Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #1706: Earth Will Be Destroyed In 12 Minutes

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Monday’s ad is unusual insofar as unlike almost every other ad, this one is not for a beer. The 1985 ad is actually for a text-based video game from Infocom based on Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was published today, October 12, in 1979, a year after the original radio show aired on BBC Radio.

The double truck ad decided to feature one of the scenes in the beginning of the book, when Ford Prefect takes his human friend Arthur Dent to a local pub shortly before Earth is scheduled to be demolished to make way for a bypass. “Six pints of bitter,’ said Ford Prefect…. ‘And quickly please, the world’s about to end.’”

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Patent No. 7810679B2: Beer Dispensing System With Gas Pressure Reservoir

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Today in 2010, US Patent 7810679 B2 was issued, an invention of Albert W. Wauters, Ian Anderson, and Edward P. Duffy, assigned to Anheuser-Busch Inbev S.A., for their “Beer Dispensing System with Gas Pressure Reservoir.” Here’s the Abstract:

A home beer dispensing apparatus has a keg having a self-contained bag filled with a beer and a pressure system. The pressure system creates a pressurized air space between the keg inner walls and the bag to assist in the dispensing of the beer. The pressure system has a keg one-way air valve mounted to a top wall of the keg to permit entry of pressurized air into the keg. The pressure system has a pressure reservoir mounted in the dispensing apparatus outside the keg and in fluid flow communication with the keg one-way valve. The reservoir stores a charge of pressurized air and supplies at least a portion of this charge to the keg through the keg air valve when the dispensing apparatus is operated to dispense the beer. The reservoir provides a reserved charge of pressurized gas that is on hand to reduce dampening pressure fluctuations during beer dispensing which can result in beer frothing, especially during the early stages of beer dispensing when the air head space in the keg is small. Further, the apparatus may also have a pressure sensing system adapted to measure time rate of pressure change in the keg. The apparatus has a signaling device responsive to the time rate of pressure change in the keg to produce a signal related to volume of beer remaining in the bag. Preferably, the signal is displayed visually on the dispensing apparatus.

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Kurt Widmer Announces His Retirement

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Kurt Widmer, the older brother in Widmer Brothers Brewing, announced today he will be retiring at the end of 2015 from the day-to-day work with the business he founded with his brother Rob in 1984, 31 years ago.

Here’s the press release from the Craft Brew Alliance:

Kurt R. Widmer, 63, co-founder of Widmer Brothers Brewing, announced today that he will retire from Craft Brew Alliance, Inc. (“CBA”) and will be leaving CBA’s Board of Directors at the end of the year. At that time, he will assume the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus. Mr. Widmer has served as Chairman of the Board since Craft Brew Alliance was formed in 2008 through the merger of pioneering Pacific Northwest craft brewing companies Redhook Brewery and Widmer Brothers Brewing. Previously, Mr. Widmer served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Widmer Brothers Brewing Company from 1984 until 2008.

Mr. Widmer will remain in his role through December 31, 2015 to support the transition as CBA’s Board of Directors engages in the process of selecting a new Chairperson.

“Since my brother Rob and I founded Widmer Brothers Brewing over 31 years ago, this extraordinary industry that we helped create has grown and evolved in ways I couldn’t even imagine,” said Mr. Widmer. “Many of us who set the foundation for today’s booming craft beer market are thinking about the next chapter in our lives, and my wife Ann and I have been discussing the fact that there’s still a lot we want to do. So while I’ll miss walking into my office at the brewery every day, I’m admittedly looking forward to more time with my family and doing more of what I love to do – whether it’s traveling around the world or home brewing in the basement.”

He continued, “In terms of timing, I feel really good about where CBA is today. Looking back on how CBA has grown from two craft beer companies to a powerful alliance of great beers, brands, breweries and partners, I couldn’t be more confident in the future. The focus, expertise, and vision of the leadership team, under the helm of Andy Thomas, are further proof that CBA, its people, and its shareholders are in great hands. People who know me will probably not believe that I’m stepping away from Widmer Brothers and CBA. As a Widmer Brother, I will always look forward to that next innovative collaboration or a chance to connect with Widmer fans over a pint of Hefe at a local account.”

