A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS AND APPARATUS. FOR OBTAINING THE CONCENTRATED EXTRACT OF HOPS, AND FOR PRESERVING THE SAME FROM DETERIORATION
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Rideal Webb, of Hibernia Chambers,
London Bridge, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "A NEW
OR IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS AND APPARATUS. FOR OBTAINING THE
CONCENTRATED EXTRACT OF HOPS, AND FOR PRESERVING THE SAME FROM
DETERIORATION." - A communication from abroad by George Percy,
Walter Wells, Charles Brown, John Mulford, and John Maximilian
Webb, all of the City and State of New York, in the United States of
Sealed the 26th May 1865, and dated the 4th February 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Rideal Webb
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th February 1865.
I, JOSEPH RIDEAL WEBB, of Hibernia Chambers, London Bridge, in the.
County of Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR OBTAINING.
THE CONCENTRATED EXTRACT OF HOPS, AND FOR PRESERVING THE SAME FROM.
DETERIORATION," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object the preparation of a concentrated extract
of hops which possesses all the valuable properties of the hops, and which is

page_text: capable of being kept for many years in air-tight packages or vessels without
deteriorating.
The Invention consists in treating. the hops inside an air-tight vessel or
vessels, from which the air is exhausted, with steam or water heated to a low
degree, with or without the admixture of alkali or alkaline salts, and in sub-
sequently concentrating the watery extract of hops thus obtained by evaporation
in vacuo, at the same time mixing therewith a certain proportion of molasses,
saccharine matter, or the extracted liquor of grain, which serves to hold in
suspension the essential oils of the extract, thereby preserving them from
oxidation and fermentation. For this purpose the hops, having been pre-
viously moistened or not, are placed inside an air-tight receptacle having one
or more perforated trays or sieves, and the air is then exhausted from such
receptacle; if the hops have not been previously moistened, water is then
introduced into the receptacle for that purpose, after which steam is introduced
for the purpose of raising the temperature inside the vessel and creating a
pressure therein, so as the more thoroughly to exhaust the properties of the
hops, which action of the steam is maintained for two or three hours. A small
quantity of alkali or alkaline salts, not exceeding one pound of the same to
every one hundred pounds of hops, should be.mixed with the steam or water
introduced into the receptacle, for the purpose of rendering the resin of the
hops more soluble, and for neutralizing the acid of the molasses or saccharine
matter to be subsequently added. When the hops have been sufficiently acted
upon by the steam, a second air-tight receptacle, communicating with the
just described one by means of a pipe provided with a stop cock,. is. exhausted
of air, and the communication with the first receptacle being-opened, the whole
of the watery extract that has been there formed consequently passes into the
second receptacle, being caused on its way to pass through a strainer situated
in the said pipe. The communication is then closed, and the hops in the first
receptacle are again and again treated as described with water and steam until
the hops are completely exhausted of their properties. When a sufficient
quantity of the watery extract thus produced has been accumulated in the
second receptacle, it is made to pass thence as required-through a pipe into a
vacuum evaporating pan, which has previously. been coated internally with
any suitable oily or fatty substance, for the purpose of preventing, "buring,"
and also for preventing the adhesion of the resin or other substances to the
surface of the pan. A vacuum being maintained by exhaustion in this pan,
the watery extract becomes more and more concentrated by the evaporation of
the watery particles therefrom, and during such. process of evaporation a

