Improvements relating to the Treatment of the Waste Products of Breweries for the Production of Alcoholic Liquor.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Dec., 1886
Complete Left, 19th Sept., 1887
Complete Accepted, 22nd Nov., 1887
Improvements relating to the Treatment of the Waste Products of
Breweries for the Production of Alcoholic Liquor.
1. WILHELM GERDES, of Dortmund in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of
Germany, Brewer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention has for its object to obtain from the residues or waste products of
breweries hereinafter specified, a larger quantity and better quality of alcohol than
has been possible with the processes heretofore used. These residues and waste
products are.
1st. The sediment remaining in the coolers and originating from separated
albuminous substances which, when beer is pumped out, pass with the beer through
the hops back to the cooler, combined with hop ingredients, such as lupuline, and the
like. These substances settle upon the cooler, and remain with part of the beer
bebind upon the said cooler. This residue is filtered through bags and forms a pulpy
mass which quantitatively is considerable and contains 13 per cent or more of sugar
according to the quality of the beer.
2nd. The deposits in the vats, or the turbid residue from the store-vats, consisting
of beer and hops, wherein alcohol extractive substances, carbonic acid, lupuline and
sugar, are contained.
3rd. The weak wort or the residue from the malt wort which has settled as a
turbid residue below the filtering bottom likewise containing much sugar.
These residues are utilized for the extraction of alcohol in the following manner.
To a mash of 9 hectolitres (composed of 300 litres of cooler sediment, 200 litres of
weak wort, and 400 litres of vat deposits) 2 kilograms of rye flour are mixed with
weak wort to form a pulpy mass; the latter is slowly heated to 55 degrees centigrade,
and 14 kilogrammes of cooler sediment are then added. To this mixture is now
added about 40 grammes of sulphuric acid. This addition of sulphuric acid accelerates
the conversion of the extractive substances into sugar, and prevents the formation of
bacteriæ.
As soon as the mass thus prepared has cooled down to 20 degrees centigrade, it is

page_text: caused to ferment by adding about 10 kilogrammes of beer yeast, or brandy yeast, or
by saccharomyces ellipsoid (which is specially reared therefor) and added to the
total quantity of cooler sediment and weak wort (300 litres of the former, and
200 litres of the latter). The fermentation of the entire mixture, which during the
process must be kept at a temperature of about 17 to 19 degrees Centigrade, is
sustained for 24 hours; the vat deposit in the above-named quantity of 400 litres is
then added, and the entire quantity left to ferment for a further 24 hours.
It is essential that the vat deposit before being added to the other mass should be
reduced to a low temperature say 5 or 6 degrees Centigrade in order to check or
retard the fermentation whereby not only the quantitative yield of alcohol is promoted,
but the formation of the ethereal oils which impair the flavour of the product is
diminished.
The later addition of the vat deposit is justified by the latter already containing
alcohol as such, and it contains very little sugar so that it does not require so much
time for conversion into alcohol as the mass containing more sugar.
The fermentation having terminated, the distillation is effected in the known
manner and the product rectified at will; but both operations preferably take place
at low temperatures so that those ingredients which impair the quality of the product
remain behind as much as possible.
By means of this process a distilled liquor is obtained which, as regards its flavour,
is similar to fine cognac. The product obtained after several rectifications contains
from 90 to 95 per cent of alcohol.
If this product is to be rendered drinkable a dilution with water is necessary. The
product however the peculiarity that it assumes a milky turbid state as soon as water
is added. This defect is removed in the following manner. Into the pipe through
which the alcoholic vapours in the last rectification pass into the coil is introduced a
steam pipe by which any desired quantity of water steam can be mixed as intimately
as possible with the alcoholic vapours. This mixture of water-steam and alcoholic
vapours is then condensed in the cooler, the product of the distillation remaining
perfectly clear. By the introduction of a smaller or larger quantity of water-steam
the desired dilution can be imparted to the liquor intended for use.
Dated this 29th day of December 1886.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Breweries for the Production of Alcoholic Liquor.
I, WILHELM GERDES, of Dortmund in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire,
Brewer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
This invention has for its object to obtain, from the residues or waste products of
breweries hereinafter specified, a larger quantity and better quality of alcohol than
has been possible with the processes heretofore used.
