Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 3827595A: Beer Keg

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Today in 1974, US Patent 3827595 A was issued, an invention of Henry Clausen, for his “Beer Keg.” Here’s the Abstract:

A beer keg having the top, bottom and side walls made of plastic, and tapper and filler plug mounting members made of plastic or metal which in one embodiment are cast in position as the top and side walls are formed. In the second embodiment the filler plug is retained in the central part of the keg as the keg is molded and thereafter mounted in a filler opening formed in the barrel.

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Patent No. 2605949A: Control Head For Devices For Filling Bottles Under Counterpressure

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Today in 1952, US Patent 2605949 A was issued, an invention of Gustave Stern, for their “Control Head for Devices for Filling Bottles Under Counterpressure.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The, object of the present invention is a control head for devices for filling bottles or other like (containers, with gaseous or nongaseous liquids, under counter-pressure), said head previously placing the bottles under compressed air.

The purpose of the invention is essentially to increase the automatic operation of the device, thereby enabling the rate of filling to be considerably accelerated, thus increasing the efficiency.

invention ensures the. satisfactory operation of the device when the pressure. of the supply of. compressedV air. is higher than the pressure in the filling tank which contains the liquid to be drawn out. Owing to this fact, it permits the elimination of the complicated and costly apparatus intended to ensure, the regularity of the air pressure.

Finally, tile invention relates to the provision of means of enabling the level of the liquid inside the bottles to be adjusted accurately.

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Patent No. 218231A: Improvement In Processes And Apparatus For Treating Hops And Malt Extracts

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Today in 1879, US Patent 218231 A was issued, an invention of Henry Clausen, for his “Improvement in Processes and Apparatus For Treating Hops and Malt Extracts.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to a new method of treating malt extract and hops in the manufacture of beer, and to a new apparatus for carrying the same into effect; and consists, first, in treating the malt extract and the hops in a vacuum-pan which has separate channels for admitting the malt and the hops; also, in the new construction and arrangement of vacuum-pan hereinafter described.

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Patent No. 5788111A: Drinking Vessel

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Today in 1998, US Patent 5788111 A was issued, an invention of Alan Grenville and Clive Waugh, for their “Drinking Vessel.” Here’s the Abstract:

An inside surface of a drinking vessel is treated with a material suitable for providing nucleation sites to encourage the formation of bubbles in a liquid containing a gas such as carbon dioxide or CO2 / nitrogen mixture. The material may be printed upon the internal surface.

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Patent No. 2898209A: Method Of Extracting Hops

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Today in 1959, US Patent 2898209 A was issued, an invention of James E. Grant, Charles J. Krueck, Milton E. Lavrich, Justin J. Murtaugh, and Donald G. Ruff, assigned to the Blatz Brewing Company, for their “Method of Extracting Hops.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

Our invention relates to a new and improved hop extract; to a new and improved method of making a hop extract; and to a new and improved hopped beverage, such as alcoholic malt beverages exemplified by beer and ale.

While the invention applies to the treatment of any part of the hop plant, it refers particularly to the treatment of the cones of the hop plant. These cones are preferably extracted in the whole state, but they may be cut, ground, or otherwise comminuted.

After a lengthy discussion, in the last page of the application, they set forth their claims, summarized:

1. A method of extracting solid starting material, said stafting material having substantially the composition of vine-fresh hops, which consists in extracting said material with methanol at a maximum temperature of 65 C. to produce an original liquid extract of said starting ina– terial, said original liquid extract including water which is extracted from said starting material, said water being mixed with said methanol in said original liquid extract, said original liquid extract including water-insoluble and methanol-soluble material which is extracted from said solid starting material and which is dissolved in the methanol of said original liquid extract, said original liquid extract including water-soluble and methanol-insoluble material which is extracted from said solid starting material and which is dissolved in the water of said original liquid extract, said methanol-soluble and waterinsoluble extracted material including alpha-resin and beta-resin, the weight of said alpha resin being at least 40% of the weight of the total soft resin; separating said original liquid extract from the undissolved, residual part of said starting material; flowing the separated, original liquid extract forwardly through an externally heated zone in the form of a thin, rapidly forwardly-flowing stream to heat said forwardly-flowing stream substantially uniformly within’ said heating Zone without substantially evaporating methanol or water from said forwardly-flowing stream within said heating zone, forwardly flowing said forwardlyflowing stream within said heating zone at a sufliciently high velocity to substantially prevent the solutes of said forwardly-flowing stream from coating the inner face of said heating zone; flowing said forwardly-flowing stream out of the outlet of said heating zone into an evaporation chamber; evaporating a part of the methanol and water in said evaporation chamber from the stream which is flowed into said evaporation chamber and thus providing a residue of said stream within said evaporation chamber, flowing the evaporated methanol and water out of said evaporation chamber; flowing the residue of said stream out of said evaporation chamber forwardly through said heating zone and back into said evaporation chamber in cyclic succession while evaporating a part of the methanol and water from the stream which is flowed into said evaporation chamber during each cycle and flowing the part of the methanol and water which is thus evaporated durmg each cycle out of said evaporating chamber, maintaining said evaporation chamber at a maximum temperature of substantially 65 C. and at a maximum pressure of substantially millimeters of mercury, and continuing said cyclic succession to produce a concentrate of said original extract in which the weight of said alpha-resin is at least 40% of the weight of the total soft resin.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which substantially all the methanol is evaporated in said cyclic succe’ssi’on within said evaporation chamber from said original extract.

