Thursday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1961. That’s quite a cheese spread she has going, there’s obviously a party about to happen. Good thing she has half quarts on hand. This party’s going to be off the hook.
Patent No. 1029727A: Tap
Today in 1912, US Patent 1029727 A was issued, an invention of George Stroh, for his “Tap.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
This invention relates to taps and bushings and more particularly to that class wherein the bushing is permanently secured in a beer keg or barrel. and-a tap, so called, is arranged for coupling therewith. In such devices it is desirable that the tap be so constructed that it may be readily coupled with the bushing, and -a tight joint made therewith without the use of tools, as the coupling of the parts is usually effected when the barrel or keg is in a store room or cellar or other dark place and as the help available is usually unskilled. Furthermore it is of great advantage to have the tap constitute a single structure bodily removable from the bushing, and so arranged that the packing rings and like parts which form an essential feature of the device are not readily lost.
This invention relates more particularly to a construction of a tap sleeve whereby the coupling with a barrel bushing is readily effected by the use of the hand alone and whereby there are no loose tap parts which may be shaken off or otherwise displaced.
Patent No. PP23674P2: Hop Plant Named “Delta”
Today in 2013, US Patent PP23674 P2 was issued, an invention of Roger D. Jeske and Paul D. Matthews, assigned to S.S. Steiner, Inc., for their “Hop plant named ‘Delta.'” Here’s the Abstract:
A new and distinct aroma variety of hop plant, Humulus lupulus L., named ‘Delta’ is characterized by its good cone yield, nice aroma (characterized as mild citrus/spice), 1:1 ratio of alpha-acids to beta-acids, low CoH, high Linalool, good storage stability, and resistance to hop powdery mildew. The new variety resulted from cross-pollination performed in 2003 in a field in Prosser, Wash., United States and has been asexually reproduced in a nursery in Prosser, Wash., United States.
Patented only two years ago (filed four years ago), I haven’t seen any mention of this hop being used by any breweries. Anyone know of it being used by anyone?
Homebrewers Pick The Best Beers In America 2015
For the 13th straight year, the readers of Zymurgy magazine were asked to send in a list of their 20 favorite commercially available beers. With a record number of votes in the poll’s thirteenth year, over 1,900 different breweries were represented in the voting. The results were not exactly shocking, and most of the beers and breweries that got the most votes were what you’d expect, I think, but it’s an interesting list all the same. The results are, as usual, printed in the latest issue, July 2015.
Top Rated Beers
KEY: T indicates tie / (#) indicates rank last year / [Arrow indicates their movement over the previous year].
Four of the top ten are California beers (the same number as last year), with again 24 making the list. This is the seventh year in a row AHA members chose Pliny the Elder as the top beer. This also the sixth consecutive year that Bell’s Two Hearted Ale came in second.
1. Russian River Pliny the Elder [↔]
2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale [↔]
3. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA [↔]
4. Stone Enjoy By IPA (8) [↑4]
5. Founders Breakfast Stout (9) [↑4]
6. The Alchemist Heady Topper (5) [↑1]
7. Bell’s Hopslam Ale (4) [↓3]
8. Three Floyds Zombie Dust (14) [↑6]
9. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA (7) [↓2]
10. Firestone Walker Wookey Jack (13) [↑3]
11. Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA (not on last year’s list)
T12. Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro (not on last year’s list, though plain Milk Stout was 29)
T12. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale [↔]
T12. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA (20) [↑8]
15. Goose Island Bourbon Country Stout (10) [↓5]
16. Russian River Blind Pig I.P.A. (22) [↑6]
T17. Arrogant Bastard Ale (18) [↑1]
T17. Founders KBS (11) [↓6]
T19. Russian River Consecration (39) [↑20]
T19. Russian River Supplication (30) [↑11]
21. Deschutes Black Butte Porter (23) [↑2]
T22. Firestone Walker Parabola (not on last year’s list)
T22. Firestone Walker Union Jack (18) [↓4]
T24. Firestone Walker Double Jack (15) [↓9]
T24. Odell IPA (49) [↑25]
T24. Tröegs Nugget Nectar (39) [↑15]
27. Founders All Day IPA (34) [↑7]
T28. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA (27) [↓1]
T28. Sierra Nevada Celebration (15) [↓13]
30. Lagunitas IPA (38) [↑8]
31. North Coast Old Rasputin (23) [↓8]
32. Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ (15) [↓17]
T33. Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin (not on last year’s list)
T33. Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale (25) [↓8]
35. Surly Furious (32) [↓3]
36. Stone Ruination IPA (26) [↓10]
37. Deschutes The Abyss (41) [↑4]
38. Green Flash West Coast IPA (31) [↓7]
39. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy (44) [↓5]
40. Cigar City Jai Alai (42) [↓2]
T41. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter (47) [↑6]
T41. New Belgium La Folie (33) [↓8]
43. Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale (36) [↓7]
44. Founders Backwoods Bastard (49) [↑5]
T45. Victory DirtWolf Double IPA (not on last year’s list)
T45. Fat Head’s Head Hunter (not on last year’s list)
T45. Lagunitas Sucks (6) [↓39]
T45. Stone IPA (37) [↓8]
T49. Odell Myrcenary (not on last year’s list)
T49. Russian River Pliny the Younger (28) [↓21]
T49. Ballast Point Victory at Sea (not on last year’s list)
Brewery Rankings
Brewery rankings are based on total votes received by each brewery’s beers. This year’s top brewery is the same as last year, Russian River Brewing Co., in Santa Rosa, Calif. Russian River placed five beers in the top 50, including both its Plinys. Stone Brewing finished second, while Bell’s Brewery came in third, exchanging places from last year.
