A New or Improved Process for Preventing and Arresting the Development of Acids during the Process of Malting Barley or other Malted Cereals such as Rye, Oats, or Wheat, and the Storage of the same after having been Malted, and in the Infusion. whilst Macerating or Infusing Malted Barley, for the Manu- facture of Concentrated Extract of Malt, or for Ale Brewing Purposes, or for the Manufacture of Malt Vinegar.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 30th Aug., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Process for Preventing and Arresting the
Development of Acids during the Process of Malting Barley or
other Malted Cereals such as Rye, Oats, or Wheat, and the
Storage of the same after having been Malted, and in the Infusion.
whilst Macerating or Infusing Malted Barley, for the Manu-
facture of Concentrated Extract of Malt, or for Ale Brewing
Purposes, or for the Manufacture of Malt Vinegar.
I, WILLIAM PATERSON of Phoenix Works, Maryhill, Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Manufacturing Chemist, 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 :-
This invention relates to a new or improved process for preventing and arresting
the development of acids during the process of malting barley or other malted
cereals such as rye, oats or wheat and the storage of the same after having been
malted, and in the infusion whilst macerating or infusing malted barley, for the
manufacture of concentrated extract of malt, or for ale brewing purposes, or for the
manufacture of malt vinegar.
For special purposes, such as for pure extract of malt and for brewing ale or other
purposes, but more particularly in the case of extract of malt, it is essential to
prepare an extract of malt free from lactic and other acids found in the raw malt
and those formed during the first process of manufacture namely, the infusion or
maceration of the ground malt with the hot water during the progress of mashing,
the wort will be found to be gradually getting more and more acid until it reaches
the termination of the operation, when the worts will be found to be very acid, the
moment the liquid is touched with litmus paper the acidity of the wort will at once
be apparent.
It is unfortunato that the presence of those acids which can only be looked upon
as natural to the malt and its solution, is so detrimental to the usefulness and value
of the extract of malt as a reducing and a converting agent, as all acid and acid
bodies when mixed or present in extract of malt not only retard but will ultimately.
destroy completely the valuable properties of the albuminoids and diastase which are
thus unable to cause any insoluble starchy material either in the stomack or other-
wise to be reduced or converted into a semidigested or soluble state. For the special
purpose of manufacturing a solution of malt, either for extract of malt or for brewing
or other purposes, not only in the pure state but also as free from acid properties as
possible. I select the finest and freshest barley to be got, or other cereals such as
rye, oats or wheat but barley is preferably used, as only barley of the soundest and
purest description is fit to be or should be used for this purpose, if home barley and
according to its condition after being harvested (its condition for malting purposes
can only be judged after long practical experience or by a good practical malster)
it may require to be sweated on the kiln at a temperature of about 1056
to 110° Fahrenheit in the usual way as already practised; if foreign barley after
having been thoroughly cleaned and otherwise in good condition, steep in the usual
manner and for the usual time according to the nature and condition of the barley
under treatment. I take great care to render the water to be used for steeping
he barley alkaline, with any alkaline salt such as the bicarbonate or carbonate of.
oda, potash or lime, about 30 grains per gallon or a sufficient quantity to render :
he water alkaline or neutral preferably the carbonate of lime in a fine state of
livision, and to retain the steep and each successive steep water in the alkaline or
eutral state during and until the barley is fit for the couch when the barley is in
growing state on the floor, if necessary it is to be watered also with water treated:
•

page_text: as already described. After the barley is full grown and ready for the kiln it is to
be treated on the kiln in the usual and well known way for drying and curing the
green malt, when finished and already cleaned preparatory to storage, I place the
finished mult into small iron or any otlier tanks previously filled with carbon-dioxide
generated in the usual and well known manner. "The tanks are about six feet square
or any convenient size fitted with a manhole door, as already practised in the case of
a steam boiler, which when screwed up will convert the store tank into an air tight
bin. This is a great improvement of the older method of storing malt which is
usually placed in wooden bins covered with boards allowing the air freely to come in
' contact with the stored malt which consequently causes or allows the malt to
gradually absorb the oxygen of the atmosphere, thereby generating acid bodies so
destructive to the valuable properties contained in a true extract of malt.
