Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Patent No. 1000086A: Straining-Tank

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Today in 1911, US Patent 1000086 A was issued, an invention of Fred W Goetz and Claes Flodin, for their “Straining-Tank.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

Our invention relates, more particularly, to an improvement in tanks for straining hopped wort from the hops after the wort has been boiled with them for the requisite length of time in the brewing-kettles provided for the purpose.

In the process of brewing beer it is necessary, in order to prevent the beer from becoming bitter, to drain the wort from the hops as quickly as possible, after the boiling operation above referred to has been completed; and it is highly desirable that as much of the wort as is loosely held in the hops by absorption be drained 0H and recovered for further treatment.

One of our objects is to provide a construction of straining-tank which will enable the hopped wort to be quickly and effectively washed and drained from the hops and cause the latter to be freed, up to the maximum practical extent, of its wort-contents.

Another object is to provide a construction of straining-tank whereby the spent hops may be discharged therefrom in a simple and effective manner.

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Patent No. 2758030A: Apparatus For And Method Of Drawing Off The Wort In Making Beer

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Today in 1956, US Patent 2758030 A was issued, an invention of Augusto Z. Metz, for his “Apparatus For And Method Of Drawing Off The Wort In Making Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to the production of beer, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for drawing off from the tubs or other vessels in which the mashing operation is carried out, the extract or wort which is to be delivered to kettles in which the brewing operation is continued.

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Patent No. 2757785A: Vertical Hop Picker Having Endless Carrier Chain For Hop Vines, Moving In A Vertical Plane

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Today in 1956, US Patent 2757785 A was issued, an invention of Florian F. Dauenhauer, for his “Vertical Hop Picker Having Endless Carrier Chain for Hop Vines, Moving in a Vertical Plane.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

An object of my invention is to provide a vertical hop picker having endless carrier chain for hop vines, moving in a vertical plane, which is an improvement over the vertical hop picking machine shown in my copending application, Serial No. 179,722, filed August 16, 1950, and now Patent No. 2,677,378. In the copending case, I show an endless hop-carrying chain conveyor that has a portion for conveying hop vines between pairs of vertically movable hop picking fingers. The return portion of the endless hop-carrying chain that extends along the hop picking fingers, lies in the same horizontal plane as the portion that carries the vines between the picking lingers, but the return portion is spaced laterally therefrom. Moreover, I also disclose in the copending case, the endless hop-carrying chain as having an inclined portion extending from a hop vine feeding ‘platform up to the hop picking finger part of the machine. Here again, the return chain part passing along the inclined portion is spaced laterally from the inclined hop vine carrying portion. This necessitated the use of cam rails at the feed and discharge ends of the machine for opening the jaws of vine grippers, carried by the chain, for permitting an operator to attach vines to the grippers at the feed end and for automatically releasing the vines at the discharge end of the machine.

In the present case, the endless hop-carrying chain conveyor has both of its reaches lying in the same vertical plane. This causes the jaws of the vine grippers to open automatically at the discharge end of the machine and release the vines that have had their hops removed. The jaws remain in open position as the vine grippers travel from the discharge endV of the machine to the feed end. No cam rails are necessary at the feed and discharge ends of the machine.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the type described in which a swingable elevator boom is placed at the feed end of the machine for supporting the feed end of the carrier chain for hop vines. The boom can be swung so that its free end can be positioned adjacent to a hop vine carrying truck and this will permit an operator to unload hop vines one at a time, directly from the truck and attach `them to the vine grippers at the feed end of the machine. After the truck has been emptied, the boom can be swung to another truck and the vine unloading and attaching process continued. The unloading platform at the feed end of the machine may be dispensed with if desired.

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Patent No. 544156A: Hop Picker And Cleaner

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Today in 1895, US Patent 544156 A was issued, an invention of Warren H. Clark, for his “Hop Picker and Cleaner.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention has relation to machines for picking and cleaning hops, the object being to provide a machine into which the hops and vines can be fed as they come from the field, and which will not only thoroughly pick the hops from the vines and stems, but Will also effect the complete separation therefrom of the vines, leaves, and stems, the Work being performed in a rapid and reliable manner.

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Patent No. 206825A: Improvement In Beer-Pump Valves

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Today in 1878, US Patent 206825 A was issued, an invention of John A. Prindle, for his “Improvement in Beer-Pump Valves.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to an apparatus for pumping fluids from casks, and is intended as an improvement on the device shown and described in Letters Patent No. 191,656, dated February 6, 1877, granted to Wm. F. Glass.

My improvement consists, principally, in the peculiar construction of the bung, provided with valve or valves, which close the bunghole hermetically and automatically by the pressure of gas from within, while air or gases may be easily forced through it into the cask, barrel, or other vessel.

It also consists in constructing the air valve proper of rubber or equivalent elastic material, forming it conical or conoidal, and causing it to rest upon a sharp-edged seat, whereby slight pressure will be sufficient to insure good results, and heavy pressure the same results, without liability of damaging the valve.

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Patent No. 3827595A: Beer Keg

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Today in 1974, US Patent 3827595 A was issued, an invention of Henry Clausen, for his “Beer Keg.” Here’s the Abstract:

A beer keg having the top, bottom and side walls made of plastic, and tapper and filler plug mounting members made of plastic or metal which in one embodiment are cast in position as the top and side walls are formed. In the second embodiment the filler plug is retained in the central part of the keg as the keg is molded and thereafter mounted in a filler opening formed in the barrel.

