Apparatus for Brewing.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Feb., 1894..
Complete Specification Left, 24th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 29th Dec., 1894
Apparatus for Brewing.
I, Dr. CARL RACH, of 931 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, United
States of America, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to a construction of apparatus applicable to various
processes in brewing, in which the charge of material operated upon may be
subjected to both a horizontal and a vertical stirring action while at the same time
it is heated either by the direct action of steam or by the indirect action in a
stean jacket or by both combined.
For this purpose I construct the apparatus of a vertical cylindrical shell having
a domed top and bottom, the bottom being provided with a steam jacket. The
domed top is provided with a central vertical tube of large diameter opening into
the atmosphere and capable of being closed by a slide valve. It also has, passing
through a stuffing box, a pipe extending down to near the bottom, which pipe is
provided on its upper part, outside the vessel, with one or more toothed racks
with which gear pinions, so that by rotating these, the pipe can be raised or
lowered so as to bring its lower end any required distance from the bottom.
Near the bottom are a series of radial arms having their ends fixed to the sides
of the vessel and provided on their under side with a series of teeth or projections,
and immediately beneath these arms is a series of other arms having teeth on their
upper side corresponding to the spaces of the upper arms, the lower arms being
connected to a central boss carried by a vertical axis which passes through a
stuffing box in the bottom of the vessel and is rotated by a pulley or other
suitable gear so as to impart rotation to the arms carried thereby, which thus
pass closely underneath the fixed arms with their teeth passing through the spaces
of the latter. The lower arms are curved so as to follow the curvature of the
domed bottom, and the fixed arms are also curved in a corresponding manner.
In some cases the upper arms may also be made to revolve in the contrary
direction to the lower arms. At about the middle of the height of the vessel is
a horizontal shaft passing through a stuffing box in the side of the vessel and
rotated by a pulley or other suitable gear, on which shaft are fixed radial arms, so
that, on the rotation of the shaft these arms revolve vertically through the charge
while the first mentioned arms revolve horizontally through the same.
At a point just above the said two sets of horizontal arms is arranged a series
of steam nozzles projecting into the casing from a ring-shaped steam pipe
connected to a suitable steam supply, from which branch pipes also lead into the
steam jacket at bottom, these pipes being provided with suitable valves so that
the contents of the vessel can be either treated with direct steam introduced
through the nozzles or with indirect steam introduced into the steam jacket, or
with both combined. The steam jacket is provided with a drain pipe for drawing
off the condensed steam, and a discharge pipe passes through the steam jacket and
bottom of the kettle for discharging the treated contents to wherever required;
a smaller discharge pipe is also provided for discharging washing water and
the like.
At the top of the kettle are provided pipes for the introduction of malt, hot

page_text: and cold water and steam; there are also provided glazed sight holes, a pressure
gauge, a man hole and a thermometer which projects down far into the kettle.
The above described apparatus may be used as a beer making apparatus, or
mashing apparatus, a steam cooking apparatus, a pressure kettle or a sterilizer.
When it is used as a beer kettle it is charged with suitable materials and steam
is let into the steam jacket at bottom, while the slide valve of the large pipe at top
is opened so that the kettle is freely open to the atmosphere.
If the kettle is to be used as a mashing kettle, the mash is introduced into it
from a mash tub either through the before mentioned vertical adjustable pipe
passing through the top, or through a pipe leading into the bottom, or through
both. If the kettle is to be used as a steam vessel or cooker, water is introduced
through the before mentioned supply pipe at top and a proper quantity of malt is
also introduced. The stirring devices are then set in motion and the mashing
process is continued for a suitable length of time, steam being introduced both into
the steam jacket, and directly into the charge through the steam nozzles. By
this means the contents of the kettle are gradually heated both by the direct and
the indirect action of steam. During this operation the slide valve of the large
pipe at top is closed, as also the other valves except that of the steam supply,
and the pressure in the kettle is gradually raised from twenty pounds to about
thirty-five pounds, and is kept at this pressure until the whole of the mash is
thoroughly converted, whereupon it is discharged through the discharge pipe by
the steam pressure.
The use of the kettle as a pressure kettle is substantially the same as last
described except that a pressure of fifteen pounds only is used, all the valves but
the steam valve being closed as before.
