Today in 1938, US Patent 2105776 A was issued, an invention of John Panagopoulos, for his “Beer Cooler Keg.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description, he explains that the “principal object of this invention is to provide a beer keg having a cooling coil positioned therein.”
Patent No. US 2731027A: Beer Dispensing Apparatus
Today in 1956, US Patent 2731027 A was issued, an invention of Carl L. Daun, for his “Beer Dispensing Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, but in the description, he describes as an “invention relat[ing] to [an] apparatus for dispensing carbonated beverages without there by changing the gas content of the beverage while eliminating the losses customarily encountered in dispensing such beverages. He continues:
This apparatus is particularly useful in dispensing beer from barrels but is, as will be apparent, suitable for all liquids. According to present practice barrel beer is dispensed from a faucet connected to a tap rod projecting to the bottom of the barrel through a tap which serves to provide a fluid tight seal at the tapping hole. Beer is forced up the tap rod to the faucet by the gas pressure in the barrel. A pressure regulated gas (air or carbon dioxide) source is connected to the interior of the barrel through a gas check valve in the tap. Theoretically such a system will maintain the carbon dioxide gas content of the beer constant and the drawing should be uniform. In practice, however, various losses attributable to variations in the gas content caused by temperature and pressure deviations from the ideal are encountered to a greater or lesser extent.
Keep reading here.
Patent No. 3298835A: Process For Production Of A Hop Concentrate
Today in 1967, US Patent 3298835 A was issued, an invention of Murray Peter John Andrew, Clarke Brian James, Hildebrand Robert Peter, and Harold Frank Vincent, and assigned to Carlton & United Breweries, for their “Process for Production of a Hop Concentrate.” Essentially it’s a “process for the production of a hop concentrate wherein the flavour imparting constituents of hops are increased by extracting and then converting inactive constituents to active flavour imparting constituents.” There’s no Abstract, but this is from the description:
The process of this invention involves the utilization of those constituents which are regarded as relatively inactive or which do not normally impart the desired flavour characteristics to brewed beverages and which are not converted to any substantial degree to active flavour-imparting constituents during treatment by existing. processes. In the process of our co-pending application the relatively inactive hop constituents of a-acids known as humulones are converted to the more active iso-humulones by the process of isomerization. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved process for the production of a hop concentrate for brewing purposes, whereby the lupulones content of the p-acids of hops may be utilized in addition to the humulone content of the a-acids, thereby increasing the flavouring or bittering characteristics of the hop concentrate final product for the production of a brewed beverage.
Patent No. 20140017354A1: Beer Brewing System And Method
Today in 2014, just one year ago, US Patent 20140017354 A1 was issued, an invention of James Joseph and Brandy Callanan, for their “Beer Brewing System and Method.” Here’s the Abstract:
The present subject matter relates to systems and methods for automated, whole grain brewing. In one configuration, such a system can include a base, a boil kettle positioned on the base, a first heating element in communication with the boil kettle and configured to selectively heat fluid contained in the boil kettle, and a mash tun positioned on the base, the mash tun configured to receive one or more solid or fluid materials therein. A pumping system positioned at least partially within the base can be connected to the boil kettle and the mash tun, the pumping system being operable to selectively pass fluid into, out of, and among the boil kettle and the mash tun. In addition, a control system can be positioned at least partially within the base and configured to selectively control the first heating element and the pumping system.
Essentially it’s an “automated, whole grain brewing system” for homebrewing, but you read a lot more about it in the description.
Patent No. 3364033A: Method Of Preparing Hop Extracts
Today in 1968, US Patent 3364033 A was issued, an invention of Lars O. Spetsig, assigned to Sweden’s Stockholms Bryggerier Ab, for his “Method of Preparing Hop Extracts.” There’s no Abstract, but here’s his introduction in the description. “This invention relates to a new and improved method of preparing hop extracts for flavoring beer and other fermented malt beverages, in which a more complete utilisation of the hop constituents is achieved.” And further along there’s this:
It has now been discovered that better utilisation of the valuable substances is achieved if the hops are extracted in the following manner. The hops are first treated with Warm water to obtain a tannin extract. This is followed by leaching out the readily soluble bitter substances (among them hulupones) and isomerizing the relatively insoluble humulones to readily soluble isohumulones: by boiling the hops in an aqueous solution of neutral pH to yield a first bitter extract. Rapid boiling at this stage is preferred to counteract oxidation. The vapour boiling off is condensed to form an aromatic extract. Since the most valuable aromatic substances are the last to be distilled off, however, fractionation may be employed to collect two or more separate fractions. Finally, the partially spent hops are oxidised by customary means, e.g. see Swedish Patent No. 150,997, to form a second bitter extract.
Patent No. 3422448A: Tapping Device For Beer Kegs And The Like
Today in 1969, US Patent 3422448 A was issued, an invention of Mack S. Johnston, for his “Tapping Device for Beer Kegs and the Like.” There’s no Abstract, but here’s his introduction in the description:
The present invention relates to a new improved tapping device for drawing fluid such as beer from containers such as beer kegs or barrels, using a gas to drive the fluid from the container. In particular, the invention relates to a new improved tapping device usable with conventional beer kegs and comprising a sub-unit, called a keg adapter, which constantly seals the keg, and a subunit, called a coupler, which is attached to the beer dispensing apparatus in a restaurant or tavern and is readily connected to the keg adapter so that the tapping device is automatically in operating condition.
