Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 937850A: Coaster And Bottle Opener

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Today in 1909, US Patent 937850 A was issued, an invention of Edmund A. Parker, for his “Coaster and Bottle Opener.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

This invention has for its object to provide a metallic coaster which shall be neat and attractive in appearance, practically unbreakable under the ordinary conditions of use, inexpensive to produce and so formed as to adapt it for use as a bottle opener, that is for removing crown stoppers from bottles in which lager beer, ginger ale and the various soft drinks are placed for retailing.

It is of course well understood that it is common in dispensing beverages, whether served upon hard wood tables or upon a tablecloth, to provide trays or coasters upon which the bottles are placed after being opened. These trays or coasters have been variously made of metal, wood, glass and earthenware and of combinations of these materials but without-regard to the material have never been provided, so far as I am aware, with means, forming part of the coaster itself, which adapted it to serve additionally as a bottle opener or stopper remover.

It is of course well understood that bottle openers are easily lost and are frequently not to be found when wanted. Coasters, on the other hand, are not liable to get lost and each coaster, by my present invention, is also made a bottle opener.

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Beer In Ads #2074: What Do You Know About Voting?

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Tuesday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1940. In this ad, entitled “What Do You Know About Voting?,” in which how different people experience their right to vote, are explained. There are two weeks to go until arguably the most important election in my lifetime. So I thought it might be important to know everything about it. Luckily, Schlitz has all the answers.

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Patent No. 4780330A: Method Of Producing Isomerized Hop Preparations

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Today in 1988, US Patent 4780330 A was issued, an invention of Derek R. J. Laws, assigned to The Brewing Research Foundation, for his “Method of Producing Isomerized Hop Preparations.” Here’s the Abstract:

A method for the production of isomerized hop preparations comprising admixing whole or powdered hops with a solid or aqueous alkali or alkaline earth metal salt. The invention provides that the resultant admixture is simultaneously subjected to a pressure of at least 2 Kg/cm2 and at a temperature of at least 80° C. in a closed vessel, thereby to form a hop preparation high in iso-α-acids and with substantially undegraded hop oils. The closed vessel is preferably an extrusion cooker.

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Patent No. 1646916A: Apparatus For Serving Out Beer

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Today in 1927, US Patent 1646916 A was issued, an invention of Camilo Recuero and Gaudencio Lamarque, for their “Apparatus For Serving Out Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

The present invention relates to apparatus for serving out beer and similar beverages and has for its object to provide an improved device of this kind capable of avoiding the disadvantages shown in the methods heretofore used.

As is generally known, in taverns, barrooms, or other places where beer is served out to consumers, this is generally effected from barrels and with the aid of carbonic acid under pressure, thus the conditions of expenditure, as regards satisfaction of the consumer and the amount of liquid wasted depend entirely upon the skill of the barman.

Further, during the hot season, the in crease in the demand for cooled beverages does not allow for sufficient time for serving out the liquid under normal. conditions so that waste is very likely to occur with the consequent losses to the proprietor of the place.

With the aid of the present invention all these disadvantages are avoided, since the improved device provides for an absolute control of discharge of foamless beer, or team alone, just as desired, whereby it is possible to serve out the beer or other liquid at complete satisfaction 0;! even the most exacting consumer and, simultaneously, there are no possibilities for any amount of liquid being wasted. As well, the present device constitutes an important improvement over the devices known in the prior art since it provides for more continuous dispensing.

The device according to the invention is characterized by. the fact that beer is admitted within a container of suitable form, size and material and, through the provision of tubes opening into discharge cocks combined one with the other, the discharge of the liquid, or of the foam formed by the pressure gas, may be exactly controlled so that the discharge is effected entirely at will. In this manner, when serving out’ a can or glass of beer, first-1y liquid beer without foam is discharged until reaching the desired limit, and then a suit able amount of foam is added until filling completely the can or glass used.

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Patent No. 635474A: Keg Refrigerator

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Today in 1899, US Patent 635474 A was issued, an invention of August Grap, for his “Keg Refrigerator.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

This invention relates to an apparatus for preserving the volatile hop essences or aromas coming from the copper or boiler in which the wort is boiled with the hops in order to improve the quality of the beer and like brews.

The method and apparatus comprised in the present invention consists in arranging a specially constructed condenser in communication with the top of a copper whereby the vapor arising from the heated contents of the latter will pass to and be condensed in the former.

The condensed vapor or steam is delivered to a supplementary cooling .coil and thence to a mixing chamber where it is brought into contact with the non-condensable or practically non-condensable odoriferous gases for fumes which pass from the upper end of the condenser and are collected and delivered to the said chamber in a convenient way.

The liquid resulting from the condensation of the steam or vapor given out from the copper absorbs the aroma of the odoriferous gases or fumes in the mixing chamber and as a result is richer in flavor and aroma than the original liquid contents of the said copper. The liquid is conveyed. from the mixing chamber to an open vessel or chamber from which it is delivered to a ferment ing vat.

