Today in 1925, US Patent 1527897 A was issued, an invention of George Eugene Mittinger, for his “Barrel or Keg.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to improvements in barrels or kegs and more particularly to improvements in collapsible barrels or kegs having a novel construction whereby the barrel is held together in its assembled form and being also constructed in such a manner that the unassembled parts of the barrel will stack so that in shipment tonnage can be put in a freight car.

The object of my invention is to provide a collapsible barrel or keg made in a plurality of sections and adapted to be readily collapsed and assembled as desired.

Another object of my invention is to pro vide a barrel or keg made in a plurality of sections and adapted to be collapsed so that the sections can be readily nested or stacked, whereby a vast amount of space is saved in transportation of the empty containers and tonnage can be packed in a car or the like.

Today in 1967, US Patent 3305136 A was issued, an invention of Robert E. Harris, for his “Beer and Soft Drink Dispensing Assembly.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The present invention relates generally to the dispensing of beverages, and more particularly to an assembly in which a simple source of refrigeration cools keg beer, soft drink concentrates, and domestic water that has been transformed into carbonated water in the assembly, with the cooled beer, as well as the concentrates blended with the carbonated water, being selectively dispensable from the assembly by use of a single source of carbon dioxide gas under pressure.

Today in 1895, US Patent 534541 A was issued, an invention of Joseph Earl Wright and Edwin A. Grover, for their “Faucet and Attachments Therefor.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

Our invention is an improved faucet, and attachment, for. use in drawing beer, or any other liquid with which it is desirable to pre vent the contact of air within the keg. The faucet is provided with a sliding attachment, comprising an inflatable airbag, and a fixed and sliding tube for pushing the bag out of the faucet proper into the keg and subsequently permitting injection of air, and also with valves for regulating the discharge of the contents of the keg. The construction of the device is such that it is cheap and durable, and is adapted to be used in place of the ordinary beer-faucet.

Today in 2009, US Patent EP 2025640 A1 was issued, an invention of Jan Nørager Rasmussen and Steen Vesborg, assigned to Carlsberg Breweries, for their “Cooling Device for a Beverage Keg.” Here’s the Abstract:

The present invention relates to a cooling device (10) for containing a collapsible beverage keg (12) to be cooled to a temperature of e.g. 5°-7° C. The cooling device comprises a thermally insulating container (14) comprising a housing having a base portion (18) from which an outer wall (20) extends upwardly defining an upper open end (20) and a movable lid (22) which provides access to the interior of the container when the lid is open and a waterproof sealing off of the container when the lid is closed. The container further defines a specific inner volume when the lid is closed. The keg is supported by the base portion and defines in a filled and non-collapsed state a specific beverage volume. A connector (24) is mounted to the container for connection to an external water hose (25) for receiving and introducing tap water into the interior of the container. A residual volume for receiving ice as a cooling medium is defined as the difference between the specific inner volume and the specific beverage volume, the residual volume constituting preferably 17,6% of the specific inner volume. The beverage container communicates with an external tapping cock (26) for supply of a beverage from the collapsible beverage keg, the tap water being provided through the external water hose.

Today in 1915, US Patent 1128825 A was issued, an invention of Rudolph Troehler, for his “Keg-Soaking Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention concerns an apparatus used in connection with means and devices provided for cleaning barrels and kegs and more particularly in the manner in which this work is carried on in breweries. Washing and rinsing machines have been provided for this purpose which operate upon the kegs after they have been subjected first to a preliminary soaking whereby water is also admitted to them to clean and rinse them interiorly.

This invention relates more particularly to the apparatus which serves to administer this preliminary soaking to the kegs outside and inside, to introduce water into them and to deliver’ them thereafter to the washing and rinsing devices to be subjected to further treatment by them.

Today in 1883, US Patent 272089 A was issued, an invention of Egbert B. Ruggles, for his “Beer-Pump.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to the class of devices I5 used for drawing ale, beer, and the like from barrels or casks from a point at a distance from and usually above the barrel, and it is perhaps best described as a beer-pump, although adapted for use with many other liquids.`

The invention consists in the peculiar combination of an air-pump and a faucet with a connecting-lever, by which both are operated, and by means of which the pressure in the barrel usually reduced by drawing of its contents is constantly maintained at any desired degree by the same movement of the hand that opens and closes the faucet.

Today in 1935, US Patent 1991264 A was issued, an invention of Jesse F. Thomas and Claud R. Brown, for their “Beer Dispensing and Carbonating Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

What is claimed: 1. A device of the class described comprising single fitting, said fitting having an inlet passage and an outlet passage, a pipe extending from one of said p through the other passage, fastening means on the pipe preventing downward displacement from the fitting, and cutting it direct communication between the passages, a pipe about the first mentioned pipe in communication with the other passage, means supported by the rest mentioned pipe at` its lower end in supporting contact with the second mentioned pipe and ports through one of said pipes and said means for discharge and intake purposes.

2. A device of the class described comprising a single fitting, pipes depending therefrom and spaced one within the other, the innermost pipe being a discharge pipe, fastening means at the upper end of the inner pipe preventing removal thereof downwardly from the fitting, the outermost pipe terminating below the upper end of spaced one within the other, the innermost pipe being a discharge pipe, fastening means at the upper end of the inner pipe preventing removal thereof downwardly from the fitting, the outermost pipe terminating below the upper end of the innermost pipe and providing passages between the same and the other pipe for the inlet of gas, a thimble extending into and supporting the outermost pipe at the lower end and into which the innermost pipe is screw-threaded, and said thimble having inlet passages communicating with the interior of the innermost pipe, the outermost pipe having outlet portions for gas communicating with the passages between the pipes, valve-controlled outlet means on the fitting contacting with the discharge end of the innermost pipe, said fitting having a chamber communicating with said passages between the pipes, and an inlet valve structure for the last mentioned chamber.

Today in 1998, US Patent EP 0823384 A1 was issued, an invention of Baswinder Singh Dhillon, for his “Beer Keg Cap.” Here’s the Abstract:

A beer keg cap 10 comprises a continuous cup shaped member to receive the neck of the beer keg. The cup shaped member comprises a top 12 and a depending skirt 14. The skirt 14 includes lines of weakness 20 extending upwardly from its lower edge to provide tamper evidence by breaking. The cap 10 further includes a plurality of inwardly directed tabs 16, to engage under the neck of a beer keg. The tabs 16 are elongate in the circumferential direction.

Today in 1913, US Patent 1052704 A was issued, an invention of Robert E. Wenzel and William M. Shouler, for their “Beer-Package.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

Our invention particularly relates toA a package adapted to be to receive draft beer, or beer drawn from the original wood package.

One object of our invention is to provide a package into which draft beer can be drawn from the original cask and from which ,such beer can be again drawn in quantities desired without allowing the beer. within the package to part with the carbonic acid gas contained therein, thereby keeping the beer fresh and in the same` condition as when drawn from the original keg or cask.

Another object of our invention is to projections adapted to form hand holds to venable the cover to be screwed from or on to the beer package.

Another object of our invention is to provide a beer package which when serving all the purposes above stated will be provided with a convenient handle which can be folded out of the way when the package is not being carried.