finished second, while last year’s winner, Stone Brewing Co., came in third this year. Eight California breweries made the list (one more than last year), with five from Colorado, and two each from Michigan and Pennsylvania. Again, (#) indicates their rank last year, while [Arrow indicates their movement over the previous year].
1. Russian River Brewing Co., Santa Rosa, CA [↔]
2. Stone Brewing Co., Escondido, CA (3) [↑1]
3. Bell’s Brewery, Inc., Kalamazoo, MI (2) [↓1]
4. Founders Brewing Co., Grand Rapids, MI (6) [↑2]
5. Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles, CA (7) [↑2]
6. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, CA & Mill River, NC (5) [↑1]
7. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE (4) [↓3]
8. Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma, CA & Chicago, IL [↔]
9. Ballast Point Brewing, San Diego, CA (13) [↑4]
10. Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR (9) [↓1]
11. New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, CO (10) [↓1]
12. Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO (20) [↑8]
13. Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, CO (14) [↑1]
14. Three Floyds Brewing Co., Munster, IN (11) [↓3]
15. Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO (17) [↑2]
16. Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago, IL (12) [↑4]
17. New Glarius Brewing Co., New Glarus, WI (18) [↑1]
18. Surly Brewing Co., Minneapolis, MN (21) [↑3]
19. Tröegs Brewing Co., Hershey, PA (not on last year’s list)
20. The Bruery, Placentia, CA (not on last year’s list)
21. Green Flash Brewing Co., San Diego, CA (not on last year’s list)
22. The Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA (15) [↓7]
T23. Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, CO (22) [↓1]
T23. Cigar City Brewing, Tampa, FL (not on last year’s list)
T25. Victory Brewing Co., Downington, PA (19) [↓6]
Best Portfolio
They also determined which breweries got the most votes for different beers that they produce, and called that list “best portfolio.” The number following their name is how many of their beers got at least one vote. (#) indicates their rank last year, while [Arrow indicates their movement over the previous year].
1. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. [60 Beers] (3) [↑2]
2. Stone Brewing Co. [54 Beers] (5) [↑3]
3. Bell’s Brewery, Inc. [52 Beers] (6) [↑3]
4. New Belgium Brewing [47 Beers] (1) [↓3]
5. Avery Brewing Co. [39 Beers] (10) [↑5]
T6. Goose Island Beer Co. [37 Beers] (10) [↑4]
T6. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery [37 Beers] (4) [↓2]
T8. Firestone Walker Brewing Co. [35 Beers] (not on last year’s list)
T8. The Boston Beer Co. (Samuel Adams) [35 Beers] (2) [↓6]
T8. The Bruery [35 Beers] (9) [↓1]
Top Imports
With a few ties, several imports also received votes as readers’ favorite beers. For at least a second year in a row, Unibroue’s La Fin du Monde claimed the number one spot among imports. Again, (#) indicates their rank last year, while [Arrow indicates their movement over the previous year].
