Today in 1900, US Patent 656418 A was issued, an invention of James O’Connor, for his “Device For Drawing Steam Beer, Etc.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

My invention relates to an apparatus which is designed for drawing liquids under pressure; but it is especially useful when connected with casks containing what is known as steam-beer or beer in which carbonic acid gas is contained to produce a high pressure and head within the cask.

It consists of connections between one or more casks and a distributing-chamber and connections between said chamber and a cylinder containing a piston which is reciprocable within the cylinder, so that when beer is admitted into the cylinder the piston will be moved toward the opposite end until the de sired amount of beer has been admitted, which is shown by a suitable recording device. The beer is drawn from the cylinder through a discharge-cock, and the gas in the beer is so diffused and caused to escape from the beer that little or no foam results when it is drawn from the cylinder. A second cylinder in line with the first contains a piston, the piston-rod connecting the pistons in both cylinders, so that they move in unison. A four-way cock is interposed between the cylinders, and water under pressure is brought through this cock and allowed to enter the second cylinder while the beer is entering the first and the cock is turned so as to allow the water to escape from this cylinder and to enter the first cylinder to return the piston therein to its normal position after the boot has been drawn.

Today in 1965, US Patent 3201328 A was issued, an invention of Rees Philip Williams, for his “Continuous Fermentation Apparatus For Beer Production.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

This invention relates to the manufacture of beer, and more particularly to the fermentation of Brewers Wort, i.e. wort plus yeast as well known in the art, under steady rate conditions.

Hitherto, the fermentation process has been carried out, on a commercial scale, by batch processes which are relatively slow and involve the utilisation of relatively very bulky vessels for adequate production in quantity.

The object of the present invention is to provide apparatus suitable for use in carrying out such fermentation as a continuous process, with the advantages of relatively smaller vessels and higher production rate.

Fermentation of wort by yeast, in the production of beer, may be carried out by a continuous process including a first step of forming a mixture of sterile wort and yeast in first vessel means under temperature conditions selected to ensure multiplication of the yeast, a second step of continuously removing wort and yeast mixture which has dwelt in the first vessel means for a predetermined period of time and passing said removed mixture through second vessel means at a rate and under temperature conditions selected to ensure rapid fermentation by the yeast and production of a yeast crop, and a third step of continuously removing wort which has dwelt in the second vessel means for a predetermined period of time and passing said wort through third vessel means at a rate permitting settling.

According to the present invention, apparatus suitable for use in carrying out the above-described method, but not limited thereto, comprises a first vessel for making a ferment mixture such as sterile wort and yeast, means for controlling the temperature of the mixture in the first vessel, a second vessel having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being connected to the outlet of the first vessel, means for controlling the temperture of mixture in the second vessel, a third vessel having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being connected to the outlet of the second vessel, and means for controlling the temperature of fermented liquid in the third vessel.

The second vessel means could be simply a single vessel in which substantially the whole of the vigorous fermentation took place, but it is preferred to constitute the second vessel means by two vessels through which the mixture passes in succession, whereby the second method step referred to above itself includes two successive stages the first of which is a continuous passage of the mixture through a vessel at a rate and under conditions of temperature ensuring rapid fermentation, and the second of which is passage of the product through a further vessel at a rate and under conditions of temperature ensuring continuation of the rapid fermentation and a climax of the yeast crop production.

According to the type and characteristics of the beer to be produced, and of the wort and yeast to be used in the process, it is desirable to be able, at will, to both speed up and slow down the rate of fermentation. For

this purpose, gas or a mixture of gases may be introduced in the first and/or the second vessel means according to the effect sought. For example, air or pure oxygen may be introduced to boost the fermentation action, i.e. to rouse the yeast, and carbon dioxide or nitrogen may be introduced to slow down the fermentation process.

During the latter part of the active fermentation phase a yeast head is produced, e.g. in the second vessel means (and in the second of the two individual vessels where two in series are used). This head my be continuously removed together with a small content of wort, this wort being separated and recirculated, e.g. introduced back into the flow path for example immediately after the second vessel means.

It is preferred to arrange the apparatus so that the entire flow occurs by gravity through vessels arranged in series at progressively lower levels.

In a preferred embodiment, the second vessel is in two parts which are connected serially and are each provided with their individual means for controlling the temperature of the mixture therein. It is further preferred to have the temperature controlling means acting independently at separate levels, e.g. by two or more fluid jackets arranged along the vessels wall.

