A NEW AND GREAT IMPROVEMENT IN THE BREWING OF ALE, BEER, PORTER, AND OTHER MALT LIQUORS, WHEREBY A VERY GREAT SAVING IS MADE IN THE CONSUMPTION OF HOPS, AND LIQUOR IS PRODUCED OF SUPERIOR FLAVOR AND QUALITY, LESS SUBJECT TO BECOME ACID OR PUTRID, AND MORE FIT FOR EXPORTATION TO WARM CLIMATES THAN ANY MALT LIQUOR HITHERTO MADE
Year: 1788

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
KERR, of Kerfield, in the County of Tweedale, in that part of Great Britain
called Scotland, send greeting.
WHEREAS I, the said William Ker, did by my petition humbly represent
unto His Majesty that I had with much labour and study discovered and
invented "A NEW AND GREAT IMPROVEMENT IN THE BREWING OF ALE, BEER,
PORTER, AND OTHER MALT LIQUORS, WHEREBY A VERY GREAT SAVING IS MADE IN THE
CONSUMPTION OF HOPS, AND LIQUOR IS PRODUCED OF SUPERIOR FLAVOR AND QUALITY,
LESS SUBJECT TO BECOME ACID OR PUTRID, AND MORE FIT FOR EXPORTATION TO WARM
CLIMATES THAN ANY MALT LIQUOR HITHERTO MADE;" that I was the first and true
Inventor thereof, and the same hath not been practised by any other person or
persons, to the best of my knowledge and belief; I therefore most humbly
prayed His Majesty that he would be graciously pleased to grant to me, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, His Majesty's Royal Letters Patent
under the Great Seal of Great Britain for the sole benefit and advantage of my
said Invention, within England, and His Dominion of Wales, and Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, for the term of fourteen years, pursuant to the Statute
in that case made and provided; and whereas by the said Letters Patent under
the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date the Fourth day of March, in the
twenty-eighth year of the reign of His said Majesty, after reciting the petition,
and also reciting that His Majesty, being willing to give encouragement to all
acts and inventions which might be for the public good, was graciously pleased.
to condescend to.my request; His Majesty, of His especial grace, certain know-

page_text: ledge, and meer motion, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said William Kerr, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, that I, the said William Ker, my executors, admors, and assigns,
and every of them, by myself and themselves, or by and their deputy or
deputies, servants or agents, or such others as I, the said William Ker, 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 of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend
my said Invention within that part of His Majesty's Kingdom of called
England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and
Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to me, the said William
Ker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or any of them, should at my
or their discretion seem meet, and that I, the said William Ker, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should and lawfully might have and enjoy the
whole benefit, commodity, and advantage from time to time coming, growing,
accruing, and arising by reason of my said Invention, and during the term of
years therein mentioned, to have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence,
powers, privileges, and advantages therein granted or mentioned to be granted
unto me, the said William Ker, my executors, administrators, and assigns, for
and during and to the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the
said Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be complete
and ended, according to the Statute in such case made and provided; in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, that if I, the said William Ker,
should not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within one calendar month next and immediately
after the date of His Majesty's Letters Patent, that then His Majesty's said
Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby granted,
should utterly cease, determine, and become void, anything therein-before
contained to the contrary thereof in any ways notwithstanding.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Ker, in compliance with the
said proviso, do hereby declare the nature and design of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, in manner following, that is
to say :-
The steam which arises from the boiling copper, or any other vessel employed
for the purpose, and which steam is strongly impregnated with the essential
oil with which the flavour of hops consists, instead of being allowed to escape
anil evaporate, as is done in the present mode of brewing, is preserved and con-

page_text: densed; the oil and water together are returned back into the worts when
boiled, or the oil after being separated from the water along with which
it had been exhaled, is returned back into the worts after they are boiled,
and the watery part which after the oil is separated still continues impregnated
with the aromatic taste and bitter of the hop is returned into the next copper
or boiling vessel, and so on from one copper or vessel into another, by which
process a considerable part of the hop and flavour which is lost in the ordinary
mode of brewing is preserved; the flavour of the liquor is improved by the
preservation of the finer parts of the aromatic oil, and the ale and beer is
thereby better secured from any tendency to acidity or putrefaction, and there-
fore must be better for home consumption and exportation. However, neither
the principle nor the execution of this Invention depends on the particular way
way or means by which the steam is condensed, and the essential oil is pre-
served, which may be effected either in a still or in any copper or boiler of any
kind having a winding pipe, similar or the same as a worm to a still, or a
straight pipe laid in cold water, or carried through any cooling body or medium,
and, in short, any of the various ways in which steam evaporating from a boiling
vessel may be condensed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Ker, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, the Second day of April, in the twenty-eighth year of the
reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third, by the grace of God, of
Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, and
so forth, and in the year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Third day of April, in the year
above mentioned, the said Robert Gardiner came into the Court of our
Sovereign Lord the King in Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and every matter and thing therein contained and specified, and that
the same was duly stampt according to the tenor of the Statute in that case
made and provided.
Inrolled this Third day of April, in the year last above mentioned.