Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #1630: Nothing So Good … For Good Company!

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Monday’s ad is for Carling’s Black Label, from 1955. All it took was a shirt, a bowling ball, pin and whatever the hell is on top of the ball to make an abstract person holding a bottle of beer. In the mid-1950s, bowling was huge — a very high percentage of people not only bowled, but were involved in a weekly league. But another oddity I noticed was on the neck label, where it reads “Full 12 oz.” That seems strange, were there breweries using smaller than 12 oz. bottles that Carling felt the need to call attention to the fact that their bottles were a full 12 ounces?

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Patent No. 3594995A: Hop-Picking Machine

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Today in 1971, US Patent 3594995 A was issued, an invention of Thomas Lee Evans and Charlie J. Soules, for their “Hop-Picking Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to hop-picking machines and, more particularly, to novel, improved machines for field picking hops from vines hanging from overhead wires or trellises or other supports.

We have now developed a novel, improved machine for filed picking hops which does not have the drawbacks of machines heretofore proposed for this purpose and accordingly represents a significant advance in the art over the latter. The novel hop-picking machines of the present invention are preferably self-propelled and, generally speaking, include graspers for engaging the lower ends of the vines and maintaining them in picking position as they move through the machine, picking cuts for stripping the hops from the vines, a conveyor arrangement for carrying the hops away, a cutter for severing the vines to free them from the supports, and an arrangement for expelling picked vines from the machine.

One of the important advantages of the novel hoppicking machine described herein is that, being self-propelled, it can be maneuvered through a field more easily and much faster than the cumbersome pushed-type” picker described in the Horst patents identified above and is accordingly capable of picking hops at a much higher rate. Another advantage, also resulting in increased capacity, is that the machines of the present invention are capable of picking two rows of vines simultaneously in contrast to the patented Horst machines which are single-row pickers.

In the Horst machines, the vines are pulled down through the machine as they are picked. Accordingly, a field hand must accompany the machine and cut the vines free from the trellises as they move into the machine. Applicant’s novel machine in contrast does not depend on downward movement of the vines they are picked; and, moreover, it is provided with its own cutter for severing the vines to free them from the trellises. Accordingly, the necessity of employing hand labor for this purpose is eliminated by the present invention together with the attendant expense.

In conjunction with the foregoing, another novel and important feature ofthe present invention is that the picking cats are vertically adjustable. This makes it possible to quickly adjust the cats as the heights of the overhead supports change so that the vines can be picked clean up to the supports.

Another important feature of the present invention is a novel conveyor for the hops stripped from the vines which normally discharges into a truck or the like but can be employed to store picked hops so that the machine can continue to pick while a loaded truck is being replaced or the machine is turning at the end ofa row, etc. In similar circumstances the picking operation would have be stopped in heretofore proposed machines such as those .described in .the Horst patents, for example.

Yet another important feature of the present invention is a novel grasper line for holding the vines in the proper position for picking in which the grapsers are moved at a speed matching the ground speed of the picking machine. Further, the grapscr line is configured to compensate for sagging vinesupporting wires, thereby ensuring that the vines are grasped at the proper location.

Other important features of the invention are a novel cutter mechanism for severing the vines and freeing them from the trellises and a novel mechanism for expelling the picked vines from the machine. Yet another novel and important feature of the invention is that the operating mechanisms are powered entirely by hydraulic motors, substantially eliminating belt and chain and similar drives. This makes the novel machines disclosed herein significantly simpler than comparable prior art harvesters.

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Beer In Ads #1629: The Goodness Of Malt & A Match

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Sunday’s ad is another one for the Barley and Malt Institute, also from 1959. This is the sixth ad I have from the now defunct trade group for barley growers. In this one a man sitting a bar, with the evening newspaper and bowl of pretzels in front of him, lights a match to fire up his cigarette as he glances to his left, watching the glass of beer he ordered as it’s just about finished being filled. It looks like the perfect way to end a workday, circa 1959.

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Patent No. 2477222A: Beer Dispenser With Coil Cleaning Means

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Today in 1949, US Patent 2477222 A was issued, an invention of Frederick J. Warcup, for his “Beer Dispenser with Coil Cleaning Means.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to beer distributing systems such as are used in taverns and saloons for conducting beer from kegs, in which the beer is delivered from the brewery, to taps located behind the bar. The length of piping between a keg and the tap includes a cooling coil through which the beer flows.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved beer distributing system in which water can be conveniently introduced into the beer lines and accurately controlled so as to avoid the loss of beer that results from having beer stand in the pipes, from draining of the lines for cleaning, and the loss that occurs when an empty keg is replaced with a full one.