These residues and waste products are:-
First. The sediment remaining in the coolers and originating from separated
albuminous substances which, when beer is pumped over, pass with the beer through
the hop-back to the cooler, combined with hop constituents, such as lupuline, and
others. These substances settle upon the cooler, and remain with part of the beer
behind upon the said cooler. This residue is filtered and forms a pulpy mass which
quantitatively is considerable, and contains 13 per cent or more of sugar, according
to the quality of the beer.
Second. The deposits or turbid residue from the store-vats, consisting of beer and
yeast, wherein alcohol, extractive substances, carbonic acid, lupuline, and sugar, are
contained.
Third. The residue from the malt wort which has settled as a turbid liquor
below the filtering bottom of the mashing-tuns, and likewise containing much
sugar.
These residues are utilized for the extraction of alcohol in the following manner.
For working a mash of about 900 litres (to be composed of 300 litres of cooler
sediment, 200 litres of mashing-tun-residue, and 400 litres of store-vat deposits),
I first prepare a fermenting composition as follows: 2 kilogrammes rye flour are
mixed with a sufficient quantity of mashing-tun-residue so as to form a pulpy mass.
This mass is slowly heated to 55 degrees centigrade, and 14 kilogrammes of cooler
sediment are then added. To this mixture is now added about 40 grammes of
sulphuric acid, which accelerates the conversion of the extractive substances into
sugar, and prevents the formation of bacteria.
As soon as the mass thus prepared has cooled down to 20 degrees Centigrade, it is
caused to ferment by adding about 10 kilogrammes of beer-yeast or brandy-yeast, or
by saccharomyees ellipsoideus (which is specially reared therefor), and added to the
total quantity of cooler sedement and mashing-tun-residue (300 litres of former, and
200 litres of the latter). The fermentation of the entire mixture, which during the
process must be kept at a temperature of about 17 to 19 degrees Centigrade, is
sustained for 24 hours; the store-vat deposit in the above-named quantity of

page_text: 400 litres is then added, and the entire quantity left to ferment for further
24 hours.
The store-vat deposit. before being added to the other mass should be reduced to a
low temperature, say 5 or 6 degrees Centigrade, in order to check or retard the
fermentation, whereby not only the quantitative yield of alcohol is promoted, but the
formation of essential oils which impair the flavour of the product is diminished.
The later addition of the store-vat deposit is justified by the fact that it already
contains alcohol as such, while there is very little sugar present in the same, so that
it does not require so much time for conversion into alcohol as the other mass
containing more sugar.
The fermentation having terminated, the distillation is effected in the known
manner and the product rectified at will; but both operations preferably take place
at low temperatures, so that those ingredients which impair the quality of the product
remain behind as much as possible.
By means of this process a distilled liquor is obtained which, as regards its flavour,
is similar to fine cognac. The product obtained after several rectifications contains
from 90 to 95 per cent of alcohol.
If this product is to be rendered drinkable, a dilution with water is necessary. The
product has, however, the peculiarity that it becomes milky and turbid as soon as
water is added. This defect is obviated in the following manner.
Into the pipe
through which the alcoholic vapours in the last rectification pass into the coil, is
introduced a steam pipe, by which any desired quantity of water-steam can be
intimately mixed with the alcoholic vapours. This mixture of water-steam and
alcoholic vapours is then condensed in the cooler, the product of the distillation
remaining perfectly clear. By the introduction of a smaller or larger quantity of
water-steam the desired dilution can be imparted to the liquor intended for use.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The process of producing alcoholic liquor from the waste products of breweries,
which consists in mixing about 2 parts of rye flour with some mashing-tun-residue,
about 1 parts of cooler-sediment and about 0,04 parts of sulphuric acid, causing the
mixture to ferment by addition of 10 parts of yeast, producing fermentation of about
300 parts of cooler-sediment and about 200 parts of mashing-tun-residue by means of
the said mixture, adding about 400 parts of store-vat-deposit, sustaing fermentation,
and distilling, substantially as hercinbefore described.
2. The process of producing clear alcoholic liquor containing water, by rectifying
the impure alcohol, introducing water-steam into the alcoholic vapours and condensing
both together, substantially as specified.
Dated the Fifteenth day of September 1887
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.