page_text: quantity of molasses, saccharine matter, or the extracted liquor of grain, whether
malted or not, is added to the extract, in the proportion of about three gallons
of molasses, or its equivalent of saccharine matter, or extracted liquor of
grain, to every one hundred pounds of hops employed. This mixture is then
concentrated by evaporation until it attains the consistency of very thick
molasses, after which it is drawn off into vessels ready for use, storage, or
transportation.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Joseph Rideal Webb in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th June 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOSEPH
RIDEAL WEBB, of Hibernia Chambers, London Bridge, in the County of
Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto.
me, the said Joseph Rideal Webb, Her special licence that I, the said
Joseph Rideal Webb, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Joseph Rideal Webb, 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 "A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OR PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR
OBTAINING THE CONCENTRATED EXTRACT OF HOPS, AND FOR PRESERVING THE SAME
FROM DETERIORATION," (a communication to me from abroad by George Percy,
Walter Wells, Charles Brown, John Mulford, and John Maximilian Webb,
all of the City and State of New York, in the United States of America), üpon
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Rideal Webb, 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 per-
formed, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Rideal Webb, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the accompanying Drawing,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say:-..
This Invention has for its object the preparation of a concentrated extract
of hops, which possesses all the valuable properties of the hops, and which
is capable of being kept for many years in air-tight packages or vessels
without deteriorating.
The Invention consists in treating the hops inside an air-tight vessel or
vessels, from which the air is exhausted, with steam or water heated to a low
degree, with or without the admixture of alkali or alkaline salts, and in sub-
sequently concentrating the watery extract of hops thus obtained by evaporation
in vacuo, at the same time mixing therewith a certain proportion of molasses,
saccharine matter, or the extracted liquor of grain, which serves to hold in
suspension the essential oils of the extract, thereby preserving them from
oxidation and fermentation. For this purpose the hops, having been previously
moistened or not, are placed inside an air-tight receptacle having one or more
perforated trays or sieves, and the air is then exhausted from such receptacle.
If the hops have not been previously moistened, water is then introduced into
the receptacle for that purpose, after which steam is introduced for the purpose
of raising the temperature inside the vessel and creating a pressure therein,
so as the more thoroughly to exhaust the properties of the hops, which action
of the steam is maintained for two or three hours. A small quantity of alkali
or alkaline salts, not exceeding one pound of the same to every one hundred
pounds of hops, should be mixed with the steam or water introduced into the
receptacle, for the purpose of rendering the resin of the hops more soluble, and
for neutralizing the acid of the molasses or saccharine matter to be subsequently
added. When the hops have been sufficiently acted upon by the steam, a
second air-tight receptacle, communicating with the just described one by
means of a pipe provided with a stop cock, is exhausted of air, and the com-
munication with the first receptacle being opened, the whole of the watery
extract that has been there formed consequently passes into the second
receptacle, being caused on its way to pass through a strainer situated in the
said pipe. The communication is then closed, and the hops in the first recep-
tacle are again and again treated as described with water and steam until the
hops are completely exhausted of their properties. When a sufficient quantity
of the watery extract thus produced has been accumulated in the second

page_text: receptacle, it is made to pass thence as required through a pipe into a vacuum
evaporating pan, which has previously been coated internally with any suitable
oily or fatty substance, for the purpose of preventing "buring," and also for
preventing the adhesion of the resin or other substances to the surface of the
pan. A vacuum being maintained by exhaustion in this pan, the watery
extract becomes more and more concentrated by the evaporation of the watery
particles therefrom, and during such process of evaporation a quantity of
molasses, saccharine matter, or the extracted liquor of grain, whether malted
or not, is added to the extract in the proportion of about three gallons of
molasses, or its equivalent of saccharine matter, or extracted liquor of grain,
to every one hundred pounds of hops employed. This mixture is then con-
centrated by evaporation until it attains the consistency of very thick
molasses, after which it is drawn off into vessels ready for use, storage, or
transportation.
By the before described improved process it will be seen that the waste of
the volatile principles of the hop plant is prevented, the concentrated or con-
densed extract of hops being made in such a manner that the hops are not
allowed to come in contact with the air from the time they are put into the
apparatus until the process of condensation is completed; and as the wort in
the process of brewing when this condensed extract is employed need not be
heated above 90° Fahrenheit, and often not beyond 60°, there is no danger of
the volatilization of the extract at that temperature. The condensed extract
is capable of being kept for many years in air-tight vessels or packages without
deteriorating.
Figure 1 on the accompanying Drawing shews an elevation of the before
described apparatus for preparing the improved concentrated extract of hops.
The hops are introduced either in a dry or moistened state into the vessel A,
called the "percolator," through the hopper B and the opening C, which
opening is closed in an air-tight manner when the percolator is filled. Near
the bottom the percolator has a perforated diaphragm or sieve, as indicated
by the dotted line at D, and shewn at the sectional plan of this vessel at
Figure 2, and a man hole E, closed in an air-tight manner, is provided near
the sieve for removing the hops when deprived of their properties, and for
cleaning the vessel; a small arm hole F is also provided below the sieve for
cleaning that part of the vessel, but it is advisable to make such lower part
removeable for that purpose. When the percolator has been filled with hops;
the air is exhausted from the vessel through the pipe G, through which it
communicates with the receiver H, this vessel being in communication with