It is another object of this invention to provide means by which tavern operators can clean their own lines without having to connect or disconnect any unions or fittings, and in the preferred embodiment of the invention the system is constructed so that the beer lines can be cleaned without even leaving the bar. The tavern operator can fill his beer lines with water preparatory to cleaning them and all of the usual loss of beer incident to cleaning line is avoided.

Another important saving is effected by this invention when a keg becomes empty and it is necessary to tap a new keg. Whenever the contents of one keg become exhausted, the beer line fills with foam and the first beer from a new keg surges into the line and foams to such an extent that the first glasses drawn after a new keg has been tapped cannot be used because of excessive foam. With this invention the line is filled with water before tapping a new keg and there is no surge of beer into the line.

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Beer In Ads #1628: The Goodness Of Malt While Boating

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Saturday’s ad is for the Barley and Malt Institute, from 1959. This is the fifth ad I have from the now defunct trade group for barley growers. In this one a woman is pouring a beer on the dock for a man sitting in boat of uncertain size, though it’s probably relatively small, and trying to grab the glass (glass?!?) mug even before she’s finished filling it. The tagline is similar to other Malt Institute ads, suggesting it was a series of ads: “Fun-Flavors your favorite beer—healthfully.” I’m not even sure that quite makes sense.

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Patent No. 3332748A: Extraction Of Hop Bitters From Beer With Iso-Octane Using Synchronized Pulses In A Helical Coil

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Today in 1967, US Patent 3332748 A was issued, an invention of Jack Albert Spicer and Max William Betts, for their “Extraction of Hop Bitters from Beer With Iso-Octane Using Synchronized Pulses in a Helical Coil.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to the extraction of chemical substances from liquid mixtures and in particular to the extraction of such substances from complex mixtures for purposes of analysis.

In the analysis of a complex mixture, it may be desired to separate one or more constituents of the mixture, by liquid/liquid extraction methods, in order to obtain a relatively simple solution, for example for spectrographic analysis. Thus, for example, it has been proposed to extract hop bitter substances from brewers wort or beer by liquid/liquid extraction with iso-octane, whereupon the solution of the hop bitter substances may be analyzed by ultra-violet spectrographic analysis. The present invention provides an extraction process suitable for use in the separation of desired compounds from such mixtures.

According to the invention, a process for the extraction of a chemical substance from a liquid mixture comprises feeding the liquid mixture and a solvent for the desired chemical substance in synchronized pulses through a horizontally disposed coiled tube, and separating the residual liquid mixture from the solution of the desired chemical substance in the solvent. Preferably the coiled tube is helically coiled.

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Patent No. 998815A: Beer-Making Apparatus

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Today in 1911, US Patent 998815 A was issued, an invention of Ernst Uhlmann, for his “Beer-Making Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to that portion of the beer making art wherein the wort is treated with hops, and it has for its objects to provide an apparatus for preventing the wort from acquiring an objectionable color and flavor and from a tendency to sour as a result of such treatment.

My invention is designed to overcome these objections and to provide a form of apparatus for rapidly removing the hops from the wort, which shall ‘be simple in construction and operation and require much less floor space for accommodation than apparatus commonly used for the purpose.

In carrying out my invention I remove the hops, albuminoids, and such matter from the wort while the latter is flowing from the brewing kettle to the coolers, so that the wort is freed from these matters almost immediately it leaves the brewing kettle, and does not remain in contact with the hops, etc., longer than a few seconds. Also I remove all the wort from the hops without employment of any mechanical or air pressure.

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Beer In Ads #1627: Take Off On A Completely Unique Experience

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Friday’s ad is for Colt 45 malt liquor, from 1969. I guess they were playing off the popularity of the space race in 1969, when Neil Armstrong walked on the Moon. It’s a pretty weird ad, and I’m not sure about a lot of it. Why, for example, is the man just wearing a conservative black suit? And why is he surrounded by two odd-looking alien women in space suits behind a wall of Colt 45 cans. It certainly is “out of this world,” as the cheesy ad suggests.