Kurt and Rob Widmer co-founded Widmer Brothers Brewing in Portland, Oregon in 1984 with help from their father Ray. They are among a handful of brewers in the United States credited with creating a universally recognized new style in 1986 with Hefe, the original American-style Hefeweizen and the #1 selling craft beer in Oregon.

“I’ve been fortunate to meet a number of truly remarkable people in this industry, and Kurt Widmer is definitely at the top of the list,” said Andy Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, CBA. “From his role in creating the craft beer category, to his foresight and vision in bringing together CBA to secure his brands’ route to market — and the adversity he faced as a direct result — to the role he continues to play as an impassioned advocate of our industry, Kurt has made a profound impact on many of us. CBA wouldn’t be CBA without Kurt Widmer, and I am grateful for his support and confidence as we continue forward.”

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Kurt (center) with Gary Fish and Fred Eckhardt at the Horse Brass for Don Younger’s memorial in 2011.

Patent No. 2451273A: Method Of Applying Bottle Caps

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Today in 1948, US Patent 2451273 A was issued, an invention of Elvin M. Bright, for his “Method of Applying Bottle Caps.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to improvements in a method for thermoplastically capping bottles.

It is an important object of the invention to provide a method and means of capping a bottle which, to a large extent, will make use of standard existing bottle capping equipment and will provide a cap which will not interfere with the handling, processing, merchandising, and use of the bottle and its contents in accordance with conventional procedure.

From the standpoint of the process involved, a very important objective is to soften a thickened margin of the bottle cap blank without softening the remainder thereof, and to mold such thickened margin around the cap-receiving bead of the bottle and immediately to harden it thereon. In this connection I propose to utilize infra-red rays or other radiant heat for softening the flange of the bottle cap blank while shielding and thermally insulating the top of the blank from such rays. Infra-red rays are preferred because of the ease with which they may be directed and controlled.

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Patent No. 2331556A: Process For Purifying Wort

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Today in 1943, US Patent 2331556 A was issued, an invention of Hans Olof Lindgren, for his “Process For Purifying Wort.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The object of the invention is to provide a method of purifying, cooling, and aerating the wort, the main part of which is carried out as a continuous process, which is free of the above objections. The warm Wort leaving the hops boiler, at a temperature which is usually above 85 C. (185 FJ, and which should not be below ’70 C. (158 F.), or above 100 C. (212 F), is strained with a view to removing the coarsest impurities. It is then purified in a centrifuge f1 om which the purified Wort is discharged continuously. The wort is then passed through a cooler of such a construction that it cannot therein come into contact with the atmosphere. The cooled wort is conveyed to tanks, e. g., similar to the fermenting vats above described, in which the cool sludge is removed from the wort by finely divided air which has been mixed therewith at some step of the Process at which the wort is hot enough to sterilize the air, and which in the tank 6 lifts the .cool sludge to the surface. The air and the impurities, together with a small amount of wort, there form a layer of froth which may be skimmed off. If a suitable amount of air is used, a satisfactory purification is obtained at the same time, as the amount of wort contained in the froth is so small that it is unnecessary to take any measures for recovering it. The finely divided air need not be sterile unless it is introduced into the stream after the Wort has been partly or wholly cooled.

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Beer In Ads #1705: Certainly It’s Schlitz

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Sunday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1934. It’s just after prohibition ended and Schlitz is definitely going classy. Apparently Schlitz is seen in “the smartest places” and is “served in well-ordered homes.” Not to mention what a big deal out of their brown bottles. But by far, my favorite line in the ad copy makes no sense whatsoever. “Flavor in Schlitz beer is like style in a Worth frock.”

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Patent No. 6953256B2: Illuminated Tap Handle

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Today in 2005, US Patent 6953256 B2 was issued, an invention of Brent Turner, for his “Illuminated Tap Handle.” Here’s the Abstract:

One object of the invention is to provide an illuminated tap handle including a handle with one end capable of being secured to a tap and a threadable and detachable end allowing the placement of a removable energy source into the handle completing a circuit and illuminating a light source connected to a conducting strip inside the handle when the threadable end is substantially threaded onto the handle and a conducting portion on the threadable end touches the conducting strip and energy source. Another object is where the conducting strip is situated within the tap handle such that when the threadable end is partially or completely unthreaded the tension of the conduction strip is released and situated just above and not touching the energy source, but when the threadable end is substantially threaded onto the tap handle, the conducting strip is again pressed onto the energy source completing the circuit.

