Today in 2004, US Patent WO 2004020570 A1 was issued, an invention of James F. Boyd, assigned to Yakima Chief Inc., for his “Effervescent Hop Tablet.” Here’s the Abstract:

Effervescent formulations of hop adjuncts for use in the process of beer brewing, or more generally the manufacture or production of malt beverages are disclosed. These manufacturing processes can include primary fermentation, when added to the wort, secondary fermentation, when added to the green beer, and storage, when added to beer. The effervescent product includes an effervescent material, such as a carbonate compound, combined with brewing kettle hop adjuncts. The hop adjuncts may include any combination of conventionally derived hop materials or extracts, including alpha acids, beta acids, resins and oils. Preferably, the effervescent formulations are formed into the shape of a tablet, and serve to simplify and improve the efficiency and metering of the hop adjuncts into the brewing process.