Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 325316A: Beer-Faucet

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Today in 1885, US Patent 325316 A was issued, an invention of Edward A. Byrne, for his “Beer-Faucet.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

Our invention comprises a novel construed of those faucets having air-inlets, and which are employed more especially for drawing off beer, ale, and other liquors from kegs and similar receptacles. Heretofore it has been customary to pass the air tube or inlet through the heel of the faucet and carry the almost to the top of the keg, so as to allow the air to act directly on the surface of the liquor, and thereby afford the proper ventage the instant the faucet is opened. Practical experience, however, has demonstrated that this is a very defective arrangement, inasmuch as the introduction of the air within the keg causes the beer or other liquor to become sour unless it is drawn off quite rapidly; hence such faucets are not adapted for use in small saloons, the proprietors of which places of resort demand a faucet that will afford the necessary ventage, and yet will not canse their liquors to become dat and unsalable. To meet these requirements we have devised a faucet the heel of which has one or more lateral ports, while the inner end of said heel is closed, so as to prevent the liquor taking a direct central passage through the axial channel. Furthermore, the discharging end of the tube or inlet is located in the rear of these ports in order that the flow of beer through the latter will cause a current of air to traverse said inlet and mingle With the liquor as it escapes from the faucet. By this arrangement the proper ventage is afforded, while at the same time there is no possibility of the air entering the keg or barrel, it being understood that the construction of the device is such as to allow the inlet to be opened only when the faucet-plug is so turned as to draw of the liquor

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Patent No. 2448063A: Machine For Stripping Hops From Vines

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Today in 1948, US Patent 2448063 A was issued, an invention of Edouard Thys, for his “Machine For Stripping Hops From Vines.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to means for mechanically picking hops and has particular reference to the picker fingers and bars for supporting the same, by which the hop blossoms and clusters are mechanically removed from the vines when the latter pass through the machine.

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Patent No. 589231A: Bung Branding Machine

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Today in 1897, US Patent 589231 A was issued, an invention of Jacob Fred Theurer, assigned to the Pabst Brewing Company, for his “Bung Branding Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention pertains to a machine for branding bungs, the construction and operation of which, together with its advantages, are set forth in the following description, reference being made to the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine; Fig. 2, an end elevation, part of the chain being removed and the pistons shown in section; Fig. 3, a top plan view, and Fig. 4 a sectional view of the branding-dies and the heating device.

The object of my invention is to construct a machine for branding a series of bungs at one time and to present the bungs to the dies in successive series.

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Patent No. 589065A: Method Of And Apparatus For Treating Beer

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Today in 1897, US Patent 589065 A was issued, an invention of Otto Zwietusch, for his “Method Of And Apparatus For Treating Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to the treatment and finishing of beer and other malt liquids, and especially the impregnation thereof with carbonic-acid gas; and it consists in a new and useful method or art of accomplishing these results, as well as in the novel and useful apparatus therefor, all as will be fully set forth hereinafter and subsequently claimed.

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Patent No. 4767640A: Light Stable Hop Extracts And Method Of Preparation

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Today in 1988, US Patent 4767640 A was issued, an invention of Henry Goldstein, Patrick L. Ting, Etzer Chicove, Gary Goetzke, and John M. Cowles, assigned to Miller Brewing Company, for their “Light Stable Hop Extracts and Method of Preparation.” Here’s the Abstract:

A method of preparing anactinic hop extracts comprising three stages: pre-purification of a liquid CO2 hop extract using liquid-liquid extraction to isolate pure humulones or alpha acids; isomerization/reduction of the humulones to obtain a mixture consisting of reduced isohumulones and non-isohumulone light unstable products (NILUPS); then adding alkali and water to the mixture of reduced isohumulones and NILUPS, heating and stirring to extract the reduced isohumulones into an aqueous phase and to leave the NILUPS in an oil phase. The aqueous phase is an anactinic hop extract which can be used to prepare light stable malt beverages.

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This is one of a multitude of patents that Miller received in order to maintain their image, using a clear bottle for Miller High Life. It seems like it would have been far less expensive to just re-brand the beer with a brown bottle, but I guess that’s why I’m not in marketing.
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Patent No. 3687340A: Tapping Device For Beer Kegs

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Today in 1972, US Patent 3687340 A was issued, an invention of Remes E. De La Hunt, for his “Tapping Device For Beer Kegs.” Here’s the Abstract:

A keg tapping device is provided in which a pressure hose and a liquid discharge hose are connected to a common connector member connectable to a keg fitting on a keg to automatically open valving means in the keg fitting and the common connector to permit discharge of liquid from the keg and pressurization of the keg in response to the connection of the connector to the keg; seal and valve means are automatically closed upon disconnection of the connector from the keg and the keg includes a substantially permanently installed drain pipe so that there is no insertion of any member into the internal confines of the keg during the tapping operation with the connection of the connector and the pressure and lager discharge hoses being made by a simple push down and twisting movement.

