Patent No. 3905522A: Keg Tapping Device

September 16, 2015 By Jay Brooks

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Today in 1975, US Patent 3905522 A was issued, an invention of Mack S. Johnston, assigned to Draft Systems, for his “Keg Tapping Device.” Here’s the Abstract:

In one form hereof, there is disclosed a keg adapter having a siphon body formed of bar stock receivable through the opening of a keg from without the keg. The siphon body has liquid and gas passages extending longitudinally of the keg adapter terminating at their upper ends in a pair of bores disposed eccentrically of the central axis of the keg adapter. In another form, there is disclosed a keg adapter having a siphon body formed primarily of tubular stock with tubular members receivable through the opening of a keg from without the keg. The tubular members per se comprise liquid and gas passages terminating at their upper ends in a pair of openings disposed eccentrically of the central axis of the keg adapter and opening through a flange member formed of bar stock. A coupler unit, having a pair of depending probes, is engageable with either form of the keg adapter with the probes being receivable in the bore holes or tubes as applicable to form a continuation of the liquid and gas passages. A sleeve is provided in the liquid passage of both adapters for opening a normally closed liquid valve therein. A gas valve is axially spaced from the liquid valve and in both forms includes a gas check valve comprising a flexible envelope having a slit and which envelope lies in communication with the gas passage. In the one form, the gas valve also includes a spring-biased valve plate mounting an O-ring sealing about the walls of the gas passage. The tips of the probes on the coupler unit in the one form depress the associated valve members to open the valves and permit ingress of gas through the coupler unit and keg adapter into the keg and egress of liquid from the keg through the keg adapter and coupler unit. In the other form, the tip of the liquid probe on the coupler depresses the sleeve to open the liquid valve whereby air flows through the coupler into the keg past the check valve of the adapter and beer flows outwardly from the keg through the adapter and coupler.

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Patent No. 305227A: Beer-Chip

September 16, 2015 By Jay Brooks

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Today in 1884, US Patent 305227 A was issued, an invention of Bernard Rice, for his “Beer-Chip.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention has for its object to produce a beer-chip which is free from resinous and other similar matters; and to this end it consists in making the chip from a sheet or strip of veneer cut from a log, beam, or plank previously steamed, as herein more fully described.

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Beer In Ads #1679: A Sip Says It All …

September 15, 2015 By Jay Brooks

Tuesday’s ad is another one for Molson Export Ale, also from the 1950s. I love the smirk on the face of the man, reclining on the chaise lounge, or whatever it is, reading the newspaper and holding a full mug of beer. That’s a smile of anticipation, the promise waiting in a drink of beer.

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Beer In Ads #1678: Thoughts At Quitting Time

September 14, 2015 By Jay Brooks

Monday’s ad is for Molson Export Ale, from 1950s. The man in the illustration does look happy. After all, he’s got a “”deep armchair” and the promise of “quiet relaxation.” All he needs is a beer to make his time off perfect … unless of course he’s got a wife and kids that won’t be thrilled about him spending the evening quietly sipping beer in his comfy chair.

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Beer In Ads #1677: The Key To Good Taste

September 13, 2015 By Jay Brooks

Sunday’s ad is for Blatz Pilsener Beer, from 1945. This is the second ad in the last week or so using the “B” in Blatz with the barley stalks. In this ad, the “Key To Good Taste” is both the church key about to open the bottle and “the finest ingredients, scientifically controlled and laboratory tested.” Umm, sounds tasty.

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Patent No. 0472298B1: Keg For Draft Beer

September 13, 2015 By Jay Brooks

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Today in 1995, US Patent 0472298 B1 was issued, an invention of Yutaka Fujimoto, Takaaki Furuhashi, Katsuoki Kawanishi, and Ryo Sakazume, assigned to Sapporo Breweries Limited, for their “Keg For Draft Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

A keg for a liquid to facilitate cooling of the liquid retained in the keg and to keep the temperature of the cooled liquid in the keg, comprising:
a keg body for retaining the liquid therein and having an upper face (3), a lower face (5), a side face (4) and a mouth piece (2) for providing the liquid into the keg body and ejecting the liquid therefrom, said keg body being formed of a keg inner cylinder (1) for constituting a container for the liquid and a keg outer cylinder (6), said keg inner and outer cylinders being laminated together to form a space and air being removed from the space to form a vacuum adiabatic layer (VL) therebetween; characterized in that the keg outer cylinder (6) substantially covers the keg inner cylinder (1) except one of the upper and lower fades (3, 5) of the keg body, and in that a cooling face (Cz) is formed on said one of the upper and lower faces (3, 5) of the keg body where the inner cylinder (1) is not covered so that the liquid inside the inner cylinder (1) can be cooled through the cooling face and the temperature of the liquid inside the inner cylinder is kept by the adiabatic layer defined between the inner and outer cylinders.

Patent No. 2481897A: Device For Separating Leaves, Stems, And Other Material From Hops

September 13, 2015 By Jay Brooks

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Today in 1949, US Patent 2481897 A was issued, an invention of Zack Anderson, for his “Device For Separating Leaves, Stems, and Other Material From Hops.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention pertains to separators and particularly to a machine for separating leaves, stems, and other material from hops.
The present invention relates to a machine for separating the hops from the leaves, stems, and other material more efficiently than has heretofore been accomplished. Due to novel features of the machine the separating action is positive and precise. These novel features also enable the machine to accomplish precise results under varying hop-crop conditions.

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Beer In Ads #1676: All Dressed Up And Going Places

September 12, 2015 By Jay Brooks

Saturday’s ad is for Carling’s Black Label and Red Cap Ale, from the 1950s. I guess they were trying to make it look sophisticated with the castle mansion, Rolls Royce and man in a tuxedo. The tickets next to the bottle read “The International Look.” These were apparently their “modern new labels,” and boy howdy does that make the difference in how a beer tastes. This is one approach that the big breweries take that I’ve never quite understood. I understand that packaging is, and should, be updated from time to time, sometimes in small increments and occasionally a complete overhaul. But it’s not really newsworthy, it’s not what consumers care about. I’m arguably more interested in beer labels and packaging than the average beer drinkers, and I find these ads absurd, so how insignificant must they seem to regular folks? Why would they assume it matters that the label has changed? If people notice and sales go up on their own then the new packaging is a success. Telling them they should notice and care that the same beer inside the bottle now has a spiffy new label is, in my opinion, a pretty tough, and pointless, sell.

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But if they’re going for sophistication, take a closer look in the bottom right-hand corner. What the hell is that character? A weird barrel-shaped man with a flat head wearing all-white, except for a black top hat and a striped shirt. That doesn’t look particularly sophisticated to me.

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