AN IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED WHEN FERMENTING MALT LIQUORS IN CASES OR OTHER LIKE CLOSE VESSELS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Henry Mellor, of Liverpool, in the County
of Lancaster, Common Brewer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
APPARATUS TO BE USED WHEN FERMENTING MALT LIQUORS IN CASES OR OTHER
LIKE CLOSE VESSELS."
Sealed the 30th August 1864, and dated the 1st March 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Henry Mellor
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st March 1864.
I, WILLIAM HENRY MELLOR, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
Common Brewer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"AN IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED WHEN FERMENTING MALT LIQUORS IN CASES
OR OTHER LIKE CLOSE VESSELS," to be as follows (that is to say):-
This Invention has for its object a simple, cheap, and convenient apparatus
to be used when fermenting beer and other liquors in casks or other close
vessels, so as to obviate the necessity of having to repeatedly fill up the vessel
during the process, and thereby reducing the labour attendant thereon, and
also prevent the accidental, spoiling, of the liquid, which is constantly liable to
arise from the inattention of the brewer.
An apparatus constructed according to this Invention may consist of a
cylindrical or other suitably shaped vessel formed of sheet tin, copper, or

page_text: any other suitable material. The bottom of the vessel internally is formed
concave or slightly funnel-shaped, and has a short vertical open-ended pipe
extending down through the centre thereof, and extending upwards some little
distance; the lower end of this short vertical pipe below the bottom of the
vessel is formed with a taper so as to admit of its fitting tightly into the bung'
or other hole in the vessel containing the liquid to be fermented. On the
inside of the short vertical pipe is attached a small pipe of sufficient length to
extend nearly to the bottom of the cask or other vessel, and the upper end of
which opens into the cylindrical or other shaped vessel at the outside of the
short vertical pipe a little above the concave bottom of the vessel. A false
perforated bottom or grating is used, which it is preferred to form convex on
the top, and which has an opening in the centre through which the head of
the short vertical pipe extends, and when it is desired to prevent the sediment
carried over the short vertical pipe within the cylindrical or suitable shaped
chamber during the fermentation of the beer or other liquor, a bag or its
mechanical equivalent, formed of flannel, felt, or other suitable porous sub-
stance is used, the lowest end of which surrounds the short vertical pipe (say)
an inch or two below the head thereof, and which extends upwards to the top
of the vessel, and may be held in place by the cover or lid, or in any other
convenient way. The cylindrical or other suitably shaped vessel may be closed
at the top by a lid resembling that of an ordinary pot, but having an opening
on one side fitted with an oblique spout for conveying the barm or yeast over
the side of the vessel during fermentation, and allowing it to fall into any
suitable receptacle placed to receive it.
The method of using this apparatus is as follows:-On the cask or other
vessel being filled with the liquor to be fermented the lower end of the small
pipe is passed down into the cask or other vessel through the bunghole or
other suitable opening on the top thereof until the lower end of the short
vertical tube comes into close contact with the side of the hole, so as to
prevent the escape of liquid from the cask between the inner side of the
hole and the outside of the taper tube; then the brewer partially fills the
cylindrical or other suitably shaped vessel with liquid similar to that in the
cask; he then covers the vessel with its lid, and leaves it to undergo fermen-
tation, during the process of which the barm or yeast rises up through the
short vertical tube into the cylindrical or other shaped vessel above its
perforated false bottom and into the porous bag, when one is used, and during
the brisker stages of fermentation passes through the hole in the lid and down
the spout thereon into the receiver. The denser liquid, which is carried over
with the barm, can pass through the small vertical pipe into the cask or other

page_text: vessel, the sediment being retained in the bag. In some cases it may be
preferred to fit the head of the short vertical pipe with a sliding tube so as to
regulate the height of the discharge.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Henry Mellor in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 31st August 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
HENRY MELLCR, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Common Brewer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the First day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said William Henry Mellor, Her special licence that I, the said
William Henry Mellor, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said William Henry Mellor, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of
Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS TO BE USED WHEN FERMENTING
MALT LIQUORS IN CASKS OR OTHER LIKE CLOSE VESSELS," upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said William Henry Mellor, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Henry Mellor, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement (that is to say):-
This my said Invention has for its object a simple, cheap, and convenient
apparatus to be used when fermenting beer and other liquors in casks or
other closed vessels, so as to obviate the necessity of having to repeatedly fill
up the vessel during the process, and thereby reducing the labour attendant

