Today in 1903, US Patent 732350 A was issued, an invention of Max Henius, for his “Brew House Apparatus Equipment.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to an improvement in the equipment of apparatus employed in the department of a brewery known as the brewhouse, which is devoted to the operation of producing the wort by practicing the several generally-stated steps of making the mash, drawing off and hopping and boiling the resultant wort, separating the hopped wort from the hops, and finally cooling the hopped wort preparatory to pumping it into the fermentation-vat.

Hitherto the equipment employed in the manufacture of the wort in the brew-house has involved a multiplicity of apparatus, which has rendered not only the installation of the plant in the matter of building and apparatus but also the maintenance and operation very expensive.

The object of my improvement is to simplify the apparatus equipment for a brewhouse by reducing to the minimum the number of apparatuses for practicing the several necessary steps in wort manufacture by adapting a number of the comparatively few apparatuses provided to perform each several of the steps of the process Where hitherto a separate apparatus was in most or at least some instances required for the practice of each separate step.

Today in 1880, US Patent 229374 A was issued, an invention of Friedrich A. Bruns, for his “Apparatus for Purifying Air.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The object of this invention is to furnish means for cooling and purifying the atmospheric air which is required for handling beer, ale, wine, and other fermented liquors during fermentation. These liquids are at present transferred by means of air compressing pumps from one cask to another, the air employed for forcing the liquids carrying microscopic organisms and inorganic impurities which impregnate the beer or other liquid and exert an injurious influence thereon. To prevent these organisms from entering the liquids I employ a cooling and purifying apparatus, through which the air is drawn by the air-pump, so that all inorganic and organic impurities are retained and destroyed, and thereby a perfectly pure air supplied for handling the liquids. Fermented liquors treated with air purified in such a manner keep better, become perfectly clear, and are not liable to deterioration.

My invention consists more especially of a cooling-chamber filled with ice and provided with a top screen covered with a layer of cotton or similar material, and of an acid-chamber, into which the air is drawn from the cooling chamber and minutely divided therein by a perforated distributer and screen, to be then conducted off for use. Referring to the drawings, A represents a cooling-chamber, which is filled with ice and provided at the bottom with a discharge pipe for the ice water and with a suitable water-seal.

Today in 1972, US Patent 3672390 A was issued, an invention of Elbert Gravesteijn, assigned to Amstel Brouwerij, for his “Draw-Off Tube.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The invention relates to a draw-off tube having on its free end a frontally closed tubular extension, to which there is detachably connected a head with an external, radial flange provided with flattened portions on its circumference, and a cylindrical externally screw threaded casing extending axially from said flange and surrounding said tubular extension coaxially, which external screw thread, after insertion of the draw of? tube in a cask of beer or the like, admits of being screwed into the internal screw thread of the bung hole of the cask, a ring valve loaded by a spring, more particularly .by a helical compression spring, being provided in the space between the inner circumference of the cylindrical casing and the outer circumference of the tubular extension, which ring valve is axially displaceable from the seats formed on said circumferences and which ring valve has its outer circumference adapted to free or close the compressed gas passage and has its inner circumference adapted to simultaneously free or close the beer passage formed by a row of radial openings provided in the wall of the tubular extension adjacent its free end, said cylindrical casing being provided with arms downwardly extending therefrom, which arms are detachably connected with a radial flange provided on the extension, which flange supports the compression spring.

Today in 1967, US Patent 3327612 A was issued, an invention of Conrad Lenz, for his “Apparatus for Use in Brewing.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

This invention relates, in general, to brewing apparatus and, in particular, to a new and useful mashing device comprising a unit consisting of a tank for receiving the soaked malt, a feed grinder for the soaked malt and a conveyor for moving the crushed material from the outlet of the feed grinder to a brewing pan or mash copper and of means actuated by the emptying of the unit of the mashed material to discontinue the driving mechanisms.

Today in 2010, US Patent 7735413 B2 was issued, an invention of Klaus-Karl Wasmuht and Kurt Stippler, assigned to Krones AG, for their “Method And Device For Brewing Beer.” Here’s the Abstract:

A device for brewing beer, particularly a wort pan (1), with a container body (2) to receive a wort reservoir (3), the device containing an internal boiler (4) arranged in the container body (2), which is provided with a heat exchanger (5) and a guiding screen (8). A wort forced flow (10) provided with a pump is also provided, which runs through the boiler (4). In order to increase the efficiency of the device, the wort forced flow (10) has a thin-layer distributor (17) for the wort, which contains a pipe subsection (11 b) connected with the pump, which subsection leads above the guiding screen (8) via an outlet opening (13) with reduced outlet cross-section into the container body (2). Above the outlet opening (13), a flow-guiding baffle surface (15) is provided, at which the flow arrives from below, to deflect the liquid towards the wort reservoir (3).

Today in 1971, US Patent 3585045 A was issued, an invention of Conrad Lenz, for his “Method For Preparing Beer Wort.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

According to the method of this invention, a first portion of the continuously prepared mash is transferred from a mash-making zone to a first vessel. A subsequent portion of the mash is transferred from the mash-making zone to a second vessel while the first portion is being heated in the first vessel, and the two portions are then combined, whereupon further heating may follow conventional practice of separating a portion of the mixture from the bulk of the same, heating the separated portion, returning the heated portion to the bulk of the mixture, and repeating such separating, heating, and returning until the mixture reaches the desired temperature. The plant employed in performing the method is provided with a two-way valve in the mash transfer conduit which connects the mash-making apparatus with the mash heating or brewing apparatus. Two branch conduits lead from the valve to two vessels of the mash-heating apparatus, at least one vessel being provided with heating means. The valve may be moved in the usual manner between two positions in which it connects the mash transfer conduit with the branch conduits respectively while blocking the other branch conduit.

Today in 1911, US Patent 995001 A was issued, an invention of John H. Hathaway, for his “Agitating Device.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

The object of my invention is the provision of a device of the character mentioned which will be so designed as to adapt the same to be readily arranged in a paint-keg, upon the removal of one of the heads of the latter, in such a manner as to permit of the ready manual oscillation thereof therein, in effecting the thorough breaking of the lead or oil contained in the keg.

A further object is the provision of an agitating device as mentioned which will be of an adjustable nature adapting the same for arrangement in kegs of various dimensions; and further a device which will be effectual in operation, and which will be of strong, durable and economical construction.

Today in 1900, US Patent 651651 A was issued, an invention of Harry W. Colby, for his “Apparatus For Racking Beer.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for racking beer, and more particularly to improvements upon the invention or apparatus shown and described in my pending application, Serial No; 616,386, filed December 21, 1896. In the invention and apparatus of my said pending application the beer was forced from the tank into the barrel under pressure, the barrel itself being first filled with air or gas under pressure approximating that of the tank, and the necessary difference of pressure to cause the liquid to flow from the tank into the barrel was maintained by a spring or weight actuated safety valve controlling the vent through which the air or gas escaped from the barrel into the outer air as the barrel filled with the beer. In the practical use of this apparatus I have found difficulty in keeping the safety-valve or its weight or spring so nicely adjusted as to entirely prevent foaming of the beer, especially as the pressure in the tank itself is liable to variation as the liquid is drawn therefrom.