing downstream through the balance tube to the valve.

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Beer In Ads #1708: One Of “Those Moments”

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Wednesday’s ad is for Carling’s Black Label, from 1955. By “those moments,” an example might be it starting to rain just as you finished washing your car. That would drive anyone to drink, I suppose. But not just any beer, according to the ad copy, will do. You need the “most satisfying beer of all,” a.k.a. “the beer with the heart of gold.”

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Patent No. 5676369A: Method Of Playing A Brewing Game

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Today in 1997, US Patent 5676369 A was issued, an invention of Mark Keathon DeWeese, for his “Method of Playing a Brewing Game.” Here’s the Abstract:

A method of playing a board game related to brewing procedures and the science of brewing. The game includes a board having an endless path divided into a plurality of continuous spaces including a starting space and spaces with indicia upon them corresponding to hops, barley, yeast, brewing science and speciality beer styles. At least two players start by moving their playing pieces along a path according to a roll of the die. Upon landing on a space, a player must pick a card corresponding to that space. The card may require the player to correctly answer a question or may award or hinder his progress in the game. If the card requires an answer, which is correctly answered, the player is allowed to roll again and continue around the board. Upon passing the starting point the player is awarded a piece of brewery equipment. Players continue collecting brewing equipment while moving around the board. Play is terminated when a player receives all of the equipment necessary to operate a brewery.

The finished game was released. I have a copy of it, though I don’t recall where I got it. I think I only tried it one time, and I honestly don’t remember how it played, which I suppose in and of itself isn’t a ringing endorsement.
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Patent No. 711162A: Beer-Barrel-Tapping Device

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Today in 1902, US Patent 711162 A was issued, an invention of Joseph Holbach, for his “Beer-Barrel-Tapping Device.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The object of this invention is to provide an efficient and convenient device for tapping a beer-barrel and drawing off the beer without injury to or loss or escape of the beer; and with this and other objects in view the invention consists in a device of the class specified constructed as hereinafter described an claimed.

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Patent No. 438328A: Apparatus For Brewing

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Today in 1890, US Patent 438328 A was issued, an invention of William J. Seib, for his “Apparatus For Brewing.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for use in collecting, condensing, and storing the essential oil and aromatic properties of hops to save them, and which is, therefore, especially serviceable for the particular purpose for which I have invented it namely, that of saving the aforesaid properties of the hops while they are being boiled with the wort in the manufacture of beer.

My present invention is particularly designed to afford an improvement in the construction of an apparatus for the same purpose as that set forth in the application of Carl Hoefner for Letters Patent of the United States No. 301,482, allowed on the 22d day of March, 1890. The construction of the apparatus therein described necessitates that the vapor from the kettle shall pass to the condenser and return by the same course to the storage-reservoir, which impairs the effectiveness of the condensation, since the liquid thereof has to pass under the influence of the rising heated vapor to gain access to the receptacle.

My object is to provide an apparatus for the purpose stated whereby this objection shall be obviated; and to this end my invention consists in the construction hereinafter set forth and claimed.

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Patent No. EP0949328A1: Gluten-Free Beer Containing Rice Malt

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Today in 1999, US Patent EP 0949328 A1 was issued, an invention of Marina Pieranna Bellini, Francesco Collavo, Giovanni Maccagnan, Antonio Pat, and Gian Luca Ragg, assigned to Heineken Italia S.p.A., for their “Gluten-Free Beer Containing Rice Malt.” Here’s the Abstract:

A gluten-free beer obtained from a mixture of starting materials comprising buck wheat, rice malt and optionally a component chosen from the group comprising corn, sorghum, millet and/or syrups thereof; this component is preferably corn syrup; the beer is obtained by saccharifying the above-mentioned mixture, optionally in the presence of amylolytic enzymes and glucanase, and it is particularly suitable for consumption by gluten-intolerant individuals.

Surprising this patent was issued in 1999, a bit before gluten-free became “a thing.” I was taking classes at UC Davis when Anheuser-Busch was sending samples of their gluten-free Redbridge to Dr. Michael Lewis, who had recently discovered he suffered from celiac disease. I ended up doing an article about the science behind gluten-free beer for Zymurgy magazine and did a tasting of gluten-free beers for it at Davis right after A-B debuted Redbridge, and that was in 2006. As far I know, I haven’t seen a gluten-free beer from Heineken, although I seem to recall that their beer is low in gluten.

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