1. Unibroue La Fin Du Monde, Canada [↔]
2. St. Bernardus Abt 12, Belgium (3) [↓1]
3. Rodenbach Grand Cru, Belgium (5) [↑2]
4. Guinness Draught, Ireland (1) [↓3]
5. Saison Dupont, Belgium (not on last year’s list)
T6. Orval, Belgium (not on last year’s list)
T6. Chimay Grande Reserve/Blue Label, Belgium (not on last year’s list)
8 Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, England (not on last year’s list)
T9. Weihenstephan Hefeweissbier, Germany (not on last year’s list)
T9. Cantillon Gueuze, Belgium (not on last year’s list)
Patent No. 541431A: Hop-Picker
Today in 1895, US Patent 541431 A was issued, an invention of Charlon E. Easton, for his “Hop-Picker.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention relates to machines for picking hops-that is, a machine for picking each strobile or oatkin from the vine,and the object of the invention is to produce a machine that will remove the catkins from the vine or stem thoroughly, rapidly, and without injury.
Beer In Ads #1589: One Of The Real Joys Of Good Living
Wednesday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1960. “One of the Real Joys of Good Living” is apparently waking up at 11:45 p.m., putting on your robe and going downstairs to make a sandwich and have a beer for a late night snack. Hilarious, I’m usually still up well past midnight, but I do wish I had that robe.
Patent No. 2245650A: Grain Separating Machine
Today in 1941, US Patent 2245650 A was issued, an invention of Ovie N. Christopherson, for his “Grain Separating Machine.” There’s no Abstract, but it’s described generally as and “invention provid[ing] an improved highly efficient machine for the separation of various grains or seeds according to their thickness or transverse diameter,” making two claims:
1. In a separating machine, a separating screen, means for simultaneously imparting to said screen endwise reciprocating and transverse movements, said screen having elongated slots extended in the direction of its longitudinal reciprocating movement, the transverse movement thereof :being crosswise of the direction of said slots.
2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said screen is in the form of a rotary drum and the transverse movement thereof being in a constant direction.
First Time Craft Beer Drinker’s Slow-Motion Reactions
This reminds me quite a lot of those BuzzFeed videos my wife and kids are always showing me of people trying different national or ethnic foods for the first time, although this one is showing the reactions of various people trying different styles of beer for the first time. Each person is shown naked (or at least as far down as we can see) and we’re also shown the style they’re trying and then their reaction is shown in slow-motion. It was created by Bierdeluxe, a German online beer store. From a main page of craft beer, there’s a picture of each person representing the broad styles from the video, which has as its title “If you’ve never tasted Craft Beer, then you’ve never tasted Beer!,” and clicking on each takes you to a page where the beers they have for sale in that style are displayed for purchase. It’s an oddly effective way to shop, if a little weird on several levels, but it’s also kind of funny, displaying that German knack for knowing what’s funny and/or odd but still not being able to work out which one it really is in the end.
Patent No. 3889725A: Method Of Filling Beer Cans
Today in 1975, US Patent 3889725 A was issued, an invention of Werner Heckmann, Heinz Jordan, Uwe Knabe, Karl Plock, Karl Quest, Friedrich Rademacher, and Dieter Unger, assigned to Holstein & Kappert Maschf, for their “Method of Filling Beer Cans or the Like.” Here’s the Abstract:
The supported devices in an apparatus which fills beer cans orbit about a vertical axis and have upright housings supporting cylindrical centering members which carry deformable gaskets for the mouths of cans. Such cans are supported by a conveyor which orbits with the filling devices and is movable up and down or is held against vertical movement during rotation with the filling devices. The introduction of liquid into the cans takes place subsequent to introduction of a compressed gas, and such gas can be used to bias the gaskets against the mouths of cans during filling. When the filling of a can is completed, the pressure in its interior is increased to facilitate separation from the respective gasket. That supply of beer which remains in a channel of the housing on closing of the beer-admitting valve can be expelled in response to expansion of gas in a chamber which receives such gas by way of the container and is sealed from the container by beer in the channel. The expansion of gas in the chamber takes place in response to opening of a valve which reduces the pressure of gas above the body of liquid in the container.
Patent No. 1065233A: Keg-Tapping Device
Today in 1913, US Patent 1065233 A was issued, an invention of Friedrick Gittinger, for his “Keg-Tapping Device.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention relates to devices for tapping kegs and barrels, and has especial reference to devices for tapping kegs of beer, and has for its object’ the provision of an improved construction of tapping devices comprising a bung having an integral web provided with an opening and segment-al slots, rotatable valve members mounted on the two sides of said web and secured together for simultaneous rotation over said segmental slots, and a nozzle member adapted to enter and be locked in engagement with said bung and provided with means for rotating the valve members when moving into locking position.
