Today in 1956, US Patent 2740049 A was issued, an invention of William C. Stein Sr., for his “Method and Apparatus for Destruction of Live Yeast Cells in Beer.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that the “invention relates to a method and apparatus for destroying live yeast cells in beer.” When he lays out the various objects for the invention, it’s clear that the yeast is destroyed when “the beer is cascaded over violet ray tubes,” allowing for the “continuous treatment of the beer.” It apparently differs from how this was accomplished beforehand, as using this method “the beer will be subjected to a pre-carbonation pasteurization whereas under prior process the beer was pasteurized after carbonization.”
Beer In Ads #1506: Nothing Like It
Thursday’s ad is yet another one for Budweiser, this one from 1961. It’s another ad from their “Where there’s life” series, this one is called “Nothing Like It.” A man eating a pizza by himself is having a beer poured for him by a uniformed waitress. I love how everyone dressed up to eat pizza. We do that at home, too. I find it best to wear a suit whenever we order a pizza for delivery. But I usually choose a different beer.
Patent No. 1995626A: Manufacture Of Minim Alcohol Beverage
Today in 1935, US Patent 1995626 A was issued, an invention of Karl Schreder, for his “Manufacture of Minim Alcohol Beverage.” There’s no Abstract, as far as I can tell, Minim means low-alcohol. I wonder if that was a common term back then? It’s not one I hear these days. Curiously, although the invention relates to what they call “low alcohol beverages,” the percentage of alcohol is never discussed, which strikes me as odd. Here’s what is revealed:
It has been found that Termobacterium mobile (Lindner) (Pseudomonas Lindneri-Kluyver) discovered by Professor Dr. Lindner is particularly suitable for the manufacture of beverages containing a low proportion of alcohol.
A process for the manufacture of beverages of this kind forms the subject-matter of the present application.
For obtaining a high grade end product it is essential that the preparation of the malt and of the wort be carried out carefully.
Okay, but what is the “high grade end product?” Is it non-alcoholic or near beer below 0.5% a.b.v.? Or something that might be considered a session beer with an alcohol percentage lower than a beer of typical strength?
Patent No. 1021669A: Beer-Tapper
Today in 1912, US Patent 1021669 A was issued, an invention of William W. Frisholm, for his “Beer-Tapper.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that his “invention is an improvement in beer tappers, and consists in certain novel constructions, and combinations of parts, hereinafter described and claimed. Sometimes the language in these is just wonderful, case in point:
The object of the invention is to provide an improved device for tapping beer and other effervescing liquids which will permit the entering of the device into the keg or other receptacle without waste, and which, while permitting the free egress of the liquid, will also permit the entrance of air under pressure to force out the liquid.
Patent No. 848228A: Cooler For Beer
Today in 1907, US Patent 848228 A was issued, an invention of Johann Ettel, for his “Cooler for Beer or Other Beverages.” There’s no Abstract, and the description is without a doubt one of the worst OCR conversions I’ve ever seen. For example, here’s what should be the introduction, verbatim:
To afl’ whom` if my Concern.- l Be it’known that I, JOHANN ETTEL, a enbject of the Em eror of AustriaHungalj, Brooklyn, county of Kings,
new and useful Improvements in (loolers for Beer or other Beverages, of Whiel’ithe following is eepeei’lieet-ion- L The`presentinvention ‘has for its object to provide n. meier for heer or other beverages principally in hors;restaurant-s, mul the like.- v
Which I think we can infer that Johan Ettel, who was from Austria-Hungary, but living in Brooklyn, invented a new beer cooler.
Beer In Ads #1505: Count ‘Em
Wednesday’s ad is another one for Budweiser, from 1960. It’s another ad from their “Where there’s life” series, this one features puppies and is called “Count ‘Em!” Bud wants you to look at 7 — count ’em, 7 — words on their label. They don’t say which ones, but I assume it’s “Choicest Hops, Rice and Best Barley Malt.” Or you could go with “Brewed by our original all natural process,” though it’s hard to see what is so original. At any rate it doesn’t seem wide to let the consumer pick which seven words to pick off the label to tell them “why Bud is so good.”
