IMPROVEMENTS IN BREWING
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Beanes, of Cordwalles, near Maidenhead...
in the County of Berks, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BREWING."
Sealed the 22nd December 1868, and dated the 20th July 1868..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Beanes at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
20th July 1868.
I, EDWARD BEANES, of Cordwalles, near Maidenhead, in the County of
Berks, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE.
MENTS IN BREWING," to be as follows:-
My Invention for improvements in brewing consists in the use of
sulphurous acid in the state of gas or its aqueous solution, or of sulphite
or bi-sulphite of soda, potash, or lime, or any other salt of sulphurous
acid applied to the brewing materials (malt or sugar) either before their
entrance into the mash tun during the process of mashing or before or

page_text: during the boiling of the wort with the hops, but I prefer to use the
sulphurous acid or its salt during the mashing process.
The salt of sulphurous acid which I prefer to use is an acid sulphite or
bi-sulphite of soda, containing a slight excess of acid, in such proportions
that an aqueous solution of the same will give a slightly red color to
blue litmus paper and a very pale lead color to red litmus paper, and I
use about twenty ounces of the said salt to each quarter of malt, or when
sugar is used for brewing about twenty ounces to two hundredweight
of sugar.
When I employ sulphurous acid itself instead of its salts I prefer
to allow the crushed malt to fall through an atmosphere of sulphurous
acid gas on its way to the mash tun. The brewing operations are
conducted in the usual manner.
The use of the afore-mentioned materials in the manner above
described does not prevent the proper fermentation of the wort, as the
sulphites and bi-sulphites are converted into sulphates during the
process of boiling the wort with the hops. The result is the production
of a beer which is light in color, brightens quickly, keeps well, and is
excellent in quality.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Beanes in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 20th January 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
BEANES, of Cordwalles, near Maidenhead, in the County of Berks, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the thirty-
second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Edward Beanes, Her 'special licence that
I, the said Edward Beanes, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
executors, adminis-
such others as I, the said Edward Beanes,
trators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein

page_text: 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREWING,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward Beanes, 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 Edward Beanes, 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 in writing, that is to say:-
My Invention of improvements in brewing consists in the use of
sulphurous acid in the state of gas or its aqueous solution or of acid
sulphites or bi-sulphites of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium,
ammonium, or aluminium. These chemical agents are applied to the
brewing materials, such as malt or sugar, directly or mixed with the
water added to them before their entrance into the mash tun during
the process of mashing or during the process of boiling the wort with
the hops, but I prefer to operate during the mashing and with the
aqueous solution or the salts of sulphurous acid.
I am aware that some attempts have been made heretofore to preserve
brewed liquors that have undergone the process of fermentation by
adding to them solutions of sulphurous acid or acid sulphites or bi-
sulphites, but such attempts have always been confined to applications
of the chemical agents to the liquors after the fermentation has taken
place with the view of thereby remedying the tendency of the fermented
liquors to become sour. The common experience of brewers would
have led them prior to the date of my Invention to anticipate that the
chemical agents used by me would have an injurious effect upon the
fermentation process if used at the stages proposed by me, and that the
brewed liquor would be thereby spoiled. I have however discovered that
by applying the above-mentioned chemical agents as herein described
the tendency of the brewed liquor to become sour is prevented, the
quality of the brewed liquor is greatly improved, and it keeps very

page_text: much longer than beer brewed on the old system. I prefer to use
acid sulphite of sodium, the aqueous solution of which will give a
slight red color to blue litmus paper and a very pale lead color to red
litmus paper, and I use from about sixteen to about twenty ounces of
the said salt to each quarter of malt, or when sugar is used for brewing
from about sixteen to twenty ounces of the salt to two hundred pounds
weight of sugar.
When I employ sulphurous acid itself instead of its aqueous solution
or its salts I prefer to allow the crushed malt to fall through an
atmosphere of sulphurous acid gas on its way to the mash tun.
The brewing operations are conducted in the usual way, and as above
mentioned I apply the chemical agent by preference as follows:-
When the water in the mash tun is prepared to receive the malt, and
while the latter is being delivered into the mash tun, I introduce for
every quarter of malt from sixteen to twenty ounces of the acid sulphite
of soda at the same time, so that while the mixing of the malt with
the water is going on the salt of sulphurous acid becomes incorporated
with it.
In cases where, as sometimes is the practice, the mixing of the malt
with the water or a portion of the water takes place prior to their
entrance into the mash tun I prefer to mix the salt of sulphurous acid
with the dry malt, so that it may become incorporated with the malt
when the malt and water are mixed together. Sometimes I dissolve
the salt of sulphurous acid in the water either before or after heating
the latter and before mixing the malt with it, or a portion of the salt
of sulphurous acid may be put into the water and the remainder in
the malt as above mentioned. When I introduce the salt of sulphurous
acid into the copper during the process of boiling the wort with the
hops I prefer to do so just when the wort is on the point of boiling.
The rest of the brewing operation is concluded in the usual way. The
result of the adoption of this Invention will be the production of beer
which is light in color, which brightens quickly, keeps well, and is
excellent in quality.
I claim in the process of brewing, the treating the brewing materials
with sulphurous acid or the salts of sulphurous acid herein-before
mentioned before their entrance into the mash tun during the process
of mashing or during the process of boiling the wort with the hops,

page_text: and consequently before the fermentation of the liquor has taken place,
and the production thereby of an improved quality of beer.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Beanes, have hereunto set
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of January, in the year of
my
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
BRISTOW HUNT,
Solicitor and Patent Agent,
1, Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn.
EDW. BEANES. (L.S.)