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Patent No. 4053653A: Method Of Obtaining Lupulin-Rich Products From Hops

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Today in 1977, US Patent 4053653 A was issued, an invention of Junjiro Miyata and Yasushi Kikuchi, assigned to Asahi Breweries, Ltd., for their “Method of Obtaining Lupulin-Rich Products from Hops.” Here’s the Abstract:

A method of obtaining lupulin-rich products from hops, which comprises: subjecting frozen hop cones to coarse crushing by a first crusher equipped with a screen having width of openings in the range of 6 – 15 mm and sieving fragments of crushed hops passing therethrough to obtain a first lot of lupulin-rich product as accumulated beneath the sieve; and then subjecting the portion which passed over the screen of the sieve to recrushing by a second crusher equipped with a screen having narrower openings than that of the first crusher a screen having width of openings in the range of 3 – 6 mm, and sieving fragments of recrushed hops passing therethrough to obtain a second lot of lupulin-rich product as accumulated beneath the sieves.
The method is performed on hops and particles thereof maintained in the frozen condition.

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Beer In Ads #1704: Changing Beer Bottle Behavior

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Saturday’s ad is for Duraglas, from 1940. It’s Duraglas, a brand of glass bottles owned by the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, that’s “Changing Beer Bottle Behavior.” If you peek behind the action of the woman handing a green bottle to one of the two tuxedoed gentlemen into the refrigerator, you can see a green, brown and clear glass bottles sitting on the shelf inside. But in the foreground, it’s a brown bottle of beer being poured into the glass next to the salad. If you look closely at the bluish wallpaper around the ad, there are bottles of beer with brands on them, like Carnegie Pilsener Beer, Kato Pilsner Beer, Felsenbrau, Old Ox Head Ale, Mule Head Stock Ale, Topaz, Stegmeier Porter, Monarch Beer, Ruppert Ale, Hillcrest Lager Beer, Lucky Lager, Cincinnati Burger Brau, Top Hat Beer, Lucky Ale, Edelbrau Porter, and that’s just some from the left side. They all appear to be different, which is pretty amazing. I recognize enough of the brands to assume they must all be real brands from the time period.

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Patent No. 3346167A: Insulated Reclosable Beer Carton

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Today in 1967, US Patent 3346167 A was issued, an invention of Trueman L. Schmidt, assigned to the Olympia Brewing Company, for his “Insulated Reclosable Beer Carton.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

It is the main object of the present invention to provide an insulated carton for filled beer cans or similar containers, which carton has a handle, allowing it to be readily carried about, and which carton can be opened to remove one or more cans Without exposing all the cans, and which carton can thereafter readily and effectively be reclosed to retain the cool temperature of the remaining filled beer cans, to enable subsequent consumption thereof by the purchaser and his friends.

The insulated reclosable carton of the present invention is characterized by having a sleeve type outer carton member and a box type inner carton member slidably received by the outer carton member in snug relation thereto. The outer carton member has a handle by which it, together with the inner carton member, can be readily carried. The inner carton member is provided with one and preferably two hatch flaps in the side walls of the inner carton member, the hatch flaps being openable to provide an opening through which one or more can be removed from the carton. The hatch flaps are then readily flipped back to their closed positions and maintained in such closed position by the outer carton member when the inner carton member is again slid back into the outer carton member. The hatch flaps are located in staggered relation and near the end margins of their respective side wall panels so that the inner carton member does not have to be completely removed from the outer carton member in order to remove one or more cans, and, by staggering the hatch flaps, it is immaterial which Way the inner carton member is moved relative to the outer carton member because one of the hatch flaps will be exposed regardless of which way it is shifted. The inner carton member and outer carton member are so constructed that the inner carton member is releasably retained in its fully surrounded condition by the outer carton member to avoid accidental displacement of the inner carton member relative to the outer carton member.

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