Today in 1945, US Patent 2373294 A was issued, an invention of Richard T. Cornelius, for his “Beer Dispensing Device.” There’s no Abstract for his tapping device, and it’s almost impossible to find a simple description because the OCR did such a bad job reading the application.
Today in 1990, US Patent 4915959 A was issued, an invention of Esko Pajunen, Veijo Makinen, Heikki O. Lommi, and Markku S. Loisa, for their “Method for the Continuous Maturation of Fermented Beer” or the “Decarboxylation of Acetolactate to Diacetyl, Enzymatic Reduction to Acetoin.” Here’s the Abstract:
Beer is fermented by the use of yeast and after fermentation the yeast is removed and the maturation or lagering of the beer is accomplished by a continuous maturation process which involves heat treating the beer to convert all or substantially all the alpha acetolactate and other diacetyl precursors present to diacetyl, cooling the beer, and feeding the heat treated fermented beer through a reaction column packed with immobilized yeast cells at a flow rate which effects the conversion of said diacetyl to acetoin in order to lower the concentration of said diacetyl to levels which do not result in tastes normally considered unacceptable for a beer.
Today in 1894, US Patent 518137 A was issued, an invention of James P. Day, for his “Apparatus for Dispensing Beer.” There’s no Abstract, but the description states that the “invention has reference to [an] apparatus for dispensing liquids, particularly those which are charged with an effervescent gas, and is designed more especially for the dispensing of beer.” Here was the goal:
It has primarily for its object to preserve the freshness of the beer and to keep it palatable and wholesome whereby the reputation of the brewery where the beer, is made is maintained for brewing a high grade of beer and the sales of the retailer are increased so far as the same can be done by establishing a reputation for furnishing fresh and palatable beer to the consumer.
Thursday’s ad is for the Lemp Brewery of St. Louis, from 1912, and specifically their original Falstaff bottled beer. I especially love the expression of the model in the inset picture, she’s a peach, but it almost looks like she’s taunting us. And that inset picture has its own inset picture, a portrait presumably of the Shakespearean character Falstaff. Or it may be a framed photo of Falstaff on the table. Either way, he’s there there, even though he’s not exactly much of a role model, usually described as being “fat, vain, boastful, and [a] cowardly knight, he spends most of his time drinking at the Boar’s Head Inn with petty criminals.”
Today in 1940, US Patent 2196193 A was issued, an invention of Leslie A. Chambers and Edward W. Smith, for their “Method of Aging Alcoholic Liquors.” There’s no Abstract, but the description claims that the “present invention relates to the application of vibratory energy, particularly at supersonic frequencies, to the aging of alcoholic liquors used as beverages, stimulants, etc., for human consumption as, for instance, whiskies, brandies, rums, liqueurs, and to some extent to the so-called lighter or undistilled liquors as wines, cider and champagne and also beer and ale.” That seems like a strange idea to me, but who knows? The application mentions using an oscillator. It must have been too successful, or we’d be using oscillators to age all our beers. It’s certainly an interesting read to hear some of the ideas circa 1940 about aging alcohol.
Today in 1907, US Patent 850070 A was issued, an invention of Richard B Spikes, for his “Beer-Tapper.” There’s no Abstract, but here’s what the description claims. “My invention relates to that class of devices known ‘beer-tappers,’ which in the nature of appliances for opening and dispensing beer from the keg or barrel. Such devices have heretofore been employed which simultaneously opened an outlet for beer and an interior air.”
Wednesday’s ad is for Griesedieck Bros. Brewery, from 1939. It’s a bit of a dull ad, and that background is a sickly yellow color. Although I do love that the beer is not just mellow, but double-mellow. It’s “made mellow in the brewing, kept mellow by the removal of air in the bottle.” The ad copy just keeps getting better, which at least partly makes up for the lousy graphics. “It’s always first for thirst, always right for real refreshment.” Just saying the brewery’s name — if you can even pronounce it — is “the passport to pleasure.”
Today in 1980, US Patent 4197321 A was issued, an invention of Gustav W. Chyba and John H. Dokos, assigned to Anheuser-Busch, Incorporated, for their “Process for Brewing Beer and Treating Spent Grains.” Here’s the Abstract:
In the brewing of beer, spent grain at about 90% moisture from a straining tank having no internal rotating rake is collected and pumped to a centrifuge which reduces the moisture of the spent grain to about 70% and provides spent grain liquor of about 2.0 to 4.5% or more of total solids. The spent grain liquor is stored in a tank at 165° F. to 170° F. and held until it is used up to 50% of the sparge liquid for a subsequent brew in the straining tank. The spent grains at about 70% moisture are directed to a large holding tank. Nutritious brewery waste streams are added thereby increasing the nutritional value.
Today in 1924, US Patent 1489442 A was issued, an invention of John W. Kauffmann, for his “Process of Making Duplicate Packages of Hops.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it’s stated that he’s “invented new and useful Improvements in Processes of Making Duplicate Packages of Hops, which has for its object to render the process, more expeditions and considerably cheaper than has heretofore been done.” More specifically:
In making a large number of hop packages of equal weight, it is; necessary to open’ a bale of pressed hops, to take a given quantity, by weight, therefrom, to subject said quantity to pressure, and then to separate the unit obtained thereby into a plurality. of units, each of which is placed into a container, and this has hitherto been effected by subjecting the hops after the removal thereof from the bale to a considerably greater pressure than tliez same are subjected In the process which I employ and seek to secure by these Letters Patent I do not have to subject the hops to any greater pressure than the same are subjected to in baling them, and I can make a large number of hop packages of equal weight and size a single operation of the process. In carrying out this process I make a machine which is sufficiently illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming a part hereof to enable a description of the process which is herein set forth to be understood by one skilled in the art.
Tuesday’s ad is for Carling Black Label, from 1958. It was during the “Mabel, Black Label” period of time, but was from a different ad campaign with the tagline “People try it … and they like it.” A couple — I assume they’re a couple since they’re wearing coordinated outfits; his socks match her sweater — is working in their garden. I don’t know what he’s doing up on that ladder, but he’s staying up there to take a break, and his wife is handing him a beer. Staying up on the ladder doesn’t seem like much of a break, or is that just me?
