Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 101966A: Improvement In Beer-Faucets

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Today in 1870, US Patent 101966 A was issued, an invention of Felix Manz, for his “Improvement in Beer-Faucets.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The nature of my invention consists in constructing a beer or ale-cock in such a manner that, as the beer or ale is drawn from the’ barrel, the faucet by means of a plunger contained init, will force the beer or ale through the valve, thereby causing the old, as well as new beer, to produce a rich creamy surface.

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Patent No. 3313442A: Wooden Bung For Beer Barrel

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Today in 1967, US Patent 3313442 A was issued, an invention of Raymond J. Wurzelbacher, for his “Wooden Bung For Beer Barrel.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The present invention embodies certain of the principles of the compression by rolling method just described. However, a materially improved bung is provided in that the tapered edges of the rollers have formed thereon a series of ridges and grooves which in turn impart a ridged and grooved construction to the bung blanks compressed by the rollers. It has been found that the provision of a series of closely adjacent ridges extending peripherally around the sides of the bung blank and compressed provide a materially improved bung insofar as concerns tight securance in the bushing and the prevention of leakage. This is partly due to the fact that each ridge, in effect, constitutes a separate gasket sealing the sides of the bung blank against the bushing or bung hole. Additionally, since all parts of the ridged surface are compressed the total area of compression is a great deal larger than on the ordinary smooth surface bung so that when liquid is applied to the grooves between the ridges, the expansion occurs much more rapidly and more completely than in the case of a smooth surface. There is also an increased and uniform denseness over the entire side surfaces because the depth of the grooves is uniform and more compression is required to from them than would be the case with smooth surfaces.

In order to manufacture a bung of the type to which the invention relates, it is necessary to use a rolling process and it is also necessary to insert the bung blank between the rollers in the same plane as the rollers and in a direction opposed to the rollers axes.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the invention has been to provide a hung for a beer barrel, the sides of which contain a plurality of closely adjacent parallel compressed ridges and corresponding grooves.

Another object has been to provide a wooden bung for a beer barrel in which the sides of the bung are compressed over an area substantially greater than the distance between the upper surface and lower surface of the bung.

Another object has been to provide a bung in which the sides are denser and the degree of denseness is more uniform than in the case of a smooth sided bung.

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Patent No. 2547988A: Process For Improving The Foam Of Fermented Malt Beverages And Product Obtained Thereby

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Today in 1951, US Patent 2547988 A was issued, an invention of Hilton B. Levy, Arthur L. Schade and James S. Wallerstein, for his “Process For Improving the Foam of Fermented Malt Beverages and Product Obtained Thereby” for beer bottles. There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The present invention relates to fermented malt beverages and more particularly to beverages of this type characterized by the capacity for forming a. stable, that is, a long-lived foam.

It is accordingly the general object of the present invention to provide fermented malt beverages Whose foam-head is longer-lasting in character than the foam-head produced by the normal components of these beverages as at present manufactured.

It is a further object of the invention to improve a persistent or enduring foam which he lasting qualities of the foam-head of fermented beverages by adding to such beverages at any suitable time in the course ,of their manufacture, but preferably after the fermenting and initial or coarse filtering, but prior to the storage period, a small quantity of a soluble non-toxic carboxy-methyl cellulose, preferably in the form of its alkali metal salt, such as the sodium and potassium salts.

We have now discovered that the foam of beer may be prolonged in a simple and economical manner by the addition to the beer of, small amounts of a water-soluble, heat-stable form of carboxy-methyl cellulose, as, for example, the

sodium salt of such material. This is commonly called cellulose gum, and, is a completely harmless and edible material. When solutions of, for example, sodium carboxy-methyl cellulose are added to beer in a concentration of 5 to 200 parts per million, the duration of the foam is greatly increased and a persistent froth is produced which endures for as much as several hours. Preparations of the sodium carboxy-methyl cellulose are particularly valuable when they are of a high viscosity type, and they increase the foam duration period many times.

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Patent No. 4148873A: Method For Treating The Skin With Extracts Of Hops

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Today in 1979, US Patent 4148873 A was issued, an invention of Joseph L. Owades, assigned to S. S. Steiner, Inc., for his “Method For Treating the Skin with Extracts of Hops.” Here’s the Abstract:

There is provided a new method of treating human skin to protect said skin from erythema-producing sunlight radiation while promoting tanning thereof, the method comprising using an active sunscreening ingredient, an ultraviolet radiation absorbing extract of hops.

