Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 2647521A: Hop Picking Machine

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Today in 1953, US Patent 2647521 A was issued, an invention of George E. Miller, for his “Hop Picking Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to mechanism for use in removing hops from hop vines. Numerous machines have been developed from time to time, many of them patented by me, for the purpose of removing hops from vines mechanically. One of the difficulties is that hops are quite delicate and must be handled with great care and another factor is that substantially all of the hops ‘must be removed from the vine for economic can be brought for picking, and also adaptable for use in a portable machine movable through a field of growing hops to remove the hops from the vine.

Another object of my invention is to provide a hop picking machine effective to remove substantially all of the growing hops from the vines, but capable of operating with sufficient delicacy so that the hops are not injured by the mechanical picking and handling.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for removing the hops from the vines without removing a large quantity of leaves and stems; that is, a device for selectively removing the hops while leaving, as far as possible, the leaves and stems undisturbed.

A further object of the invention is to provide I a hop picking machine having flexibly mounted hop picker elements effective to rove throughout 7 portions of the hop vine being picked, so that the hops are engaged from various different directions and in various different attitudes to promote their removal in the most expeditious fashion.

A still further object or the invention is to provide a hop picking machine in which the action of the picker elements is so gentle as not to injure or cut or tear the hops themselves.

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Beer In Ads #1637: A Doctor’s Reasons

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Monday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1904. The ads shows an interesting black and white illustration of a doctor talking with his patient, with a bottle of Schlitz and two glasses between them. The text below imagines the conversation they’re having, about Schlitz being pure and doesn’t call biliousness. Plus the drawing framed by the hops looks pretty cool.

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Patent No. 6209567B1: Foam Trap For Beer Or Other Gas Propelled Liquid Dispensing Systems

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Today in 2001, US Patent 6209567 B1 was issued, an invention of Robert C. Gustafson, for his “Foam Trap For Beer or Other Gas Propelled Liquid Dispensing Systems.” Here’s the Abstract:

A foam trap or FOB for a gas propelled or mechanically pumped liquid dispensing system, having an upper ball stopper valve seat and gas vent port at the top and a lower ball stopper valve seat and liquid outlet port at the bottom, with two floating ball stoppers that are raised and lowered by the level of liquid unless locked into a seated position on a valve seat by pressure. Ball stoppers can be independently mechanically dislodged and constrained from reseating on either valve seat by externally accessible means. The interior geometry inhibits the ball stoppers from competing or blocking access to respective valve seats when liquid is falling or rising. The trap automatically shuts off outflow when liquid is depleted, permitting a container change, opening of the vent port, and purging of gas or air in the trap by refilling the trap with liquid before closing the vent port and reopening the outflow. The trap may be integrated into an automated container switching system for liquid dispensing systems.

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Patent No. 3596810A: Keg-Tapping System

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Today in 1971, US Patent 3596810 A was issued, an invention of Roy A. Taubenheim, for his “Keg-Tapping System.” Here’s the Abstract:

A beer keg-tapping device which consists of a keg unit that is permanently attached to the keg and a coupler unit detachably connected to the keg unit. Both units have liquid and gas passages which communicate when the units are coupled; a single valve element automatically closes both passages of the keg unit when units are not coupled. During coupling the passages of the two units are connected before the valve element is unseated, so that coupling is accomplished without spraying of beer.

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Beer In Ads #1636: Every Sip … Like A Trip To Snow Country

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Sunday’s ad is for Genesee Beer, from 1970. “Every sip … like a trip to snow country,” with a cold mountain stream still filled with ice, but slowly starting to thaw. Who doesn’t want their beer to evoke that setting? Assuming, of course, the beer hasn’t actually frozen or is so close to freezing that we can no longer taste it. That would be bad.

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Patent No. WO2010043235A8: Post Fermenting Optimizer (PFO) For The Preparation Of Beer

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Today in 2010, US Patent WO 2010043235 A8 was issued, an invention of Patrick Accristo, Michel Aubanel, Cyril Denis, Dave Mawby, Matthew Servini, Nilabh Singh, and John Terry, assigned to Cargill Incorporated, for their “Post Fermenting Optimizer (PFO) for the Preparation of Beer.” Here’s the Abstract:

The present application relates to a method of preparing a beer or beer-like beverage by adding a Post Fermenting Optimizer (PFO) in form of an infusion of roasted malt or a distillate thereof after fermentation. This addition of PFO provides the beer or beer-like beverage with additional body, base flavour and/or top notes. The present invention relates also to the PFO infusion itself, its distillate, the methods for preparing them and their use for reducing staling during beer or beer-type product shelf-life.