3. A method according to claim 1, in which the cyclic succession is stopped when said concentrate includes an aqueous phase of residual water and a non aqueous methanol resin phase in which said resins are dissolved, and said aqueous phase is separated from said methanol resin phase. I

4. A method according to claim 3, in which said aqueous phase is separated from said methanol resin phase by dissolving a water-soluble salting-out agent in said aqueous phase.

5. A method according to claim 3, in which the weight of said aqueous phase is at least substantially 70% of the weight of said concentrate.

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Patent No. PP20200P3: Hop Plant Named ‘Apollo’

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Today in 2009, US Patent PP20200 P3 was issued, an invention of Roger D. Jeske and Joe Brulotte, assigned to S.S. Steiner, Inc., for their “Hop plant named ‘Apollo.'” Here’s the Abstract:

A new and distinct variety of hop, Humulus lupulus L., named “APOLLO” is characterized by its exceptional high percentage of alpha acids, excellent storage stability of alpha acids, low CoH value for an alpha variety, and resistance to hop powdery mildew strains found in Washington. The new variety was cultivated as a result of a cross in 2000 at Golden Gate Roza Hop Ranches in Prosser, Wash., United States and has been asexually reproduced in Prosser, Wash., United States.

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Patent No. 2647521A: Hop Picking Machine

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Today in 1953, US Patent 2647521 A was issued, an invention of George E. Miller, for his “Hop Picking Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to mechanism for use in removing hops from hop vines. Numerous machines have been developed from time to time, many of them patented by me, for the purpose of removing hops from vines mechanically. One of the difficulties is that hops are quite delicate and must be handled with great care and another factor is that substantially all of the hops ‘must be removed from the vine for economic can be brought for picking, and also adaptable for use in a portable machine movable through a field of growing hops to remove the hops from the vine.

Another object of my invention is to provide a hop picking machine effective to remove substantially all of the growing hops from the vines, but capable of operating with sufficient delicacy so that the hops are not injured by the mechanical picking and handling.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for removing the hops from the vines without removing a large quantity of leaves and stems; that is, a device for selectively removing the hops while leaving, as far as possible, the leaves and stems undisturbed.

A further object of the invention is to provide I a hop picking machine having flexibly mounted hop picker elements effective to rove throughout 7 portions of the hop vine being picked, so that the hops are engaged from various different directions and in various different attitudes to promote their removal in the most expeditious fashion.

A still further object or the invention is to provide a hop picking machine in which the action of the picker elements is so gentle as not to injure or cut or tear the hops themselves.

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Patent No. 6209567B1: Foam Trap For Beer Or Other Gas Propelled Liquid Dispensing Systems

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Today in 2001, US Patent 6209567 B1 was issued, an invention of Robert C. Gustafson, for his “Foam Trap For Beer or Other Gas Propelled Liquid Dispensing Systems.” Here’s the Abstract:

A foam trap or FOB for a gas propelled or mechanically pumped liquid dispensing system, having an upper ball stopper valve seat and gas vent port at the top and a lower ball stopper valve seat and liquid outlet port at the bottom, with two floating ball stoppers that are raised and lowered by the level of liquid unless locked into a seated position on a valve seat by pressure. Ball stoppers can be independently mechanically dislodged and constrained from reseating on either valve seat by externally accessible means. The interior geometry inhibits the ball stoppers from competing or blocking access to respective valve seats when liquid is falling or rising. The trap automatically shuts off outflow when liquid is depleted, permitting a container change, opening of the vent port, and purging of gas or air in the trap by refilling the trap with liquid before closing the vent port and reopening the outflow. The trap may be integrated into an automated container switching system for liquid dispensing systems.

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Patent No. 3596810A: Keg-Tapping System

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Today in 1971, US Patent 3596810 A was issued, an invention of Roy A. Taubenheim, for his “Keg-Tapping System.” Here’s the Abstract:

A beer keg-tapping device which consists of a keg unit that is permanently attached to the keg and a coupler unit detachably connected to the keg unit. Both units have liquid and gas passages which communicate when the units are coupled; a single valve element automatically closes both passages of the keg unit when units are not coupled. During coupling the passages of the two units are connected before the valve element is unseated, so that coupling is accomplished without spraying of beer.

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Patent No. WO2010043235A8: Post Fermenting Optimizer (PFO) For The Preparation Of Beer

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Today in 2010, US Patent WO 2010043235 A8 was issued, an invention of Patrick Accristo, Michel Aubanel, Cyril Denis, Dave Mawby, Matthew Servini, Nilabh Singh, and John Terry, assigned to Cargill Incorporated, for their “Post Fermenting Optimizer (PFO) for the Preparation of Beer.” Here’s the Abstract:

The present application relates to a method of preparing a beer or beer-like beverage by adding a Post Fermenting Optimizer (PFO) in form of an infusion of roasted malt or a distillate thereof after fermentation. This addition of PFO provides the beer or beer-like beverage with additional body, base flavour and/or top notes. The present invention relates also to the PFO infusion itself, its distillate, the methods for preparing them and their use for reducing staling during beer or beer-type product shelf-life.

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