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Patent No. 2998351A: Process For The Continuous Malting Of Grain

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Today in 1961, US Patent 2998351 A was issued, an invention of Noel Keir, Frederick Richard Graesser, Wilbert E. Stoddart and Douglas L. Thompson, assigned to Dominion Malting Ontario Ltd., for their “Process for the Continuous Malting of Grain.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The present invention avoids most of the disadvantages of the prior art and provides for simple continuous processing through which not only complication is avoided but the processing may be reduced to a period of three days or less in comparison with approximately ten days or more, and is subject to minute control which has been difficult in prior batch processes. In fact the present continuous process provides for continuous processing through stages or zones maintaining constant conditions, varied as to one another, according to requirements necessary in regard to the character of the grain, and through which the grain continuously passes in effect to provide the continuous yield of a substantially uniform malt. Moreover, other attendant advantages result as labour required per unit of production will be reduced, resulting in greater economy, the weight and strength of complete equipment will be reduced and initial costs of buildings thus lessened; whereas the process provides for an extremely wide range of control as to time and processing, moisture content and temperature gradient, so that the conditions of manufacture may be adapted to the quality and type of grain being processed as to provide for the production of malt of superior quality and of generally uniform character in which all factors of production have been closely controlled throughout.

The invention generally embodies the steps of continuously forming and moving a bed of grain in a predetermined path, subjecting said moving grain bed to intermittent periods of water spray and periods of rest and periods of humid aeration at temperatures between 50 and 100 F., and finally moving said bed through a drying zone at elevated temperatures. Preferably the processing includes in said steps a period of drenching the bed followed by dry aeration. The grain may be introduced to the processing steps in any suitable manner, such as by pumping it together with water to the point of preliminary processing, which may start with the dispersing of the grain in water, and allowing the sound grain to settle, while the lighter grain and low gravity extraneous material may be continuously removed from the surface of the water body in which it is dispersed and delivered to a suitable recovery unit.

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Patent No. 1001805A: Beer-Preserver

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Today in 1911, US Patent 1001805 A was issued, an invention of Chris Bergsvik, for his “Beer-Preserver.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to beer preservers or beer-pressure apparatus. Its object is to provide a device which shall constantly maintain the pressure during the dispensing of the beer and thus preserve the constant gaseous pressure necessary to keep the beer from staling.

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Patent No. 8250968B2: Wort Copper With An External Boiler

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Today in 2012, US Patent 8250968 B2 was issued, an invention of Dietmar Lohner, Christian Wetzl and Robert Gruber, assigned to Krones Ag, for their “Wort Copper with an External Boiler.” Here’s the Abstract:

A wort copper and a method of boiling wort, with the wort copper having an external boiler arranged outside of the wort copper, which cyclically heats wort from the wort copper, wherein the heated wort is re-supplied to the wort copper, and comprises an infeed tube and a rising pipe, through which wort heated by the external boiler rises upwards in the wort copper, as well as at least one intake opening is provided in the rising line for sucking in wort from a wort reservoir of the wort copper, wherein the cross-sectional surface of the rising pipe enlarges at least section-wise towards the upper end of the rising pipe.

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Patent No. 409956A: Malting And Germinating Apparatus

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Today in 1889, US Patent 409956 A was issued, an invention of Joseph P. Gent, for his “Malting And Germinating Apparatus.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to apparatus for the continuous malt-ing or germinating of grain; and it consists in certain improvements in construction and combination of parts, hereinafter fully described.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An apparatus for malting or germinating grain, consisting of an outer casing, a series of perforated floors one above the other, provided with automatically dumping sections, said floors having each a central aperture, an air-supplying pipe extending through said apertures and provided with apertures to discharge air beneath each of said floors, a shaft for rotating said floors, also extending through said openings, and a water pipe extending Within said openings and provided with a discharge above each floor, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for malting or germinating grain, consisting of perforated floors one above the other, having central apertures in each, a shaft for revolving said floors extending vertically through said apertures, and a water-supply pipe extending also vertically through said apertures and having a spraying-discharge above each floor, the said floors having pivoted automatically-dumping sections, the dumping-point of each floor being a short distance in advance of the dumping point of the floor above, substantially as described.

3. An apparatus for malting or germinating grain, consisting of an inclosing-casing, revolving perforated floors one above the other, an air-pipe extending centrally through said floors and having a discharge-opening beneath each floor, an air-forcing and air moistening device communicating with said pipe, a water-supply pipe extending within said air-pipe and provided with a spraying discharge above each floor, and stirring and leveling devices above each floor, the said floors being provided with pivoted automatically dumping sections, the dumping-point of each floor being slightly in advance of the floor above, substantially as described.

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