This seems similar to another patent Owades was granted in 1981, Patent No. 1112183A1: Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract As Sunscreen Agent. That patent appears to have expired in 1998, and I’m not sure if his sunscreen was ever available commercially. This one’s more of a skin treatment, and I did find one that claims to use hop extracts, Balancing Oil Free Skin Conditioning Serum. While it doesn’t say so on the product’s main page, on another one, Benefits of Hops in Natural Skin Care, in which they state that “Lily Farm Fresh Skin Care utilizes the benefits of hops in Balancing Oil Free Skin Conditioning Serum. This multi-tasking product is for people who both do not want oil in a moisturizer and people and who are struggling with blemishes and wrinkles. They need a cure for both with one product. Balancing Oil Free Skin Conditioning Serum conditions and firms the skin while also healing and moisturizing.” So maybe that’s it, hard to say.

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Patent No. 5505018A: Decorative Beer Dispenser For Killing Slugs

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Today in 1996, US Patent 5505018 A was issued, an invention of G. R. Parker, for his “Decorative Beer Dispenser For Killing Slugs.” Here’s the Abstract:

A decorative beer dispenser with a weighted base and storage vessel constructed of a single piece of blow molded beer impervious material in a decorative shape defining a base compartment, and a reservoir compartment; said base having a top defining a shallow drip reservoir filled with beer to attract snails, slugs, and the like to ingest beer and be killed; and said reservoir compartment structured to store and continuously deliver beer into the drip reservoir.

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Patent No. 2237879A: Display Stand For Beer Bottles

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Today in 1941, US Patent 2237879 A was issued, an invention of William Hinkel, assigned to the Schlitz Brewing Co., for his “Display Stand” for beer bottles. There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to `advertising displays and refers particularly to a display stand for use in displaying bottled goods like beer and other beverages.

In advertising displays of this type, empty bottles must be used; but empty bottles lack the appeal of full bottles. It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a display stand so constructed that it imparts the illusion of a full bottle when the display is viewed in the normal manner.

Another object of this invention is to provide a display stand so constructed as to support a plurality of bottles in a novel pyramid fashion.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of means for securing the bottles in place on the stand so that they cannot be removed or shifted from their proper positions with respect to that portion of the stand which serves to create the illusion of fullness for the bottles.

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Patent No. CA2133272A1: Preparation Of Beer, Probably Samuel Adams Triple Bock

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Today in 1995, CA 2133272 A1 was issued, an invention of Charles J. Koch, though the “Applicant” is listed as Charles J. Koch, Boston Beer Company Limited Partnership D/B/A Boston Beer Company (The), A Massachusetts Partnership; General Partner, Boston Brewing Company, Inc., for his “Preparation Of Beer.” Here’s the Abstract:

High alcohol beer having a full, round flavor is prepared by employing as the yeast a wine or champagne yeast, and a sweetened wort.

While I can’t be sure, I think this is essentially for Samuel Adams’ Triple Bock, which was first released in 1994. While the patent wasn’t granted until 1995, it was filed in the fall of 1994, but the “priority date” listed is October 6, 1993. The “inventor” listed is Charles J. Koch, who was Jim Koch’s father, although under “applicant” the Boston Beer Co. is also listed. In addition, I recall Jim explaining that it was in fact Champagne yeast that was used to create the beer. So it certainly seems likely that they patented the process used to make that unique beer. I still have a few bottles of it in my cellar though the last couple I opened tasted a lot like soy sauce. To be fair, the bottles that were opened during an anniversary dinner that I was lucky enough to attend in Boston Beer Co.’s barrel room a few years ago were tasting quite good. Although the OCR errors make it difficult reading, it’s still interesting to see the thought process and how they went about it laid out. I may have to open another bottle soon.

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Patent No. 5735425A: Reusable Beer Keg Plug

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Today in 1998, US Patent 5735425 A was issued, an invention of Leigh P. Beadle, for his “Reusable Beer Keg Plug.” Here’s the Abstract:

An improved reusable beer keg plug replaces the conventional wooden bung and is formed of an elastomeric material as a tapered, expandable plug suited to being snugly fitted within a conventional beer keg sidewall tapered hole and thereafter expanded by an adjustable tightening device forming part of the plug.

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Patent No. EP0262762A1: Valve For Beer Keg

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Today in 1988, US Patent EP 0262762 A1 was issued, an invention of James N. Dewes, James P. Hagan, and Jeffrey W. Gunn, for their “Valve For Beer Keg.” Here’s the Abstract:

A valve (10) for use with a beverage container is fully compatible with, and enhances the utility of, conventional automatic filling equipment. The valve is preferably of formed of plastic components and is therefore can form an economical throw-away unit in combination with a plastic keg. A cylindrical outer cage (18) includes a plurality of lengthwise apertures (20,22,24,26,). A transversely-oriented deflector plate is fixed to an inner cage (30) that is movable with respect to the outer cage. springs (38) urge the inner and outer chambers of the valve to closed positions. The valve is arranged so that both chambers are opened by the insertion of the filling head of a conventional automatic racking machine. The plate deflects a pressurized beverage input, lessening agitation and turbulence, whereby only minimal, if any, foam or head is generated during the filling process.

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