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Patent No. 2605949A: Control Head For Devices For Filling Bottles Under Counterpressure

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Today in 1952, US Patent 2605949 A was issued, an invention of Gustave Stern, for their “Control Head for Devices for Filling Bottles Under Counterpressure.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The, object of the present invention is a control head for devices for filling bottles or other like (containers, with gaseous or nongaseous liquids, under counter-pressure), said head previously placing the bottles under compressed air.

The purpose of the invention is essentially to increase the automatic operation of the device, thereby enabling the rate of filling to be considerably accelerated, thus increasing the efficiency.

invention ensures the. satisfactory operation of the device when the pressure. of the supply of. compressedV air. is higher than the pressure in the filling tank which contains the liquid to be drawn out. Owing to this fact, it permits the elimination of the complicated and costly apparatus intended to ensure, the regularity of the air pressure.

Finally, tile invention relates to the provision of means of enabling the level of the liquid inside the bottles to be adjusted accurately.

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Patent No. 218231A: Improvement In Processes And Apparatus For Treating Hops And Malt Extracts

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Today in 1879, US Patent 218231 A was issued, an invention of Henry Clausen, for his “Improvement in Processes and Apparatus For Treating Hops and Malt Extracts.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates to a new method of treating malt extract and hops in the manufacture of beer, and to a new apparatus for carrying the same into effect; and consists, first, in treating the malt extract and the hops in a vacuum-pan which has separate channels for admitting the malt and the hops; also, in the new construction and arrangement of vacuum-pan hereinafter described.

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Patent No. 5788111A: Drinking Vessel

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Today in 1998, US Patent 5788111 A was issued, an invention of Alan Grenville and Clive Waugh, for their “Drinking Vessel.” Here’s the Abstract:

An inside surface of a drinking vessel is treated with a material suitable for providing nucleation sites to encourage the formation of bubbles in a liquid containing a gas such as carbon dioxide or CO2 / nitrogen mixture. The material may be printed upon the internal surface.

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Patent No. 2898209A: Method Of Extracting Hops

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Today in 1959, US Patent 2898209 A was issued, an invention of James E. Grant, Charles J. Krueck, Milton E. Lavrich, Justin J. Murtaugh, and Donald G. Ruff, assigned to the Blatz Brewing Company, for their “Method of Extracting Hops.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

Our invention relates to a new and improved hop extract; to a new and improved method of making a hop extract; and to a new and improved hopped beverage, such as alcoholic malt beverages exemplified by beer and ale.

While the invention applies to the treatment of any part of the hop plant, it refers particularly to the treatment of the cones of the hop plant. These cones are preferably extracted in the whole state, but they may be cut, ground, or otherwise comminuted.

After a lengthy discussion, in the last page of the application, they set forth their claims, summarized:

1. A method of extracting solid starting material, said stafting material having substantially the composition of vine-fresh hops, which consists in extracting said material with methanol at a maximum temperature of 65 C. to produce an original liquid extract of said starting ina– terial, said original liquid extract including water which is extracted from said starting material, said water being mixed with said methanol in said original liquid extract, said original liquid extract including water-insoluble and methanol-soluble material which is extracted from said solid starting material and which is dissolved in the methanol of said original liquid extract, said original liquid extract including water-soluble and methanol-insoluble material which is extracted from said solid starting material and which is dissolved in the water of said original liquid extract, said methanol-soluble and waterinsoluble extracted material including alpha-resin and beta-resin, the weight of said alpha resin being at least 40% of the weight of the total soft resin; separating said original liquid extract from the undissolved, residual part of said starting material; flowing the separated, original liquid extract forwardly through an externally heated zone in the form of a thin, rapidly forwardly-flowing stream to heat said forwardly-flowing stream substantially uniformly within’ said heating Zone without substantially evaporating methanol or water from said forwardly-flowing stream within said heating zone, forwardly flowing said forwardlyflowing stream within said heating zone at a sufliciently high velocity to substantially prevent the solutes of said forwardly-flowing stream from coating the inner face of said heating zone; flowing said forwardly-flowing stream out of the outlet of said heating zone into an evaporation chamber; evaporating a part of the methanol and water in said evaporation chamber from the stream which is flowed into said evaporation chamber and thus providing a residue of said stream within said evaporation chamber, flowing the evaporated methanol and water out of said evaporation chamber; flowing the residue of said stream out of said evaporation chamber forwardly through said heating zone and back into said evaporation chamber in cyclic succession while evaporating a part of the methanol and water from the stream which is flowed into said evaporation chamber during each cycle and flowing the part of the methanol and water which is thus evaporated durmg each cycle out of said evaporating chamber, maintaining said evaporation chamber at a maximum temperature of substantially 65 C. and at a maximum pressure of substantially millimeters of mercury, and continuing said cyclic succession to produce a concentrate of said original extract in which the weight of said alpha-resin is at least 40% of the weight of the total soft resin.

2. A method according to claim 1 in which substantially all the methanol is evaporated in said cyclic succe’ssi’on within said evaporation chamber from said original extract.

3. A method according to claim 1, in which the cyclic succession is stopped when said concentrate includes an aqueous phase of residual water and a non aqueous methanol resin phase in which said resins are dissolved, and said aqueous phase is separated from said methanol resin phase. I

4. A method according to claim 3, in which said aqueous phase is separated from said methanol resin phase by dissolving a water-soluble salting-out agent in said aqueous phase.

5. A method according to claim 3, in which the weight of said aqueous phase is at least substantially 70% of the weight of said concentrate.

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