Today in 2014, US Patent 2024484 B1 was issued, an invention of Hendrikus Mulder, Onno Cornelis Snip, Douglas John Banks, and Herman Hendrik Jan Bloemen, assigned to Heineken Supply Chain B.V., for their “Continuous Method for the Production of a Yeast Fermented Beverage.” There’s no Abstract, but it’s described as an “invention relat[ing] to a continuous method for the production of a yeast fermented beverage, such as beer. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a continuous method in which a high gravity mash is produced, i.e. a mash with a gravity in excess of 22° Plato.”It’s a fairly complicated application and invention, so you’re best bet is to read the whole thing.