Process and Apparatus for Impregnating Beer with Carbonic Acid.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 31st May, 1892-Accepted, 2nd July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Process and Apparatus for Impregnating Beer with Carbonic
Acid.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of 23 Southampton Buildings, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion, (a communication to me from "The Universal Carbonating Company," a
Corporation organized under the laws of the State of New Jersey, and doing business
at Freeman Street, Newark, Essex County, in the State of New Jersey in the
United States of America,) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
Beer as heretofore prepared, passes through a first fermentation in open
vessels; it is then drawn off from the yeast into larger casks (ruh casks) nearly
closed, where it remains for a longer time and is then generally called ruh-
beer. This ruh-beer is then pumped into shaving casks and mixed with young
beer (kraeusen), whereby fermentation is again started, the cask at first
remaining open. Towards the end of this secondary fermentation, or, as it is
called, the "kraeusen stage," when the beer is clear, the cask is bunged up
tight for a few days to confine the carbonic acid in the beer. Within the last
few years the saturation of the beer with carbonic acid during the kraeusen
stage has been assisted and controlled by the introduction of carbonic acid.
By adding kraeusen to ruh-beer and passing it through a second fermentation,
the beer must naturally to a certain degree have the properties of new beer.
The object of my invention is to dispense altogether with the addition of kraeusen
and with the final fermentation, so as to produce a superior quality of beer, and
for this purpose I introduce carbonic acid into the ruh beer in a closed cask,
establishing at the same time circulation of the beer so as to completely saturate
every part of it to the desired degree.
In carrying out my process I use by preference apparatus such as shown in the
annexed drawings, in which
Figure 1 represents a front view of a ruh-cask with means for establishing circula-
tion and for supplying carbonic acid.
Figure 2 represents a partial longitudinal section of a ruh-cask and modified
means for establishing circulation and for supplying carbonic acid.
Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.
Referring now to Figure 1, A represents a ruh-cask, or any cask containing ruh-
beer to be treated. a is one of the heads of the cask.
Into proper holes near the bottom and top of the head a, angle valves b and c are
screwed or otherwise attached, so as to establish communication with the inside of
the cask.
D is a pump of any suitable construction, the inlet of which is connected by a
hose B with the lower angle valve b, while the discharge is connected by a hose C
with the upper angle valve c, so that circulation may be established in the direction
of the arrows and through the cask.
E is a carbonic acid cylinder, i a reducing valve, from which a small pipe d leads
to a nozzle which passes into the elbow e, so that carbonic acid may be discharged
from the cylinder E through reducing valve i into the hose. The cylinder E may
be placed in a vessel containing tepid water.
A safety valvef is placed on the top of the barrel, and a gauge g serves to show
the pressure in the cask.
When it is desired to prepare beer for the market, the proper connections just
described are made; the cask pump and hose are completely filled with beer, the

page_text: bung-hole closed, the circulating pump set in motion, and carbonic acid admitted
into the elbow e.
In two hours or less the beer is generally completely saturated with carbonic
acid, and the gauge indicates from 10 to 12 pounds pressure. The valves b and c
are now closed and the beer allowed to rest for a few days before it is drawn off
into kegs, either directly, or by first passing it through a filter.
The fermentation of the beer should be so regulated as not to consume all the
sugar, and in some cases, to make the beer more palatable, I add fresh unfermented
wort, or other equivalent extracts, to the ruh-beer before saturating it with carbonic
acid, and sometimes I also add antiseptics and also suitable flavor.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 1, the carbonic acid is taken from the top of
the cylinder E. I have found however that even better results are obtained by
reversing the position of the cylinder E and taking the acid from the bottom (as
shown in Figure 2), whereby more or less liquid carbonic acid is supplied to the
circulating beer, causing a more rapid absorption of the carbonic acid.
For one barrel of beer I use about a quarter pound of carbonic acid, and some-
times I add about 10 per cent. of fresh wort or its equivalent.
In Figure 2 I have shown an arrangement for producing circulation by means of
a carbonic acid jet without the use of a separate pump. In this figure A indicates the
cask, a the front end of the same, a pipe connecting with the interior of the cask
near the top and bottom and provided with stop valves b¹ and c'; E is the carbonic
acid cylinder, placed with the discharge opening down, d a pipe leading from the
cylinder E to the needle valve V, through which carbonic acid from the bottom of
the cylinder is injected into the pipe h in an upward direction, thereby establishing
circulation from the bottom of the cask through the pipe h to the top of the cask,
back to the bottom, and so on.
While I prefer to use liquid or gaseous carbonic acid from the cylinders E,
gaseous carbonic acid under pressure from any other suitable source may be used.
I do not confine myself to any specific construction of the apparatus for carrying
out my process, nor to any specific direction of the circulation of the beer within
the cask.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. The within described method of preparing ruh-beer for the market, which
consists in confining the beer in a closed cask filled substantially to its capacity,
causing repeated external circulation of the contents of the cask from and to the
cask, and injecting carbonic acid into the external current, substantially as
described.
2. In an apparatus for preparing ruh-beer for the market, a closed vessel A for
containing the beer, a pump D, connecting hose B and C, and pipe d for introducing
carbonic acid from any suitable source into the current, substantially as shown and
described.
Dated this ist day of May 1994.
B. J. B. MILLS,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.