Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

Socialize

Patent No. 1182675A: Beer Tap

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Today in 1916, US Patent 1182675 A was issued, an invention of August Goetz, for his “Beer Tap.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

Among the principal objects which the present invention has in view are: to provide a tap of the character mentioned with means for closing the movable member preliminary to separating it from the stationary member of said tap; to provide a drawoff pipe with a closable key valve adapted to open the draw-off valve of a tap, said key valve being arranged for closure as a preliminary to the closing of the draw-off valve; to provide a handle-like pipe-connecting extension for the movable member of said key valve; and to provide a pressure supply pipe and a liquid-delivering pipe with means for automatically opening and closing the same when connecting to or disconnecting from a liquid supply.

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Beer In Ads #1905: Thanksgiving Dinner

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Sunday’s ad is entitled Thanksgiving Dinner, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #36 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, a family is sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner, and everyone has a beer, naturally. Mom is bringing in the turkey, while Grandma and Grandpa eye the bird suspiciously. The pressure’s on.

036. Thanksgiving Dinner by Douglass Crockwell, 1949

Patent No. 819768A: Sheet Metal Keg

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Today in 1906, US Patent 819768 A was issued, an invention of Alfred T. Kruse, assigned to the American Steel Package Company, for his “Sheet Metal Keg.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to improvements in sheet-metal kegs especially designed for the transportation and storage of liquids, such as whisky, beer, mineral .waters, &c. For this purpose wooden kegs are usually employed; but such vessels are objectionable from the fact that they soon become soaked with fluid, thereby becoming filthy, decayed, and heavy and liable to spring a leak, causing much damage and loss from the escape of contents.

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Beer In Ads #1904: Birthday Party For Dad

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Saturday’s ad is entitled Birthday Party For Dad, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #35 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, an elderly man is, one presumes, surrounded by his family, who have just heaped presents on him and are toasting his birthday. Dad looks down, bemused, at his presents, or perhaps he’s looking over at his beer and has realized that’s what he’d rather have in his hand.

035. Birthday Party For Dad by Douglass Crockwell, 1949

Patent No. 2199503A: Beer Cooling System And Apparatus

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Today in 1940, US Patent 2199503 A was issued, an invention of Michael A. Martin, for his “Beer Cooling System and Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

Prior beverage cooling systems with which I am familiar have commonly cooled the beverage dispenser by an evaporator mounted therein and have maintained the beverage containers cool 10 by disposing them in a cold room which is independently cooled. The cold room or storage room is usually relatively large to accommodate the person handling the containers, resulting in considerable space to be maintained cool and which is relatively expensive. Also, the provision of two independent systems results not only in considerable operating expense but in high original cost of equipment and of installation.

The storage or cold room, although cool, is of a higher temperature than the proper consumption temperature of the beer since the cost of maintaining such a room at a desired temperature, such as 40″, would be excessive, the beer is thus required to be rapidly lowered in temperature upon reaching the dispenser, and before withdrawal and under peak conditions warm beer is frequently drawn. In transmitting the beer from the storage room to the dispenser, the been supply line usually passes through a relatively warm zone, such as the tap room, and although the line is usually heat insulated, the beer is usually raised somewhat in temperature. I have devised a system for cooling beverages wherein a relatively small, storage compartment may be provided and the evaporator unit is eliminated in the dispenser permitting a larger amount of cooling. liquid to be used in a given size dispenser. Both the dispenser and the storage unit are cooled by a single means and the pipes supplying beer or the like to the dispenser are immersed in cooling liquid from the storage cabinet to the dispenser. A reservoir of cooling liquid is maintained at a temperature normally substantially lower than the cooling liquid in the dispenser and this arrangement together with the low temperature of the beverage containers in the storage compartment and the additional pre cooling of the beer prior to reaching the dispenser, permits the capacity of a given size dispenser under peak conditions to be considerably increased while maintaining the beer within desired temperature limits.

It is an object of my invention therefore to provide an improved system and apparatus for .55 cooling beverages such as beer.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cooling system for stored beverage containers and for the beverage dispenser which is relatively compact and economical in operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide 5 an improved cooling system for beer containers in a storage room, a dispenser, and supply line from the container to the dispenser, wherein the capacity of a given size dispenser to cool beer under peak conditions is materially increased.