Patent No. 718253A: Concentrated Hopped Wort And Process Of Producing Same
Today in 1903, US Patent 718253 A was issued, an invention of Herbert Amos Hobson of London, England, assigned to the Concentrated Beer Company Ltd., for his “Concentrated Hopped Wort and Process of Producing Same.” There’s no Abstract, or any drawings filed with the application, but here’s the introductory overview:
This invention relates to the production of a hopped wort from which beer, either alcoholic or non-alcoholic, maybe produced by the mere addition of yeast and water or of water alone, as the case may be.
In the ordinary brewing process the malt is first mashed and the hops are then added to and boiled in the wort or extract of malt, with the result that the bitter of the hop is unfavorably affected, objectionable resinous matters are extracted, and the volatile aroma of the hops is to a great extent lost, and these undesirable results are partly due to the length of time for which the boiling is continued and partly to the high boiling-point of the liquor in which the hops are boiled. It is the object of this invention to avoid these defects and to produce a hopped wort, preferably in a concentrated state, possessing the keeping qualities necessary for export purposes and adapted for the production, in the locality or country of consumption, of beer possessing the characteristic qualities of beer brewed in the ordinary manner.
While there weren’t any images in the filing, this is a flowchart of Alternative Sources of Hopped Wort from a homebrewing website in South Africa.
Patent No. 1328079A: Process Of Mashing
Today in 1920, US Patent 1328079 A was issued, an invention of Charles B. Davis, for his “Process of Mashing.” There’s no Abstract, and there’s not much of an introduction or overview, he just dives right into a detailed explanation of his invention. It’s curious that the patent office approved it three days before Prohibition took effect in 1920, although he first applied for the patent in 1915. Davis probably didn’t make too many sales over the subsequent thirteen years.
Patent No. D69235S: Design For A Bottle Opener
Today in 1926, US Patent D69235 S was issued, an invention of Everett Irving Rogers Jr., for his “Design for a Bottle Opener.” There’s no Abstract, and in fact there’s very little text in the application at all, save for that he “invented a certain new, original, and ornamental design for a bottle opener, of which [is] substantially as shown. It’s an odd looking opener. Was there really a burning demand for bottle openers shaped like the head of a camel?
Patent No. 3228413A: Keg Tapping Device
Today in 1966, US Patent 3228413 A was issued, an invention of Frederick F. Stevens Jr., for a “Keg Tapping Device.” There’s no Abstract, but there’s this from the description:
The general object of this invention is to provide an improved device for tapping kegs or similar containers, the device being relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy and safe to use, and sanitary.
A more particular object of this invention is to provide a tapping device which eliminates any danger of parts being blown from the device during the attachment of the device or a part thereof to a keg.
Another object of this invention is to provide a tapping device which is usable with conventional kegs, of the type having cylindrical sleeves defining the tapping openings, without any modification of the kegs. In keeping with this object, a further object is to provide a tapping device which is usable with kegs having cylindrical tapping opening-deiining sleeves of various axial lengths.
A further object of this invention is to provide a tapping device which does not require a cylindrical sleeve or other complicated keg structure at the tapping opening and which may be used with a simplified keg, of lower cost than present conventional kegs, having a tapping opening consisting of nothing more than a simple round opening passing through a flat Wall of the keg.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a tapping device of the foregoing character which consists of one part or sub-assembly, called the keg unit, adapted to be permanently, or at least semi-permanently, attached to a keg so as to remain with the keg through a number of fillings and emptyings of the keg, and another part or sub-assembly, called the tavern unit, which is adapted 3,228,413 Patented Jan.. 11, 1966 to be attached to the cooling and drawing equipment at a tavern and which remains at the tavern.
Another object of this invention is to provide a keg unit for a tapping device as set forth in the preceding paragraph, which keg unit replaces the plug conventionally used in the tapping opening during shipment of the keg and which is completely leakproof so as to avoid any danger of the beer going flat because of loss of pressure.
Another object of this invention is to provide a tapping device including a safety means for automatically bleeding air from the associated keg to maintain the pressure in the keg at a safe level in the event the pressure tends to rise above such level. In keeping with this object, a further object of the invention is to provide a tapping device wherein excess pressure may be manually bled from the keg without uncoupling any part of the device from the keg and without loss of beer.
A further object of this invention is to provide a novel method of assemblying a keg unit of the foregoing character with a keg whereby an improved and safe mounting of the unit to the keg is obtained together with maximum utilization of the space provided by the tapping opening.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a keg having combined therewith in a permanent or semi-permanent manner a tapping unit designed for cooperation with a complementary unit at the point of use, the tapping unit being joined to the keg in an improved manner providing simplicity of construction, strength and safety, among other benefits.
