Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

Socialize

Star Wars Downunder: The Good, The Bad & The Thirsty

By

australia
For some reason I really got caught up in the hoopla of Star Wars Day today. But what about beer and Star Wars, you might ask? Believe it or not, I found something. It’s an interesting fan film made in Australia, entitled Star Wars Downunder. It’s shot in 35mm and took 10 years to make, directed and co-written by Michael Cox. And because it’s Australian, it’s also about beer. The creators describe it by asking “what would happen if you crossed Star Wars with an Australian beer commercial?” And their answer was “Star Wars Downunder: an epic tale of the good the bad and the thirsty, described as “half an hour of action, special effects and lovable Aussie larakins.” On the film’s website, they recount the plot as follows:

The film tells the story of a lone Jedi: Merve Bushwacker (David Nicoll), returning home after a long absence. His mission? To partake in a refreshing beverage, known locally as amber fluid. On his arrival, he is dismayed to discover the planet has become as dry as a dead dingo′s donger, thanks to the tyrannical rule of Darth Drongo. Drongo has hoarded all the amber fluid in his impenetrable fortress “Dunny’s Deep” for reasons unknown. Can Merve, and a motley collection of unlikely allies band together to topple Drongo’s evil regime? Will liberty and amber fluid flow freely once more?

As many reporting on the film lament, there’s no scene in which the character says: “That’s not a loightsabah! THAT’S a loightsabah!” And while that would have been hilarious, there are, however, lightsaber boomerangs, because … well, why wouldn’t there be? Here’s the trailer:

Star Wars Downunder Trailer from Michael Cox on Vimeo.

Star_Wars_Downunder_Fan_Film_Poster_Small

Intrigued? You’re in luck, because you can watch the entire 30-minute film on YouTube, or below.

Patent No. 3181684A: Transfer Mechanism For Conveyor Keg Palletizing Device

By

patent-logo
Today in 1965, US Patent 3181684 A was issued, an invention of John Miller, assigned to Schaefer Brewing Co., for his “Transfer Mechanism For Conveyor Keg Palletizing Device.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states that his “invention is to provide a more efficient transfer mechanism for the barrels or kegs and particularly such a transfer mechanism which is more reliable and sure in operation in transferring the barrels or kegs from the conveyor to the skids which convey such barrels or kegs to the palletizing position.”
US3181684-0
US3181684-1

Patent No. 2677378A: Method And Apparatus For Picking Hops

By

patent-logo
Today in 1954, US Patent 2677378 A was issued, an invention of Florian F. Dauenhauer, for his “Method and Apparatus for Picking Hops.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states that his “present invention relates to improvements in a method and apparatus for picking hops.”

An object of this invention is to provide an improved method of picking hops from vines, assuring a thorough removal of the hops, with out damaging the hops. More specifically stated, the vines are formed into wave-like configurations, defining alternate crests and valleys extending lengthwise of the vines.

The waves thus formed are advanced lengthwise of the vines to continually replace crests by valleys and vice versa, thereby undulating the vines in first one direction and then the other for causing pendulum-like movements and exposure of the hops by the continual weaving of the vines. The hops are removed during the undulating of the vines.

Moreover, the method employs the progressive increasing of the amplitudes of the waves as the hops are picked. Also, crests and valleys of the waves are interchanged abruptly as the picking of the hops continue, and the branches of the vines are spread out laterally to expose hops and preclude the vines from matting.

US2677378-0
US2677378-1
US2677378-2
US2677378-3
US2677378-4
US2677378-5

Patent No. 581700A: Bottling Apparatus

By

patent-logo
Today in 1897, US Patent 581700 A was issued, an invention of Alvin James Donally, for his “Bottling Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states that he’s “invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottling Apparatus.” While he never summarizes what those are in a short, concise sentence, he does offer this.

It is highly desirable in the bottling of various liquids, and more especially in the bottling of ale and beer, to maintain gas or air pressure on the liquid both for the purpose of retaining the gas of the liquid in solution and for the purpose of effecting the delivery of the liquid into the bottles under a steady pressure, so that there may not be any material variation in the rate of flow, and it is also desirable to keep the liquid as far as possible from exposure to the air of the place where the bottling is carried on. It is of course desirable also to prevent the waste of the liquid which frequently occurs through the filling of the bottles to overflowing. Some of these objects have been attained in part hitherto; but so far as I am aware no apparatus has been devised as yet which will enable all of these objects to be attained in a satisfactory manner. Thus it has been sought to maintain the pressure on the liquid and to prevent the waste of liquid by providing in addition to the filling-tube a second tube, which returns or conducts to the barrel or other supply vessel the air displaced from the bottle, but this alone is not altogether satisfactory. It has also been proposed to maintain the required pressure of carbonic acid gas in the keg or barrel in which the liquid is delivered to the bottler. This is possible sometimes; but in some cases it happens that the keg or barrel is not capable of standing the gas-pressure which is necessary to force the liquid into the bottles. I have sought to provide in the first place for the separation in large part of the air displaced in the bottles from whatever overflow of liquid there may be, and for the escape of the air from the apparatus, and the return of the liquid to the supply vessel. I have sought also to provide for the admission of gas to the supply vessel without interference with the escape of the air and the return of the overflow. Furthermore, I have sought to provide for the handling of the liquid under gas pressure, in the manner already referred to, in cases where the original keg or barrel is not calculated to withstand gas pressure and the liquid can be drawn therefrom only by gravity.