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Beer May Lessen Chronic Pain

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Here’s another study you won’t see reported by Alcohol Justice, because it goes against their propagandist mantra. A study conducted at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland essentially found that the moderate consumption of alcohol might lessen chronic pain, especially in people with fibromyalgia, defined as a “a syndrome characterized by fatigue and chronic pain in the muscles and in tissues surrounding the joints.”

Drinks Business summarized the findings:

In a study of over 2,000 sufferers of chronic widespread pain, those who often consumed above average amounts of alcohol had lower levels of disability than those who never or rarely drank.

The research into sufferers of fibromyalgia — a rheumatic condition that causes muscular pain and stiffness — surveyed patient’s eating and drinking habits to determine the effect of diet on their symptoms.

Of the 2,239 people surveyed, those who drank 21 to 35 units of alcohol per week were 67% less likely than to experience disability than those who didn’t drink.

The study itself was published on the July issue of the journal Arthritis Care & Research under the title “Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower risk (and severity) of chronic widespread pain: Results from a UK population-based study.”

Aberdeen also put out a pdf with the basics of the study and here’s the Abstract:

Objectives: To determine whether reported level of alcohol consumption is associated with the likelihood of reporting chronic widespread pain (CWP) and, amongst persons with CWP, the associated disability.

Methods: A population-based study in two areas of the United Kingdom. Participants self-completed a postal questionnaire. They were classified according to whether they met the American College of Rheumatology definition of CWP and whether the pain was disabling (Chronic Pain Grade III or IV). They reported their usual level of alcohol consumption. Potential confounding factors on which information was available included age, gender, cigarette smoking, employment status, self-reported weight and height and level of deprivation.

Results: 13,574 persons participated (mean age 55 years; 57% female) of whom 2239 (16.5%) had CWP: 28% reported never regularly consuming alcohol, 28% consuming up to 5 units/wk, 20% 6-10 units/wk and 24% more than 10 units/wk. Amongst persons with CWP, disability was strongly linked to level of alcohol consumption. Prevalence of disability decreased with increasing alcohol consumption up to 35 unit/wk (Odds Ratio (OR)21-35 units alcohol/wk v. never drinkers 0.33 95% CI (0.19,0.58)) adjusted for confounders. A similar relationship was found between reporting CWP and level of alcohol consumption (adjOR21-35 units alcohol/wk v. regular drinkers 0.76 95% CI (0.61-0.94).

Conclusions: This study has demonstrated strong associations between level of alcohol consumption and CWP. However the available evidence does not allow us to conclude that the association is causal. The strength of the associations means that specific studies to examine this potential relationship are warranted.

So while the researchers believe more study is necessary to confirm a causal connection, they do believe there are “strong associations” between moderate drinking and chronic widespread pain, and that those are robust enough to warrant additional study.

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Patent No. 1234255A: Process Of Treating Beer

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Today in 1917, US Patent 1234255 A was issued, an invention of Charles S. Ash, for his “Process of Treating Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to a process of treating beer; and has for its object to stabilize beer by eliminating the causes of cloudiness and turbidity therein, and also to prevent the development of color and the development of a cooked taste in the beer following pasteurization.

In the brewing and finishing of beer, the aim of the brewer is to obtain a product which is brilliantly clear and transparent and which will so remain under all conditions of subsequent handling.

Beer is rendered turbid or cloudy on standing, particularly in the cold, by reason of the precipitation of nitrogenous bodies. In the process of mashing the grains and making the wort, which is subsequently fermented, a portion of the nitrogenous bodies of the grain is brought into solution. After the fermentation and the aging or lagering to which the new beer is subjected some of these nitrogenous bodies are precipitated and are removed by filtration. After the final filtration the beer is brilliant, but upon storage in the case of keg beer, and upon pasteurization and storage in the case of bottled beer, the beer gradually becomes cloudy and finally turbid.

There are two ways in which this cloudiness and turbidity can be prevented; first, by the absolute removal-of the nitrogenous bodies still held in the lagered beer, which are susceptible to subsequent precipitation through storage or heating or cooling; and, second, by treating the lagered beer in such a manner that these, nitrogenous bodies remain in solution. The first method has never been hitherto successfully accomplished. The second method has yielded results of more or less value and is accomplished by adding to the beer substances known as enzymes, which have the power of rendering these insoluble nitrogenous bodies soluble and hence the beer remains brilliant.

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Two beers with the same color, but different turbidity.