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Patent No. 1202662A: Condensing Apparatus

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Today in 1916, US Patent 1202662 A was issued, an invention of Thomas Breheny, for his “Condensing Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

This invention relates to an apparatus for preserving the volatile hop essences or aromas coming from the copper or boiler in which the wort is boiled with the hops in order to improve the quality of the beer and like brews.

The method and apparatus comprised in the present invention consists in arranging a specially constructed condenser in communication with the top of a copper whereby the vapor arising from the heated contents of the latter will pass to and be condensed in the former.

The condensed vapor or steam is delivered to a supplementary cooling .coil and thence to a mixing chamber where it is brought into contact with the non-condensable or practically non-condensable odoriferous gases for fumes which pass from the upper end of the condenser and are collected and delivered to the said chamber in a convenient way.

The liquid resulting from the condensation of the steam or vapor given out from the copper absorbs the aroma of the odoriferous gases or fumes in the mixing chamber and as a result is richer in flavor and aroma than the original liquid contents of the said copper. The liquid is conveyed. from the mixing chamber to an open vessel or chamber from which it is delivered to a ferment ing vat.

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Patent No. 635514A: Apparatus For Drawing And Preserving Beer

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Today in 1899, US Patent 635514 A was issued, an invention of Theodor Schnutz, for his “Apparatus For Drawing and Preserving Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

I have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Drawing and Preserving Beer, and what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is …

1. The combination with the storage-chamber containing the ice-box having water chamber H, of the box 7 above the said chamber and having the superimposed box It, the pipe Z connecting the box 70 with the said water-chamber, the coil Win the ice-box having pipe connection Z with the box it and also connected with the chamber H, and the overflow-pipe Z for the box 7r, substantially as described.

2. In a beer drawing and refrigerating apparatus, the combination with the storagechamber containing a refrigerating vessel, of the box 7.; having the superimposed ice-box k, a pipe leading from said ice-box 7a to the said refrigerating vessel, the gas vessel B located in the box 7; and connected with a pipe containing mercury, said last-mentioned pipe intersecting the ice-water pipe, and a valve a adapted to regulate the flow of said ice-water, substantially as described.

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Beer In Ads #2072: There’s A Surprising Difference In Hobbies

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Sunday’s ad is for Schlitz, from 1939. In this ad, entitled “There’s a surprising difference in Hobbies,” which details many ways in which people like to relax, by collecting things or playing with model trains (like my son). But the second half of this double truck ad is devoted instead to “There’s an amazing difference in beers!” But for that there’s much less variety. Spoiler alert: it’s just Schlitz.

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Patent No. 3767829A: Method For Warming Carbonated Beverages In Sealed Containers

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Today in 1973, US Patent 3767829 A was issued, an invention of Fred A. Karr, for his “Method for Warming Carbonated Beverages in Sealed Containers.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

A method and apparatus are provided for continuously heating to ambient temperatures the contents of a plurality of sealed containers (e.g. bottles or cans) filled with carbonated beverage (e.g. beer and carbonated soft drinks). The method is useful as applied to containers freshly filled with cold carbonated beverage to avoid the formation of condensation on the containers. The method is also applicable to heating a beverage to pasteurizing temperatures from either cold filling or room temperature.

One embodiment of the apparatus include a conveyor formed of an endless perforate heat-resistive conveyor having upper and lower runs, and an elongated open-bottomed tunnel oven disposed above said upper run having side walls adapted to retain beverage containers carried by said upper run. Elongated stationary, dry-heating means disposed between upper and lower conveyor runs below the oven means are provided to supply a plurality of beverage containers to the upstream end of said upper run for movement through said oven. In this manner, the underside of the beverage containers are preferentially heated. Control means are associated with the heating means capable of adjusting the heat intensity along the container path of travel. One embodiment of the dry heater means includes a plurality of infrared heater elements transverse to the direction of travel of the conveyor with each element including an upper heat radiating surface and air-fuel gas mixture feed. Another embodiment of the dry heating means includes a plurality of spaced apart rows of open-flame natural draft burners capable of impinging upon the underside of the beverage containers.

In another embodiment of the apparatus, the conveyor is of vibratory type. The upstream end of the deck of the vibratory conveyor is disposed proximate and transverse to an infeed conveyor and the discharge end of the deck is proximate and transverse to a discharge conveyor so that the containers are conveyed directly to and from the conveyor deck without the interposition of a deadplate.

According to the process, the sealed containers filled with carbonated beverages are moved on a conveyor of one of the above types over a dry heat source so that the dry heat emitted therefrom impinges upon the underside of the containers to heat the carbonated beverage therein in progression proceeding from the bottom toward the top of the containers so that an elevation of the temperature of the beverage is induced while permitting the head space to remain relatively cool. Heating the beverage before the gaseous head space reduces the danger of superheating the gaseous head space and also eliminates the requirement of transmitting heat through the poorly-conductive gaseous head space in order to warm the beverage. The containers on a vibratory conveyor are vibrated sufficiently to increase heat transfer by convection from the bottom toward the top of the container.

In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for warming carbonated beverage in containers of either the glass bottle or metal can type to avoid the formation of condensation on the containers.

It is another object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus elevating the temperature of beer in a container of the above type to a value at which pasteurization can occur and which also overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.

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