US581700-0
US581700-1
US581700-2
US581700-3

Beer In Ads #1544: This Family Brews Beer Better

By


Sunday’s ad is for Falstaff, from 1970. Featuring soul singer James Brown, whose birthday is today. He did an ad for Falstaff in which he’s shown belting out a song in a dozen sequential photos on a black background. Below there’s a simple photos of a glass of Falstaff beer with a can next to it and the interesting tagline “This family brews beer better.”

Falstaff-1970-james-brown

Patent No. 2630311A: Apparatus For Drying Hops

By

patent-logo
Today in 1953, US Patent 2630311 A was issued, an invention of Verlin A. Bloxham, for his “Apparatus For Drying Hops.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states that the “invention relates to an apparatus for drying hops. The apparatus commonly employed heretofore for drying hops includes a house-like structure having a reticulated floor upon which the hops are loaded. This floor may be some 20 feet above the ground. Beneath the floor is disposed a heater burning fuel of one sort or another. The products of combustion from the heater usually pass through a zig-Zag or similar arrangement of pipes. located perhaps 8 feet beneath the floor on the way to the chimney. Forced draft of air is not provided, but the house is built tall enough, compared to its section, to provide a stack effect.”
US2630311-0

How To Spot Bad Science

By

science
Longtime readers of the Bulletin know that I’m constantly examining and finding fault with questionable studies used by the modern prohibitionist groups using them to promote their agenda. I’m often amazed at some of the studies that make it into peer-reviewed journals. Apparently I’m not the only one. A British chemistry teacher, Andy Brunning, in his spare time, writes a great blog entitled “Compound Interest,” in which he “aims to take a closer look at the chemical compounds we come across on a day-to-day basis.” He created A Rough Guide to Spotting Bad Science, inspired by scientific research he looked at “which drew questionable conclusions from their results.” It “looks at the different factors that can contribute towards ‘bad’ science.”

The vast majority of people will get their science news from online news site articles, and rarely delve into the research that the article is based on. Personally, I think it’s therefore important that people are capable of spotting bad scientific methods, or realising when articles are being economical with the conclusions drawn from research, and that’s what this graphic aims to do. Note that this is not a comprehensive overview, nor is it implied that the presence of one of the points noted automatically means that the research should be disregarded. This is merely intended to provide a rough guide to things to be alert to when either reading science articles or evaluating research.

It’s nice to see an overview of a dozen of the more common ways in which studies are misused and the results are misrepresented. Sad to say, I see these all the time, so much so that I’ve started to question the way journals operate and how they select and accept articles. There are so many journals nowadays that they either are desperate for content and thus have lower standards than they used to, or the journals themselves have an agenda they’re promoting instead of simply providing a forum for progress in science. But this should give you a good start at figuring out why the next story you see about a study doesn’t seem to make any sense.

A-Rough-Guide-to-Spotting-Bad-Science-2015
Click here to see the infographic full size.

Patent No. 2468840A: Heater For Wort Kettles

By

patent-logo
Today in 1949, US Patent 2468840 A was issued, an invention of Robert C. Schock, for his “Heater For Wort Kettles.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states that the “invention relates to means and methods of heating wort prior to its use in the making of beer.” A little later on, they add that the “invention comprises a heating unit having varying heat units supplied to it for their exchange with a mass to be heated, and to keep said mass heated, such exchange taking place at relatively lower temperatures, then at relatively higher temperatures, and then again at lower temperatures, the latter if desired.”
US2468840-0
US2468840-1
US2468840-2

Patent No. 3317025A: Automatic Keg Feeder

By

patent-logo
Today in 1967, US Patent 3317025 A was issued, an invention of Ernst Schickle, assigned to Rheingold Breweries, for his “Automatic Keg Feeder.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states that the “invention relates generally to brewery operation and particularly to an improved apparatus for effecting transfer and controlled delivery of beer kegs or similar containers from a feeder location to an operating location.” A little later on, they add that the “invention may be briefly described as an improved beer keg transfer and delivery apparatus which includes, in its broad aspects, a keg receiving and neonmulating conveyor, a keg transfer unit, a delivery conveyor and associated means for effecting controlled keg delivery in spaced relation onto the delivery conveyor.”
US3317025-0
US3317025-1