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Patent No. 5334400A: Beverage Package

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Today in 1994, US Patent 5334400 A was issued, an invention of Robert Purdham, assigned to Guinness Brewing Worldwide Limited, for his “Beverage Package.” Here’s the Abstract:

A sealed beverage package has a bottle 1, a neck 4 of which provides a narrow mouth 5. A hollow insert 7 is submerged in beverage 13 in the bottle. A headspace 14 in the bottle is at a pressure greater than atmospheric and when the package is opened to de-pressurise the headspace 14, gas and/or liquid under pressure in the insert 7 is ejected through an aperture 8 into the beverage to cause a head of froth to develop on the beverage 13. The insert 7 is retained in position by an open framework 9 of struts 10 which extend between the insert and a retaining ring 11 that frictionally engages in a bore 6 adjacent to the mouth 5 of the bottle. The insert 7 can be attached to the framework 9 or formed integral therewith.

It’s also described thusly:

The present invention relates to a beverage package and a method of forming such a package. More particularly it concerns a sealed package of the kind containing beverage having gas in solution and within which beverage is located a hollow insert containing gas under pressure which, upon opening of the package, causes a gas and/or liquid to be ejected from the insert by way of a restricted orifice to cause, or assist in, the formation of a head of froth on the beverage by the evolution of gas dissolved therein. The ejection of the gas and/or liquid from the hollow insert results from the opening of the package when a headspace of the beverage which, in the sealed package, is at a pressure greater than atmospheric rapidly reduces to atmospheric pressure so that a pressure differential is created which permits the gas and/or liquid under pressure greater than atmospheric in the insert to be ejected into the beverage in the container.

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Beer In Ads #1635: Ladder Drinking

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Saturday’s ad is for Carling Black Label, from 1958. A man’s up a ladder, doing some sort of work around the house, presumably. The ad reads: “Time for a break!” Maybe it’s just me, but it seems the more prudent way to take that break might have been to climb down off the ladder first before enjoying a glass of beer. It doesn’t even look like one of those ladders where there are two sides making it relatively stable, at least from what we can see. Don’t drink and climb ladders seems like a good, if inelegant, rule of thumb. It’s also another instance of a “friendly” beer, stating. “It’s the friendly beer at the friendly, popular price.”

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Patent No. 2756917A: Valve For Counter Pressure Filling Apparatus

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Today in 1956, US Patent 2756917 A was issued, an invention of John T. Kline, for his “Valve For Counter Pressure Filling Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

Briefly outlined they are as follows: The charged liquid is supplied to a reservoir by piping connected to a continuous source of supply forming a closed circuit; air or gas under pressure, such as carbon dioxide, is also supplied to the reservoir by suitable piping leading from a continuous source forming a closed circuit, thereby providing a head above the liquid in the reservoir; and a plurality of filling heads, each one of which contains a rotary fiat valve and means to temporarily seal the containers, is joined to the bottom of the reservoir and connected with the interior thereof by suitable piping to permit removal of the liquid and/ or the air or gas confined therein. By positioning the valve in each filling head in a predetermined pattern, a filling sequence is accomplished which permits the filling of the containers without excessively foaming or effervescing the liquid. This sequence consists of temporarily sealing the container to the filling head; then positioning the valve to permit the air or gas under pressure in the reservoir, commonly called counter pressure, to enter into the container to equalize the pressure between them; then positioning the valve to permit the liquid in the reservoir to enter into the container under its normal hydrostatic pressure and to return the air or gas (counter pressure) in the container back to the reservoir as it is being displaced by the liquid; then positioning the valve to out off the flow of the liquid and the air or gas (counter pressure) to and from the container; then exhausting any air or gas remaining in the container and finally permanently sealing the container.

My invention, while relating generally to apparatus for transferring gaseous liquids from a source of supply to containers, specifically relates to the rotary fiat valve employed by such apparatus and is specifically directed to the method employed in conveying the liquid and air or gas from the reservoir to the container.

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