Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 5716653A: Process For Brewer’s Yeast Debittering

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Today in 1998, US Patent 5716653 A was issued, an invention of Ronald E. Simard and Mohammed Bouksaim, for their “Process For Brewer’s Yeast Debittering.” Here’s the Abstract:

This invention relates to a process for debittering spent brewer’s yeast, aiming at maximal efficiency with minimal impact on yeasts for their further use as live cells. The process consists in bringing a yeast suspension in contact with a surfactant containing unsaturated fatty acids, like Tween 80® (0.2% to 20% v/v), adjusting pH to 10.0 with NaOH 2N and agitating during 5 minutes at 50 rpm and 50° C. A bitterness reduction of 98% is obtained, without affecting yeast viability or protein content. Furthermore, the debittered yeasts treated with 20% Tween 80® can be reactivated (viability of 100% and increased production of CO2) by growing them in a suitable medium for a sufficient time (about two to six hours). These reactivated yeasts have restored biological properties which are expected to allow the use of these spent yeasts in complete or partial replacement of new yeasts in bakery industry and in spirit and beer fabrication. This application for an industrial by-product brings a plus-value by exploiting its biological activity and its nutritional value and furthermore, represents an interesting solution for an environmental problem.

So essentially this idea is to take yeast after it’s been used in brewing beer, removing any bitter compounds and then using it again to bake bread. I know in England, at Marston’s in Burton-on-Trent, for example, sells their spent yeast to the nearby plant that makes Marmite, and is similar to the Australian Vegemite.
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Patent No. 4315038A: Process For Preparing Protein Flour From Brewery Waste

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Today in 1982, US Patent 4315038 A was issued, an invention of Phillip M. Townsley and Robert L. Weaver, assigned to The Molson Companies Limited, for their “Process for Preparing Protein Flour from Brewery Waste .” Here’s the Abstract:

Trub obtained from the wort kettle of a brewing system is rich in protein and thus can be used in human foods. The trub is processed to yield a trub flour by extraction with an azeotropic mixture of isopropanol and water, and drying to remove the solvent in a roller drum drier, the latter yielding the trub flour in dry flake form.

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Patent No. D420265S: Bottle Opener

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Today in 2000, US Patent D420265 S was issued, an invention of Michael Bernard Pierce, for his “Bottle Opener.” There’s no Abstract, and the entire description in the application is one sentence long. “The ornamental design for a bottle opener, as shown and described.” I’m surprised this design is only fifteen years old, because it seems like I must have a dozen or more of these with various brewery names and logos emblazoned on them just lying around.
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Patent No. 948463A: Filling-Machine

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Today in 1910, US Patent 948463 A was issued, an invention of Frank C.H. Strasburger, for his “Filling-Machine.” There’s no Abstract, but according to the description, the “invention relates to’ machines for filling bottles with beer or other charged liquids and its object is to accomplish the filling operation without the loss of gas in suspension in the liquid and without the production of foam in the bottles. Attainment of this primary object of the invention also has for its object to utilize the pressure in the liquid tank for closing the liquid valve; to establish a counter-pressure in the bottle before the liquid valve is opened; to operate the liquid valve by a diaphragm and cause the valve to open by equalizing the pressure on both sides of the diaphragm; and to close the liquid valve by exhausting the pressure on one side of the diaphragm.”
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Patent No. 3234026A: Process For The Manufacture Of Beer, Ale And The Like

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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.”
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Patent No. 619133A: Bung & Tap For Barrels

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Today in 1899, US Patent 619133 A was issued, an invention of Richard F. Burke, for his “Bung and Tap for Barrels.” There’s no Abstract, but according to the description, he’s “invented certain ‘new and useful Improvements in Bungs and Taps for Barrels, of which the following is aspecication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon. He continues. “My invention relates to devices adapted to be employed in barrels containing liquids, whether under pressure or otherwise, whereby they may be readily tapped and as readily closed.”

The object of my invention is to produce a device a portion of which may remain permanently in a barrel or cask, the same being so constructed that by the introduction of a key-like faucet an inner core can be turned in a manner to permit the free discharge of the contents and the introduction of air into the cask. Said discharge is effected through a special device for the purpose which will be comparatively inexpensive in cost of manufacture, convenient to adjust, easy to manipulate, and at the same time to provide a secure and tight connection.

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Patent No. 2970627A: Barley Debearder & Seed Cleaner

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Today in 1961, US Patent 2496858 A was issued, an invention of Walter E. Wiesenthal, for his “Barley Debearder and Seed Cleaner.” there’s no Abstract, but according to the description, the ” invention relates to a seed cleaning and screening apparatus adapted to separate seeds of various crops which have been sown and harvested together. An important object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character which will operate effectively in debearding barley during the barley cleaning operation. A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus wherein the various stages of cleaning and classifying the seeds will be accomplished simultaneously with the operation of the apparatus.”
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Patent No. EP0224293B1: A Beer Tapping Installation

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Today in 1990, US Patent EP 0224293 B1 was issued, an invention of Jacobus Dijkstra and Gijsbert Slootweg, assigned to Heineken Technisch Beheer B.V., for “A Beer Tapping Installation.” there’s no Abstract, but the description begins with the “invention relates to a beer tapping installation comprising a first cask installation and cooling unit adjacent a second cooling unit, a third unit supporting a tap and a storage space accommodating a gas container, a beer line with a cask coupling at its one end extending from the inside of the first unit to the tap and connected with its other end to said tap arranged near the free end of said third unit which comprises a hollow support protruding vertically from the coupled units, enveloping the beer line adjacent the tap and being in open communication with said first unit, the beer line with cask coupling being movable longitudinally of the hollow support, and a gas supply line extending between the gas container and the cask compiling.”
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Patent No. 2496858A: Hop-Picking Machine

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Today in 1950, US Patent 2496858 A was issued, an invention of Millard E. Crowley, for his “Hop-Picking Machine.” there’s no Abstract, but according to the description, the “invention relates to hop-picking machines or the like, and more particularly to improvements in the construction and mode of operation of the same.” But it’s a complicated apparatus, best read the application to get the full picture of how the machine works.
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Patent No. 4138499A: Preparation Of Beer With Reduced Calories

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Today in 1979, US Patent 4138499 A was issued, an invention of Karl M. Strauss, Harold H. Geller, and Bernard J. Wagner, assigned to Pabst Brewing Co., for their “Preparation of Beer with Reduced Calories.” Here’s the Abstract:

A low dextrin and low carbohydrate beer having reduced calories is produced by fermenting wort with yeast in the absence of readily fermentable carbohydrates so that the yeast act on fermentable ingredients in the wort other than readily fermentable carbohydrates. After fermenting a major portion of fermentable ingredients, there is added to the resulting alcoholic wort a quantity of one or more readily fermentable sugars and fermentation is continued until the real degree of fermentation is at least 80%. By this process a low calorie beer can be prepared without the use of a carbohydrate splitting enzyme such as amyloglucosidase.

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