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Beer In Ads #1903: Housewarming

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Friday’s ad is entitled Housewarming, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #34 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, a young couple are in a new home, and entertaining for the first time there. I can only guess that the party has been under way for some time now and many beers have been consumer, because she looks way too happy to receive a cactus and a geranium from the couple arriving late.

034. Housewarming by Douglass Crockwell, 1949

Patent No. 7367670B2: Eyewear Bottle Opener

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Today in 2008, US Patent 7367670 B2 was issued, an invention of Travis E. Duane, for his “Eyewear Bottle Opener.” Here’s the Abstract:

An eyewear bottle opener wherein a bottle opener is housed within the reinforced earpiece of the frame of the eyewear for the convenience of a person wearing the eyewear and desiring to open a bottle having a metal cap.

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Beer In Ads #1902: Week-End At The Lake

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Thursday’s ad is entitled Week-End At The Lake, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #33 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, three couples are frolicking at a lake house probably owned by one of them (or possibly a rental, I suppose). Three look like they’re dressed for the water, while the others do not. It looks like a picnic spread is being laid out, and happily somebody has a pot of beer.

033. Week-End at the Lake by Douglass Crockwell, 1949

Patent No. 2039345A: Screw-Top Bottle Mouth

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Today in 1936, US Patent 2039345 A was issued, an invention of Edward A. Ravenscroft, for his “Screw-Top Bottle Mouth.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to bottle mouths capable of being closed by drawn or molded caps of practical depths ‘and diameters. It resides in a formation of mouth which provides for a pouring lip without materially reducing the area of the throat or increasing the diameter of the required cap, and without necessitating a lowering of fastening means on the neck to such a point that drawn or molded caps .of impractical depths are required for closing.

In forming closures for bottles substantial economies may be erected through the use of cap closures instead of corks. The cap closure is ideal for bottles intended to contain dry or semi-dry substances, but for closing bottles intended to contain liquids, which are to be dispensed therefrom, cap closures known prior to this invention are open to very serious objections. The common screw cap closure is entirely devoid of any pouring lip and the stream emitted from such a bottle mouth breaks during pouring, spreads down the side of the bottle and is so erratic in behavior that it cannot be directed with any degree of certainty. The fluid which flows down the side of the bottle spreads in copious quantities into the threads or other fastening means on the neck and in many cases causes sticking of the cap. In the case of corrosive or poisonous fluids, the fluid on the outside of the bottle constitutes a real hazard; and in any case is decidedly disagreeable.

Attempts have been made to remedy the above difficulties but none of them has been acceptable. One of these attempts proposes the forming of a pouring lip at the top of the bottle, the threads for securing the cap being displaced a relatively long distance down the neck. This necessitates an exceptionally deep cap, which is so expensive to draw that any economy over the use of ordinary corks is impossible. Further, a substantial constriction of the throat of the bottle is involved in this construction which interferes with rapid pouring. In other constructions proposed a notch at the neck of the bottle is employed, the same producing a malformed lip of small effectiveness in producing a good stream and a clean cut-off. In this form the fastening means are placed entirely below the notch and here also a cap of excessive depth is required. In this form a very substantial constriction in the throat also is involved prior to this invention no means of eliminating the same has been proposed.

According to this invention, however, a good pouring lip is provided without constricting the throat to a substantial degree, the same being that the pouring stream is kept thin and in the accomplished without requiring a lowering of the fastening means on the outside of the neck. With the mouth of this invention a cap of ordinary depth may be employed, the same being substantially no deeper nor more expensive than 5 caps used with ordinary closures. There is also provided in this invention a crest concentric with the exterior of the neck so that a gasket in the cap will repeatedly seat to form a good seal.

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Beer In Ads #1901: Showing Off The Flower Garden

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Wednesday’s ad is entitled Showing Off The Flower Garden, and the illustration was done in 1949 by Douglass Crockwell. It’s #32 in a series entitled “Home Life in America,” also known as the Beer Belongs series of ads that the United States Brewers Foundation ran from 1945 to 1956. In this ad, one couple is showing off their flower garden to another. One of them looks like he must be John Holl’s dad. The men hold their beers and point. The women left their beers on the table behind them and actually touch the flowers. Also, notice how in the inset below the painting, the vase resembles a hand holding a beer glass, doesn’t it?

032. Showing Off the Flower Garden by Douglass Crockwell, 1949