Patent No. EP1412490A4: Mediating The Effects Of Alcohol Consumption By Orally Administering Active Dry Yeast

February 9, 2016 By Jay Brooks

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Today in 2005, US Patent EP 1412490 A4 was issued, an invention of Joe Owades, for his “Mediating the Effects of Alcohol Consumption by Orally Administering Active Dry Yeast.” It seems to be virtually identical to Patent No. 2452476A1: Mediating The Effects Of Alcohol Consumption By Orally Administering Active Dry Yeast, which was issued to Owades two years before, on January 23, 2003. So if you’re feeling a sense of déjà vu, it’s not you. Here’s the short Abstract from the previous one. “A process for lowering blood alcohol levels in humans after they imbibe alcoholic beverages by administering active dry yeast before or concomitantly with the imbibing of the beverages.”

This is most likely the origin of the hangover prevention that Jim Koch, from the Boston Beer Co., has popularized over the years, but especially after Esquire magazine ran an article about it last April, How to Drink All Night Without Getting Drunk.

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The story got picked up by NPR, Serious Eats and even Snopes took a look at it.

But I’d actually heard Jim tell the story a couple of times at various events, most recently at a beer dinner last year at the Jamaica Plain brewery in Boston celebrating the 30th anniversary of Samuel Adams.

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In telling the story, Jim did, of course, mention that the idea came from Joe Owades, who had worked as a consultant with the Boston Beer Co. since the very beginning, and off and on thereafter. But I don’t think I’d realized before now that Joe had actually patented the idea.

The claim in the patent application describes it in a nutshell. “A method of mediating the effect of alcohol consumption by a person which comprises orally administering active dry yeast containing alcohol dehydrogenase to said person prior to or simultaneously with consumption of an alcohol-containing beverage, whereby to oxidize a portion of the alcohol while still in the stomach of said person.” His own testing of the method, shown in the figures below, found that “blood alcohol level-min. was reduced by 38% by the yeast.”

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Patent No. 7882975B2: Double Walled Beverage Container

February 8, 2016 By Jay Brooks

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Today in 2011, US Patent 7882975 B2 was issued, an invention of Jason M. Kelly, assigned to Miller Coors, LLC, for his “Double Walled Beverage Container and Method of Making Same.” Here’s the Abstract:

A double walled container is provided for insulating a beverage. An outer insulating shell or container is secured to the inner container that holds the beverage. A gap exists between the outer container and inner container and the air in the gap acts as an insulating barrier. The inner container is preferably a standard aluminum container. The outer container is preferably made from aluminum or a plastic polymer.

Patent No. 1171306A: Method Of Dealcoholizing Beer

February 8, 2016 By Jay Brooks

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Today in 1916, US Patent 1171306 A was issued, an invention of William Becker and Daniel Hayden Montgomery, for their “Method of Dealcoholizing Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

What we claim is:
1. The herein described method of dealcoholizing beverages, the same consisting in raising the temperature of a charge of such beverage to substantially 167 F., then converting the charge into spray to permit it to give off its alcohol, then raising the charge a ain to a temperature no higher than at rst, then repeating this process, and finally cooling the product and conducting it to a point of storage.
2. The herein described method of dealcoholizing beverages, the same consisting in raising the temperature of a charge of such beverage to not over 167 F., then spraying the’ charge into a sheet and subjecting the sheet to substantially the same temperature to permit it to give off its alcohol, then collecting the charge and raising it again to substantially the same temperature, then repeating this process, and finally cooling the product and conducting it to a point of storage.
3. The herein described. method of dealcoholizing beverages, the-same consisting in raising the temperature of a charge of such beverage to not over 167 F., then spraying the charge into a sheet and subjecting the sheet to substantially the same temperature to permit it to give off its alcohol, then collecting the treated beverage, cooling it, and finally conducting it to a point of storage.
4. The herein described method of dealcoholizing beverages, the same consisting in spraying the beverage, collecting the spray into a flowing sheet and subjecting it to heat to raise its temperature to not over 167 F. and cause it to give off the alcohol, then collecting the beverage without its alcohol vapors and again heating it to substantially the same temperature, then pumping it back and retreating it, and finally conveying the de-alcoholized beverage to a point of storage.

Must have been pretty important given Prohibition was about to start in just a few years.
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Patent No. 1170839A: Barley Or Rice Huller

February 8, 2016 By Jay Brooks

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Today in 1916, US Patent 1170839 A was issued, an invention of John J. Molloy, for his “Barley or Rice Huller.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to grain hullers and particularly to barley and rice pearlers. It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, practical, automatic-feed continuously operating hulling machine of high efficiency in capacity and cleanness of product particularly designed for handling rice. A further object is to provide a huller in which the quantity of the discharge may be readily and accurately controlled and whereby the degree of pressure of the grain in transit is regulated and maintained uniform.

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Patent No. 123390A: Improvement In Beer And Water Coolers

February 6, 2016 By Jay Brooks

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Today in 1872, US Patent 123390 A was issued, an invention of Charles Geenen, for his “Improvement in Beer and Water Coolers.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My device relates to that class of coolers or refrigerators which have an interior ice-receptacle, an outer inclosed chamber, in which is placed some non-conducting material or substance, and an intermediate chamber or chambers, in which, and through which, the beer is made to pass directly from the barrel or vessel in which the beer is contained. The object which I have in viewing my device is to furnish a cooler or refrigerator which Shall be portable, cheap, and conveniently handled or moved from one place or position to another in a store or other room, wherever it may be required to use it, and, at the same time, easily attached, by means of pipes, flexible or otherwise, to the barrel or vessel containing the beer which it is desired to cool; but my improvement will be more clearly understood by reference to the annexed drawing, whereon all that I claim as pertaining thereto is very clearly shown, and on Which- Y Figure l represents a perspective view of the cooler as when complete and ready for use. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same.

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Patent No. 3789622A: Ice Box For Beer Barrel

February 5, 2016 By Jay Brooks

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Today in 1974, US Patent 3789622 A was issued, an invention of Ralph Yanes, for his “Ice Box For Beer Barrel.” Here’s the Abstract:

An insulated barrel shape structure for housing and suspending a beer barrel in the horizontal position surrounded by ice. The rear circular cover of the device is removable for the installation and replacement of the beer barrel and surrounding ice. The circular front cover bears a circular opening for the spigot of the beer barrel. The structure provides for an air-seal between the sides and bottom of the housed beer barrel and the iced refrigerated area of the structure.

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Patent No. 667478A: Hop-Drying Box

February 5, 2016 By Jay Brooks

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Today in 1901, US Patent 667478 A was issued, an invention of Adolf Wolf, for his “Hop-Drying Box.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to boxes for holding loose material, such as hops, in the process of drying the same, and has for its object to provide a construction which permits the box to be readily turned upside down without discharging the contents thereof and while leaving the top open for a thorough evaporation and escape of steam. For this purpose I provide the box with a removable top and a removable bottom, constructed and secured in a novel manner, as will be fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

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