Today in 1958, US Patent 2823125 A was issued, an invention of Frank H. Schwaiger, assigned to Anheuser-Busch, for his “Apparatus for and Process of Fermenting Beer.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states the following:

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide an improved fermenter which can be fabricated from stainless steel and which requires no overhead chamber for capturing foam which must necessarily rise upwardly into said chamber. Another object is to provide an improved fermenter which requires no special housing, which is easily housed on a single floor of a building, which can be easily cleaned, which requires less space per unit capacity, and which separates the foam from the beer more completely and more efficiently. Another object is to provide a fermenter construction which moves the foam automatically toward the foam chamber. Another object is to provide a fermenter which without moving parts automatically prevents beer from spilling over a baffle into the foam chamber even though the beer increases in volume during fermentation. Another object is to provide a fermenter which can be fabricated in a metal fabricating shop, shipped to the brewery, and placed upon a suitable base therein.

Another principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved process wherein the foam condensate is directed back into the manufacturing process at a different point from where the foam was taken. Another object is to provide a process wherein the foam condensate can be filtered or treated before it is redirected into the process.

Today in 1914, US Patent 1086931 A was issued, an invention of George Anton Orth and Joshua J. White, for their “Fluid-Separator.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description it states the “object of the invention is to provide a separator, particularly adapted for use in connection with ales and beers, for separating sediment from the body of the fluid.” The description continues:

The invention embodies among other features a device provided with an inlet pipe for connection with the main barrel or the keg and an outlet pipe for connection with the tap or faucet, the mentioned pipes terminating in a container, with an end of the inlet pipe terminating in a separator cup provided with a valve operable by a float arranged within the container and movable upwardly therein as the depth of the fluid in the container increases, the float in its upward movement being adapted to close the inlet pipe to prevent the entrance of additional fluid and in its downward movement being adapted to permit the valve to open to admit more fluid to the container.

By connecting our device directly with the keg or barrel, the pressure in the device will be the same as in the keg or barrel, so that when the fluid is taken from the tap it will be as fresh as if it were taken directly from the keg.

Today in 1966, US Patent 3234026 A was issued, an invention of Morton William Coutts, for his “Process for the Manufacture of Beer, Ale and the Like.” There’s no Abstract, but according to the description, the “invention relates to a continuous method for the fermentation of brewery wort for the production of a portable non-distilled alcoholic beverage product. This application is a continuation of my application Serial No. 676,187, filed August 5, 1957 A major object of the invention is the provision of an improved process for the production of such products which will enable the production thereof with greatly decreased fermenting time than is possible by present processes and which will give better control of flavour at greatly decreased cost of manufacture.”