Improvements in Malt-mashing Apparatus.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 27th May, 1892-Accepted, 2nd July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Malt-mashing Apparatus.
I, FREDERICK JOHN MONEY of 29 East Road, Hoxton, in the County of
Middlesex, Doctor of Medicine do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
It is well understood to be almost an impossibility, with present appliances, to
extract the whole starch-value from the malt used in brewing, distilling, vinegar
making, &c. The grains have been crushed more or less completely, but it has not
hitherto been found feasible to work them in the mash-tun when reduced to absolute
flour. I effect this without any difficulty by constructing the mashing vessel in
such a form that it can itself be revolved vertically on horizontal supports, thus
rendering the use of internal contrivances for mixing and stirring up the. "goods'
unnecessary, and thus saving a great expense in prime cost of apparatus, as well as
constant labour in keeping it clean, while affording the greatest facilities for
regulating the mashing heat, and extracting the utmost value from the malt.
"
My machine consists of a hollow drum of copper, galvanized iron or other suitable
metal or material, smooth internally,, which is made to revolve vertically on
horizontal supports, so that by simply turning it round, its contents may be
thoroughly incorporated, and any portion of its circumference may be, if desired,
exposed to the action of fire. The trunnions on which it revolves are tubular,
affording exit to any steam so generated: or, in another arrangement, they may
give passage to pipes capable of being used as steam-heaters or water-coolers at
will, by means of an attemperating coil within the drum.
In the case of small domestic appliances, a gas-ring will give all the regulation
of temperature required: but the machine is equally capable of being constructed
on the largest scale, where steam-heating will be found most convenient. In one
side of the drum is an opening fitted with a water-tight cover for putting in the
solid materials to be operated on, while the water can be introduced through the
hollow trunnion."
In the process of mashing, the finer the flour the more rapid the operation. My
machine will mash any quantity of malt in an hour or less, leaving no trace of
starch in the grains: while the sediment formed by the coagulation of the
albuminous matters is so completely permeable, that the second liquor runs through
it like a filter, completely removing the sugar so formed.
Dated this 29th dev⋅of Anoust 1891.
FREDK. J. MONEY.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Malt-mashing Apparatus.
I, FREDERICK JOIN MONEY of 29 East Road, Hoxton; in the County of
Middlesex, Doctor of Medicine, 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:-
-
In the process of mashing, the object to be attained is to change the starch.
contained in the malt into dextrine (gum) and sugar under the influence of its
diastase.
This conversion is feeble at low degrees of temperature, and results in prodüsing
more gum and less sugar, while the reverse obtains at higher degrees. Brewers
regulate their temperatures in this respect according to the kind of beer required:

page_text: but all alike desire to get the whole starch value out of their malt. This they
cannot do with present appliances. A certain large proportion of the starch is left
behind, insoluble at any temperature short of what would kill the diastase.
Unchanged starch would render their beer permanently cloudy: so the process is
arrested short of this point, and a considerable loss is the result, the whole of the
sugar forming substance not being converted. My invention, it is claimed, solves
this difficulty by exposing every portion of the malt-starch to the action of the
dinstase at low temperatures. Instead of merely crushing the malt, as usual at
present, I reduce it to absolute flour. My machine is a hollow drum of metal,
smooth internally, which is made to revolve vertically on horizontal supports. Its
contents are thoroughly incorporated by simply turning it round, so that all internal
mixing machinery is dispensed with, and the malt-flour and water are at once
brought to the consistence of gruel. By means of external or internal heat, as may
be most convenient, this gruel can be kept hot while undergoing constant and
thorough agitation. The supporting trunnions of the drum are tubular, and give
exit to steam, as well as ingress to liquids. They may also give passage to pipes
leading to and from an attemperating coil which enables me either to heat the
contents by steam or to cool them by cold water. The opening for the admission
of solid materials to be operated on and for the removal of refuse (A) is on one
side of the drum, and is closed by a water tight cover.
Near the circumference is
a cock (B) for drawing off the worts: this being covered by a false bottom inside,
to keep back the draft. At a convenient spot on one side of the drum is affixed a
thermometer (C) with a bent tube, the bulb of which, properly guarded, is made
to pass through a hole in the metal, and to project into the interior, while the scale
is visible outside. By these means I am enabled to observe and regulate the
temperature of the contents to a nicety. Not a single grain of the malt flour can
escape this searching process of conversion.
In using the above described apparatus, the first step is to introduce sufficient
water for the first mash, and to heat it to such a point that when the cold malt flour
is put in, the temperature of the mixture shall be that which may be considered
suitable for the mashing desired. The next step is to put in the goods, and to.
rotate the drum, backwards & forwards preferably, so as to thoroughly incorporate
the contents and bring them to the consistence of gruel. This movement is kept
up, heat being steadily maintained the while, till sufficient time has been given for
eutire conversion of the starch. The contents are then allowed to settle for a time;
after which the cock is opened, and the worts drawn off. The solid residue or
draff remains in the form of a thick mud on the surface of the false bottom, which
is covered with some suitable material to form a strainer. The sediment, which is
still saturated with valuable saccharine matters, is on no account disturbed, but the
contained liquid is removed by displacement (or percolation). For this purpose a
quantity of water is allowed to run over the surface of the sediment, and to cover
it to a considerable depth. The weight of this water forces all the worts out of
the draff, the water taking its place. This process of filtration may be accelerated
by the pressure of steam or compressed air pumped in above, if the drum be made
strong enough, and all openings closed or the space under the false bottom may
be connected with an exhausted receiver, by which means the pressure of the
atmosphere is brought to bear on the surface of the liquid in the drum, and
percolation is hastened. In either case the specific gravity of the filtered liquid is
constantly watched, and the saccharometer indicates the moment for stopping the
operation. The refuse will be found entirely free from starch, and with hardly a
trace of sugar.
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
First. A drum, with watertight cover, hung on horizontal arms or trunnions, and

page_text: rotation: thus forming a vertically revolving mash tun for mashing malt, sub-
stantially as above described.
Secondly. The process of using the said drum for mashing malt, substantially as
above described.
FREDK. J. MONEY.