Today in 1905, US Patent 798112 A was issued, an invention of Anthony Pelstring, for his “Beer Cooling Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

This invention relates generally to the dispensing and cooling of beer, the object being a simple and efficient apparatus whereby the beer is passed from the keg through a more or less tortuous passage and cooled during its passage therethrough, means being provided whereby the beer is made to pass through more or less of said passage-way as may be desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a peculiar construction of cooling apparatus having a plurality of discharge-pipes connected therewith so that beer of different degrees of temperature can be drawn from one and the same cooling apparatus.

Today in 1941, US Patent 2253940 A was issued, an invention of Gerald D. Peet, for his “Brew Cooling Equipment.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

The present invention is concerned with the art of cooling brew within the original shipping and storage package, by the circulation of cooling fluid through hollow structures in heat conductive relation with the brew contents.

As conducive to a clear understanding of the invention, it is noted that in the practical operation of brew cooling and dispensing systems of a it would be sufficient, however, to keep the contents of the kegs on reserve at ‘a temperature well above dispensing temperature and yet sufficiently cool to prevent deterioration. An arrangement which would impart such lesser degree of refrigeration to the contents of the kegs on reserve would bring about economy in power consumption and in the capacity of the refrigerating installation when it is attempted to direct the cooling fluid through cooling passages of constant area, the desired economy is not readily attainable because it is the magnitude of the cooling conduit area submerged in the brew which primarily determines the temperature to which the brew is cooled, assuming that an adequate supply of refrigeration is available, as it is in practice.

Viewed from the aspect of the keg structure per se, rather than as a system and method of operation, it is noted that the cooling instrumentalities which engage the contents of brew kegs of the internally cooled type require periodic inspection to assure their operative and sanitary condition.

For convenience and economy, it is therefore an important object so to construct and arrange such coolers as to facilitate removal thereof from the keg structures for such inspection and for repair and re-installation or replacement as the case may be, and that without bling or breaking down the kegs.

Today in 1874, US Patent 154367 A was issued, an invention of Lemen J. Birgler, for his “Improvement in Faucets.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

My invention relates to a faucet with vent attachment, for drawing of fermented or other liquors from the barrel or keg without the aid of a vent in the bung or other part of the barrel, the vent working automatically in connection with the opening or closing of the faucet, and forming a very convenient, regularly-acting, and independent attachment for keeping the liquids .fresh and nice for any length of time.

The invention consists of a faucet with guide-tube and sliding vent-tube, which is provided at the inner end with a flexible rubber tube and floating valve, and with a second valve at the outer end, through which air is drawn into the barrel when the faucet is opened.

Today in 1870, US Patent 106686 A was issued, an invention of William Gee, for his “Improvement in Apparatus for Cooling Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

My invention consists in a cooler made up of a series of spiral pipes, arranged with their coils one within the another, within a spiral trough, down through which latter the beer or liquid to be cooled is allowed to run, while the cooling water passes, in an opposite direction, up or through the pipes that combine strength with a large area of cooling surface, and, being independent of the bottom of the beer-trough, provide for the more perfect cleaning of the latter.

Today in 1968, US Patent 3397871 A was issued, an invention of William J. Hasselberg, for his beer “Carbonator.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes these claims:

The carbonating of beverages generally is effected by the pressed flow of carbon-dioxide (CO into the beverage as it is conveyed into sealed receptacles, subject to later draft therefrom for consumption. Beer is one of the principal beverages of this kind. When the beverage is drawn from the storage receptacle for transfer to containers for marketing the beverage, there has to be a charging of the beverage with carbon-dioxide. With beer this re-carbonization has to be done with considerable care in order to get the desired quality thereof when it is to be drawn from containers for consumption. The desire is to so carbonate the beer that when poured from a marketing container into a container for drinking, the beer displays the quality expected of good beer. Carbonating means, heretofore and currently in use, have fallen far short of such attainment. Further, there is a great need for larger capacity carbonating devices.

The main objects of this invention are: to provide an improved structuring of a carbonator for charging a beverage before, or as, it is packaged for consumption; to provide an improved structuring of a carbonator of this kind especially adapted for charging beer that has been held in storage receptacles for a considerable period before being packaged for consumption; to provide a carbonator of this kind structured to inject into, and mix with the beverage flow from the storage receptacle, the carbon-dioxide (CO in a mist-like form so that when the beverage is poured from the marketing container into a drinking container the beverage displays a quality closely simulating that of champagne; to provide a device of the class which will force rapid binding of the CO gas with the beer flow; to provide means to split up the beer flowing through a conduit into two chambers, and injecting precisely controlled CO gas into the beer flowing therethrough and, by continuing flow the charged beer returns to a conduit for packaging or storage; and to provide an improved carbonator of this kind of such simple construction as to make very economical the manufacture thereof, and exceedingly gratifying the beverage resulting from the use thereof.