page_text: any suitable apparatus for exhausting the air through the pipe I; or the
percolator may be in direct communication with the exhausting apparatus.
If the hops have not been moistened previous to their introduction into the
percolator, water is then introduced through the pipe J in order to moisten
them, after which steam is introduced through the pipes K, K, for the pur-
pose of raising the temperature and creating a pressure inside the vessel, so
as to exhaust the properties of the hops more thoroughly, a small proportion
of alkali or alkaline salts being added as before stated for rendering the
resinous matter more readily soluble. After the action of the steam has been
maintained for about two or three hours, the cock in the pipe G is opened,
and the watery extract that has been formed is drawn off into the exhausted
receiver H, the sieve at D preventing the hops from passing along with the
liquor, and, if requisite, a further strainer may be placed over the opening of
the pipe G. When all the liquor has been drained off, the cock in the pipe G
is then closed, and more water and steam are introduced into the percolator A,
and the before described action is repeated until the hops are completely
exhausted, when they are removed and a fresh quantity introduced. The
steam pipe K is provided with a safety valve at L and a vacuum valve at M,
which may, however, also be placed on the percolator itself; X is a man hole
for gaining access to the interior of the receiver for cleansing purposes. As
the watery extract of the hops collects in the receiver H it is conducted
through the pipe N into the vacuum evaporating pan O; this vessel com-
municates through the pipe P with any suitable exhausting apparatus, and is
heated to a low degree by steam passing through a coil of pipes contained
therein, communicating with the pipes Q, Q, so that the extract on being
introduced into this vessel is subjected to a process of evaporation under vacuo,
whereby it becomes gradually more and more condensed or concentrated, and
in this state it is then mixed with molasses, saccharine matter, or the extracted
liquor of grain, which are introduced through the pipes R, R, and which serve
to hold the volatile essential oils of the extract in suspension, and preserve the
same from deterioration. When the extract has by this means been condensed
to the consistency of very thick molasses it is drawn off through the cock S,
cither for immediate use or into vessels T, which are then closed in an air-
tight manner, ready for storage or transportation. U is a glass gauge for
ascertaining the height of the liquor in the pan, and V is a vacuum gauge.
W is a man hole for cleaning out the pan when required.
The whole of the before described apparatus is, by preference, made of
It may, however, be of any other suitable material that will enable
copper.

page_text: a vacuum to be maintained; but such materials as, for instance, iron, upon
which alkalies would act, must not be employed. In the Drawing, the
receiver His shewn made of wood as it is not subjected to any heating
process.
Having now described the nature of this Invention, and the manner in
which it is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit
myself to the precise details of the process and apparatus, nor to the exact
form or combination of the several parts thereof, as herein-before described,
as these may be variously modified without departing from the nature of this
Invention. Thus, although it is preferred to treat the hops with steam in
the vessel A, yet this is not absolutely necessary, as water alone may be used.
Again, instead of running the extract directly from the evaporating pan O
into the vessel T, whilst in a heated state, it may be found advisable to pass it
first through a coil of pipes surrounded by cold water, or to cool it by any
other suitable known means; nor do I claim, generally, treating hops with
steam in a closed vessel, nor the application of solvents to hops inside a vessel
exhausted of air, nor the obtaining of hop extracts by means of a saccharine
solution, as I am well aware that such processes have before been described
in the Specifications to certain Letters Patent granted to Newton, No. 8848,
dated 15th February 1841, to Palin and Sievier, No. 14,327, dated 19th
October 1852, and others; but what I claim is,―
First, obtaining a concentrated extract of hops by a continuous process
under vacuo, wherein the hops are first treated with water or steam, or both,
in a vessel exhausted of air, and the watery extract thus obtained is then caused
to pass, without being exposed to the atmosphere, into a vacuum evaporating
pan, where it is evaporated down to a concentrated or condensed extract.
Second, the employment of alkalies or alkaline salts, mixed with the water
or steam, for more readily dissolving the resinous particles in obtaining the
fluid extract of hops.
Third, treating fluid extract of hops obtained by any known process in a
vacuum evaporating pan, so as to convert it into a concentrated or condensed
extract without bringing it in contact with the atmospheric air.
Fourth, coating the inner surface of the vacuum evaporating pan employed
for obtaining the concentrated extract of hops with any fatty or oily substance,
such as margarine or stearine.
Fifth, commingling with the concentrated extract of hops saccharine matter,
such as molasses or the extracted liquor of grain, whether malted or not, or
their couivalents

page_text: Sixth, the general arrangement of apparatus for obtaining the concentrated
extract of hops, herein-before described, with reference to the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Rideal Webb, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of June, in the year of 5
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
JOSEPH R. WEBB. (LS.)