Preferably also, each vessel is provided with means, such as a simple conduit connected to a pump or pressure source, for the introduction of gas for quickening (e.g. rousing) and for slowing of the fermentation.

The first vessel, wherein multiplication of the yeast takes place, may be provided with agitator means adjacent the inlet end for assisting the flow and a stirrer adjacent the outlet end for ensuring mixing.

Where the process involves the production of a head on the fermented material, e.g. a yeast head, means are advantageously provided for continuous removal of such a head from the vessel in which it occurs, e.g. means for removal of the relatively copious head formed during the climax of fermentation in the third vessel. Means may also be included for continuously treating the removed head material by pressing it for removal of its wort content for recirculation.

In a preferred embodiment, for use in brewing of beer, the series of vessels are arranged successively at lower levels to give a flow of liquid through the apparatus by gravity, the inlet of each vessel being adjacent to the lower part of that vessel and the outlet of each vessel being adjacent the upper part of that vessel.

Where a gas or gases are given off during the process, one or more of the vessels may be provided with means for continuous removal of the gas, e.g. for continuous removal of carbon dioxide from the second vessel.

Where the process being carried out involves the formation of solid deposits, means may be provided for its continuous removal, e.g. for the removal of sludge from the bottom of the second of the two serially connected parts of the second vessel.

Carbon dioxide gas may also be injected in the third vessel for gasifying-of the liquor.

Where a relatively longer dwell time of the liquid in any vessel is desired, the cross-section of the vessel may be proportionately increased. Thus, by varying the size and cross-section of the vessels, the apparatus and process can be adjusted to suit the natural characteristics of the particular yeast which the brewer wishes to use.

Today in 1904, both US Patent 767960 A and US Patent 767961 A were issued, and both are related inventions of William J. Ruff, under the same name: “Pasteurizer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims for the first one:

My present invention relates to an apparatus for pasteurizing. beer, one of the principal objects of my invention being to simplify the construction and cheapen the cost of the apparatus, as well as improving its efficiency, by dispensing with a tank through which the bottles of beer are carried to expose them to the different temperatures to wit, in first at temperating the beer, then heating it to the maximum temperature, and finally cooling it to approximately atmospheric temperature.

And here’s a description of the claims for the second patent:

The object of my present invention .is to produce a pasteurizer wherein the bottles of beer are submerged in a water-bath during the time that they are subjected to the maximum temperature, while the preliminary heating and final cooling of the beer is effected without having the bottles submerged in the bath, the result being that a comparatively small amount of waterY is necessary to accomplish the work of pasteurization.

Today in 1934, US Patent 1969643 A was issued, an invention of Gottfried Fuchs and Hermann Spath, for their “Beer Cooling and Dispensing Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

This invention relates toan automatic cooling and pressure plant for beer conduits and cold storage rooms with employment of frozen carbon dioxide.

It is already known, to employ frozen carbon dioxide for cooling chill rooms. These plants, however, are open to the objection that the carbon dioxide becomes lost as soon as it is no longer frozen. This circumstance renders very l0 questionable the economy of this cooling method, because, as is known, carbon dioxide is very expensive.

The invention relates to a plant, in which the gaseous carbon dioxide liberated by evaporation cools the chill room and also the beer conduit in the tapping device and at the same time serves as pressure medium for the beer in the barrel. ‘The dry ice is accommodated in the cold storage room in a. receptacle with insulated walls, from which go vessel the gaseous carbon dioxide liberated by evaporation is conducted into the beer conduit cylinder through a cooling pipe conduit extending through the cold storage room. The beer conduit cylinder is surrounded by a jacket accommodating the cooling water. The gaseous carbon dioxide is conducted-as pressure medium from the beer conduit cylinder in to the barrel. Posterior the receptacle accommodating the dry ice and anterior the cooling pipe conduit a known thermostat is arranged, by means of which the passage from the ice receptacle to the cooling pipe conduit is automatically regulated.

The jacket of the beer conduit is surrounded by a further jacket, the internal space of which is filled with cooling water which, owing to the expansion of the carbon dioxide in the cylinder, is cooled to freezing point, so that an ice jacket is formed around the beer conduit. The ice jacket is surrounded by a further jacket the internal space of which is filled with cooling water in order to protect the ice jacket against the external heat.

By means of this plant the dry ice is employed for three purposes, i.e. to cool the cold storage room and the beer conduit and to place under pressure the beer conduit, so that the dry ice is utilized in the most economical manner.