Tuesday’s ad is another one for Blatz, this time from 1945. In the ad, an attractive young woman is on the phone, which of course means she’s talking to a boy, most likely making a date. But no, they mean “Make A Date With Good Taste,” or Blatz, the beer that’s “always ripe and ready.” So at least there’s no double entendres there.
Today in 1987, US Patent 4665940 A was issued, an invention of Charles S. Jacobson, for his “Container Fitting.” Here’s the Abstract:
A fitting for a container of draft beer or the like includes a first valve for permitting pressurized gas to be injected into the container and a second valve for permitting beer to be dispensed from the container. Both valves are urged to their closed positions by inexpensive elastomeric springs which also serve to hold certain components of the fitting in assembled relation. A coupler attaches the fitting to the container and enables the container to be used with Sankey-type taps.
Today in 1988, US Patent WO 1988003556 A1 was issued, an invention of Joseph L. Owades, for his “Preparation Of Wort Extracts.” Joe is most well-known for having invented low-calorie light beer. Here’s the Abstract:
A method for producing a wort containing a reduced level of fermentable sugars. In a preferred embodiment the method consists of providing a warm aqueous suspension of ground malt, and adding the warm suspension to a boiling aqueous suspension of cereal adjuncts. The resulting wort is useful for producing a beer with a lower-than-normal alcohol content, or a malt beverage lacking sweetness usually associated with malt beverages.
Today in 1891, US Patent 452609 A was issued, an invention of James C. Magee, for his “Beer-Pump.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:
My invention relates to an improvement in a tap or pump for beer, &e., the same having a plug which may be inserted in a keg, barrel, &c., and a tube adjustably fitted in such plug, an air-space existing between said tube and plug, so that the beer or fluid may be subjected to pressure, the tube being connected with a discharge-pipe.
Monday’s ad is for Blatz, from the 1954. I’m not sure what the story is with the umbrella. It doesn’t appear to be raining. But I do love that her gloves actually match her dress. That’s a fashion commitment. But it’s her electric smile that makes the ad work. You could use it as a flashlight.
Today in 1954, US Patent 2678549 A was issued, an invention of Alvin N. Bloom and Harold B. Campbell, for their “Beer Cooling and Dispensing Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, though it’s described this way in the application:
This invention relates to beer cooling and dispensing apparatus, and has for its primary purpose the provision of an apparatus of greatly improved and simplified structure, which is compact, portable and rugged, which can be installed very readily and inexpensively, which requires a minimum amount of attention, maintenance and servicing, which operates in a positive, economical, highly efficient and sanitary manner, and which is very flexible in its operation so that greatly varying amounts of beer at the proper temperature may be drawn.
Sunday’s ad is for Heineken, probably from the 1930s or 40s. Such a simple ad, but with a beautiful illustration of a blonde woman and a blonde beer.
Despite being primarily a wine site, Vinepair often has some interesting beer content. A few months ago, they created a chart of The 20 Most Popular Beers in America. The rankings are based on IRI data from 2013, which is a little odd since more recent figures are undoubtedly available. But in the top sellers, they don’t change all that often so it’s likely still reasonably accurate.
In the “Details” below, the twenty beers are listed with a number of pieces of other interesting data, including the number of cases, price per case and their Beer Advocate score.
Today in 2011, US Patent 7943366 B2 was issued, an invention of Vineet Rajgarhia, Kari Koivuranta, Merja Penttilä, Marja Ilmen, Pirkko Suominen, Aristos Aristidou, Christopher Kenneth Miller, Stacey Olson, and Laura Ruohonen, assigned to Cargill, for their “Genetically Modified Yeast Species And Fermentation Processes Using Genetically Modified Yeast.” Here’s the Abstract:
Yeast cells are transformed with an exogenous xylose isomerase gene. Additional genetic modifications enhance the ability of the transformed cells to ferment xylose to ethanol or other desired fermentation products. Those modifications’, include deletion of non-specific or specific aldose reductase gene(s), deletion of xylitol dehydrogenase gene(s) and/or overexpression of xylulokinase.
Below are just three of the forty figures filed with the application. They all look about the same to my untrained eye.
Today in 1966, US Patent 3251386 A was issued, an invention of Frank A. Bellato, for his “Filler Valve Assembly.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states that the “invention relates to container filling apparatus, and particularly to what is known as a racker assembly used to fill beer kegs and the like.” But it’s primarily this.
The major object of the invention is to provide a racker assembly by means of whicha beer keg may be quickly and easily filled with a free unobstructed flow, while at the same time a supply of a gas under pressure (such as CO is being introduced into the keg to minimize turbulence and foaming of the beer as delivered into the keg.