page_text: thereon, and also prevent the accidental spoiling of the liquid, which is
constantly liable to arise from the inattention of the brewer.
An apparatus constructed according to this my said Invention may consist
of a cylindrical or other suitably shaped vessel formed of sheet tin, copper, or
any other suitable material. The bottom of the vessel internally I form
concave, or slightly funnel-shaped, and provide it with a short vertical open-
ended pipe extending down through the centre thereof, and extending upwards
some little distance; the lower end of this short vertical pipe below the bottom
of the vessel is formed with a taper, so as to admit of its fitting tightly into
the bung or other hole in the vessel containing the liquid to be fermented.
On the inside of the short vertical pipe I attach a small pipe of sufficient
length to extend nearly to the bottom of the cask or other vessel, and the
upper end of which opens into the cylindrical or other shaped vessel at the
outside of the short vertical pipe a little above the concave bottom of the
vessel. I use a false perforated bottom or grating, which I prefer to form
convex on the top, and which has an opening in the centre, through which the
head of the short vertical pipe extends; and when I desire to prevent the
sediment carried over the short vertical pipe within the cylindrical or other
suitable shaped chamber during the fermentation of the beer or other liquor,
I use a bag, or its mechanical equivalent, formed of flannel, felt, or other
suitable porous substance, the lowest end of which surrounds the short vertical
pipe (say) an inch or two below the head thereof, and which extends upwards
to the top of the vessel, and may be held in place by the cover or lid, or in
any other convenient way. The cylindrical or other suitably shaped vessel
may be closed at the top by a cover resembling that of an ordinary pot, but
having an opening on one side fitted with an oblique spout, for conveying the
barm or yeast over the side of the vessel during fermentation, and allowing it
to fall into any suitable receptacle placed to receive it.
That this my said Invention may be the more readily seen and understood,
I have hereunto annexed Drawings in illustration of the same; like letters
marked thereon being used to denote similar parts.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved apparatus on a scale of about,
say, three inches to the foot; and Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same,
seen applied to a barrel containing beer or other liquid in the course of
fermentation.
A is a cylindrical or other suitably shaped vessel, which has extending down
through the bottom thereof, B, a short vertical pipe, the lower end of which is
formed slightly tapered, so as to fit tightly into the bunghole, to prevent the
oscape of liquid between the outside of the pipe and the edge of the bung-

page_text: hole; C, a small vertical open-ended pipe, the lower end of which extends
nearly to the bottom of the cask, and the upper end of which extends nearly
to the bottom of the cask, and the upper end of which is formed with an
elbow, and opens out through one side of the short vertical pipe (B) into the
cylindrical vessel (A) below; D, a convex loose perforated false metal bottom;
E, a cover for closing the top of the vessel (A), and which is formed with an
opening on one side, to allow the escape of the yeast when the fermentation is
brisk into F, a discharge spout, attached to the top of the lid (E), from which
the yeast falls into G, a spout or trough for collecting the yeast and discharging
it into any suitable vessel placed to receive it; H, handle on top of the cover
(E), for convenience in removing the same; I, an angular catch attached to
the cover of the vessel, and which takes into K, an eye or loop attached to the
side of the vessel (A), for preventing the cover being lifted or floated off by
the yeast; L, the beer or other fermenting liquid; M, the barm or yeast.
The mode of using this my improved apparatus is as follows:-On the cask
or other vessel being filled with the liquor to be fermented, the lower end of
the small pipe is passed down into the cask or other vessel through the bung
hole, or other suitable opening on the top thereof, until the lower end of the
short vertical tube comes into close contact with the side of the hole, so as to
prevent the escape of liquid from the cask or other vessel between the inner
side of the hole and the outside of the taper tube, then partially fills the
cylindrical or other suitably shaped vessel with liquid similar to that in the
cask, then cover the vessel with its lid, and leave it to undergo fermentation,
during the process of which the barm or yeast rises up through the short
vertical tube into the cylindrical or other suitably shaped vessel above its
perforated false bottom, and into the porous bag, when one is used, and during
the brisker stages of fermentation passes through the hole in the lid, and
down the spout thereon into the receiver. The denser liquid which is carried
over with the barm or yeast passes through the bag (when a bag is used) and
the perforated bottom, and returns through the small vertical pipe into the
cask or other vessel, the sediment being retained in the bag. In some cases
it is preferred to fit the head of the short vertical pipe with a sliding tube, so
as to regulate the height of the discharge.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of this my said
Invention, and how I believe the same may be best carried into practical
effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine myself to the precise
details, relative proportions, or dimensions herein-before described and set
forth, as it will be readily seen the same may be considerably varied without
departing from the Invention; but what I claim is, the construction and use

page_text: of the said improved apparatus to be used in the process of fermenting malt
liquors in casks and other close vessels, substantially and in the manner and
for the purposes herein-before described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Henry Mellor, have hereunto
set my hand and affixed my seal, this Thirtieth day of August, in the 5
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
WILLIAM HENRY (L.s.) MELLOR.
Witness,
WILLIAM WALKER,
•
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.