Patent No. 8678247B2: Creamy Foam Beer Dispensing System
Today in 2014, just one year ago, US Patent 8678247 B2 was issued, an invention of Paul Haskayne, Robert W. Shettle, Donald W. Smeller, Jarrell L. Jennings III, and Merrill R. Good, assigned to the Lancer Corporation, for their “Creamy Foam Beer Dispensing System.” Here’s the Abstract:
A creamy foam beer dispensing system includes a coupler removably securable with a keg, a transportation tube, and a faucet having a handle coupled with a plunger communicating with the transportation tube. The handle is movable among a closed position, an open position, and a creamy foam position. In the closed position, the handle maintains the plunger squeezed against the transportation tube such that no beer flows from the faucet. In the open position, the handle lifts the plunger substantially, completely off the transportation tube such that beer flows smoothly from the faucet. In the creamy foam position, the handle lifts the plunger off the transportation tube a distance such that an aperture created in the transportation tube produces creamy foam flow from the faucet.
Beer In Ads #1504: Ahoy!
Tuesday’s ad is for Budweiser, from 1957. It’s another ad from their “Where there’s life” series, this one is a sailing ad called “Ahoy!” And it tells the reader to do more reading. “Next time you buy beer take a reading.” By which they mean, read the label. That seems like an awful lot of work, plus it would eat into the time I’d rather be spending pouring a beer for my eye candy, who sits smiling on the boat while I do all the work.
Patent No. 3501934A: Apparatus For Repairing Kegs
Today in 1970, US Patent 3501934 A was issued, an invention of Albert W. Engel and Gerald J. Forbes, for their “Apparatus For Repairing Kegs.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that the invention relates to a “method and apparatus for repairing metal kegs, such as the aluminum kegs used for containing beer. The apparatus includes a die shaped to the outside form of the keg. The deformed externally projecting parts of the keg are pressed into an area defining original confines of the keg. In other words all external projections are forced inwardly by pressure. To return the keg to its original condition, the keg is filled with water, and an explosive is placed in the keg. The explosive is detonated to blow the keg back to its original form. The method comprises a hydraulic means of expanding kegs against a closed die to return the kegs to their original shape.”
Beer In Ads #1503: Teddy Roosevelt’s African Safari
Monday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1935. Today in 1909, Theodore Roosevelt set sail for Africa for a year-long safari, shortly after leaving office as President. His party arrived in Mombasa, British East Africa (now part of Kenya) and added local guides so that their number were just over 250 people. The hunting party included “legendary hunter-tracker R. J. Cunninghame, scientists from the Smithsonian and, from time to time, Frederick Selous, the famous big game hunter and explorer.” During their time there, they collected 11,400 “specimans” for the Smithsonian Institution and for the American Museum of Natural History in New York. These ranged from local flora and fauna up to big game, including “17 lion, 3 leopard, 7 cheetah, 9 hyena, 11 elephant, 10 buffalo, 11 (now very rare) black rhino and 9 White rhino.” You can read more about his adventures in On Safari With Theodore Roosevelt and the Smithsonian–Roosevelt African Expedition.
But in the beer world, the thing that Teddy Roosevelt’s safari is most know for it this. “President Theodore Roosevelt took more than 500 gallons of beer with him on an African safari. Must have been thirsty work!” You see this all over the place, including in today’s ad, which features the tagline “Said T.R. ‘I Want It in Africa.'” And then the artwork, illustrated by Ralph Frederick, shows Roosevelt in Africa followed by men carrying cases of Schlitz beer. Unfortunately, it’s not true. Here’s one account:
Our 26th president loved his beer to the point of brining 500 gallons back from a safari in Africa. That isn’t actually true – it’s a myth. Reality is that Theodore Roosevelt did not drink beer, or much at all, except an occasional Mint Julep. However Teddy Roosevelt knew that beer was powerful, and while training the Rough Riders in Texas, he bought the men all the beer they could drink as a morale booster.
I’ve also read that it was Bass Ale that he took on the safari, but regardless of which beer, it doesn’t really matter which brand since it never happened in the first place. None of the historical accounts of the safari mention the beer which, given the large and heavy amount of beer, you’d expect to be part of the record of the trip. It’s not, as far as I can tell. But it’s a powerful, and persistent, story, and a good story beats the truth almost any day of the week.