After
I take any convenient quantity of the special malted barley or any other malted
cereal, preferably malted barley and crush or grind in the usual manner but instead
of mashing them in a mash tun of the usual open kind I infuse the malt and
water in a completely closed vessel or mash tun made preferably with copper and
fitted with agitating gearing of the usual description and fitted with an air tight
manhole door in the usual and well known manner as for standing either vacuum
or pressure for the purpose of completely excluding the diseased germ loaded
atmosphere, and, also for the purpose of being able to draw off all the atmosphere
lodging between the top of the worts and the top of the vessel or mash tun.
the air has all been drawn off in the usual and well known way with the aid of a
vacuum pump, heat is to be applied in the usual way as in all cases of this process
and for purposes already mentioned the agitating gearing is set in motion and
continued until the end of the operation. I do not intend that the vacuum pump
should be kept running all the time of the mashing process. After all the foul
germ, loaded air is drawn off, pure carbon dioxide can be allowed to take the place
of the amosphere with the best results. possible to get, as the solution of malt will be
found, almost free from useless and deleterious acids. Of course it could be said
that the carbon dioxide could be allowed to flow into the closed mash tun and
displace the foul atmosphere owing to its heavier specific gravity, but the drawing
it off with the vacuum pumps is the most reliable and the best to get rid of the
oxidizing nature of the atmosphere, and as I have already said replacing it under the
preserving, influence of pure carbon dioxide. When the process of maceration has
been completed, in the usual manner as for extract of malt or for browing or for other
purposes, the solution of malt whilst still under agitation in the air tight mash tun is
to be neutralized with any of the above named alkaline salts, preferably with a
saturated solution of bicarbonate or carbonate of soda, to be injected into the air-tight
mash, tun through a cup valve in the usual manner, so as not to allow any air to get
access, into the contents of the air-tight mash tun. The solution of malt is to be
tested in the ordinary way from time to time for free acid, and for that purpose a
small quantity of it is to be drawn from the air-tight mash tun by a stop tap and not
to be returned. When found to be. neutral, and also for the special purpose of
excluding the air from the solution of malt, it is to be drawn off with the aid of a
force pump of the usual style,, the size of the pump to be in keeping with the
proportions of the other plant or apparatus of the manufactory, but more particularly
must it be in proportion with the: filtering press, which is also to be in keeping
with the size of the mash tun, thus a combined force pump and filter press with
plates 24" x 24" would suit a mash tun about 11' diameter x 7" deep.
The solution of malt is to be forced through a filter press of the best make fitted up
with good and substantially, filtering cloths also of the closest and finest description
for the prevention and keeping back all insoluble and husky matter which is always
suspended, in. the running solution of malt which is at once to be drawn into the
vacuum pan without at. all, having been exposed or come in contact with the oxygen
of the atmosphere; this is accomplished by the force pump having drawn the-solution
of malt from the air-tight mashi tun through. pipes and valves connected with the
pump and mash tun in the usual and well known manner, into and through the filter

page_text: As
press, and from thence, as already stated, through pipes and valves connected with the
press and vacuum pan for drawing the solution of malt into the vacuum pan.
the solution of malt is being pumped from the air tight mash tun its place is filled
with carbon dioxide in the usual and well known manner, great care being necessary
to have it again blown out with the aid of a 4" discharge blowing fan driven in the
usual before and during the time that the workman enters for the purpose of
discharging the spent grains or draff. In the pan it is there boiled down at a
temperature of 118° Fahr. or 121° Fahr. until the desired consistency has been
attained or until the resulting neutral extract of malt is evaporated into a solid or
semi-solid state.
way,
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is-
First. The use of carbonate of lime in the water for steeping barley and watering
the growing malt, substantially in the manner as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
Second. The use of hermetically closed iron or other tanks for storing the finished
malt or other malted cereals, substantially in the manner as hereinbefore described.
Third. The use of carbon dioxide in the storage tanks for the preservation of the
finished malt, or other malted cereals, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Fourth. The infusion or maceration of the ground malt or other cereal with the
water, at first under a partial vacuum, or under an atmosphere of carbon dioxide,
substantially as and for the purposes herein before described.
Fifth. The neutralization of all'acid bodies of the infusion of malt before concen-
tration or for fermentation, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore
described.
Dinted this 24th dow
1
JOHNSONS,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Applicant's Agents.