Today in 1957, US Patent 2806217 A was issued, an invention of Friedrich Schmatz, for his “Apparatus For Clarifying Brewer’s Wort.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to an apparatus for clarifying brewers wort.

Especially this invention refers to a process for clarifying the wort discharged from a straining vat by means of drain pipes communicating with a standpipe, drain taps being provided in the drain pipes substantially under the straining vat.

It is an object of the invention to eliminate this disadvantage so that the wort will remain substantially clear after changing the taps from the clarifying trough to the drain pipes.

According to the invention the above is brought about in such a way that at the beginning of the draining of clear wort first a communication with a small clear opening is established between the clarifying vat at the communicating system until clear water runs in the drain pipes and the standpipe is displaced by the wort, and only then the clear opening is enlarged to the full clear opening of the drain pipes.

This process may be carried out in such a way that the clarifying tap is not completely adjusted to the drain pipe when adjusting its passage from the clarifying trough to the drain pipe, so that the clear opening of the passage is reduced in this way. In this operation, however, it is difficult to reduce the clear opening to the necessary degree, that is, the opening will be adjusted too small or too wide. If the clear opening is adjusted too wide, the purpose of the process according to the invention will not be attained, and the Wort will become turbid. If the clear opening is adjusted too small, the clear water will be displaced too slowly. Several drain pipes each provided with a tap being usually provided, the clear opening of the passage cannot uniformly be adjusted at will even with the greatest care. If some taps are opened too much and others too little, an undesired turbidness of the wort will occur.