When using the kettle as a sterilising apparatus, the charge may be first cooked
at atmospheric pressure by opening the large valve at top, after which the valve is
closed and the charge is cooled by the introduction of compressed filtered air
through the beforementioned pipes that served for the introduction of steam.
Dated this 24th day of February 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,
I, Dr. CARL RACH of 931 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, United
States of America, Engineer, 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 :-
My invention relates to a construction of apparatus applicable to various
processes in brewing, in which the charge of material operated upon may be
subjected to both a horizontal and a vertical stirring action while at the same time
it is heated either by the direct action of steam or by the indirect action in a
steam jacket or by both combined.
For this purpose I construct the apparatus of a vertical cylindrical shell having
a domed top and bottom, the bottom being provided with a steam jacket. The
domed top is provided with a central vertical tube of large diameter opening into
the atmosphere and capable of being closed by a slide valve. It also has, passing
through a stuffing box, a pipe extending down to near the bottom, which pipe is
provided on its upper part, outside the vessel, with one or more toothed racks
with which gear pinions, so that by rotating these, the pipe can be raised or.
lowered so as to bring its lower end any required distance from the bottom.
Near the bottom are a series of radial arms having their ends fixed to the sides of

page_text: the vessel and provided on their under side with a series of teeth or projections,
and immediately beneath these arms is a series of other arms having teeth on
their upper side corresponding to the spaces of the upper arms the lower arms
being connected to a central boss carried by a vertical axis which passes through
a stuffing box in the bottom of the vessel and is rotated by a pulley or other
suitable gear so as to impart rotation to the arms carried thereby, which thus pass
closely underneath the fixed arms with their teeth passing through the spaces of
the latter. The lower arms are curved so as to follow the curvature of the domed
bottom, and the fixed arms are also curved in a corresponding manner.
In some cases the upper arms may also be made to revolve in the contrary
direction to the lower arms. At about the middle of the height of the vessel is a
horizontal shaft passing through a stuffing box in the side of the vessel and rotated
by a pulley or other suitable gear, on which shaft are fixed radial arms so that,
on the rotation of the shaft these arms revolve vertically through the charge while
the first mentioned arins revolve horizontally through the same.
At a point just above the said two sets of horizontal arms is arranged a series of
steam nozzles projecting into the casing from a ring-shaped steam pipe connected
to a suitable steam supply, from which branch pipes also lead into the steam
jacket at bottom, these pipes being provided with suitable valves so that the
contents of the vessel can be either treated with direct steam introduced through
the nozzles or with indirect steam introduced into the steam jacket, or with both
combined.
The steam jacket is provided with a drain pipe for drawing off the condensed
steam, and a discharge pipe passes through the steam jacket and bottom of the
kettle for discharging the treated contents to wherever required, a smaller
discharge pipe is also provided for discharging washing water and the like.
At the top of the kettle are provided pipes for the introduction of malt, hot and
cold water and steam; there are also provided glazed sight holes, a pressure gauge,
a mau hole and a thermometer which projects down far into the kettle.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a vertical section of the above
described improved apparatus for brewing.
Figure 2 shews a plan, and Figure 3 a cross section.
The apparatus consists of a cylindrical shell A having a domed top and
bottom B, C, the latter being provided with a steam jacket D. Centrally on the
top is a tube E of large diameter opening at its upper end into the atmosphere
and capable of being closed by a slide valve F. G is a pipe passing down through
a stuffing box in the top B and extending to near the bottom of the vessel; it can
be adjusted up or down so as to bring the lower end as near to the horizontal
stirrers as may be desired, and it is provided for this purpose externally with two
toothed racks at G¹, with which gear pinions H carried by a framing 1, and
rotated by any suitable means, whereby the pipe G will be raised or lowered.
The upper end is connected by a telescopic joint G³ to a pipe G³ communicating
with a mash tub U. Thus by means of this pipe G, a charge may either be
introduced by gravity from the mash tub into the vessel A, or by the pressure
existing in the vessel A a charge or a portion thereof may be forced up through
the pipe G into the mash tub to an extent determined by the level to which the
lower orifice of the pipe has been adjusted. Within the jacketted bottom C of the
vessel are horizontal revolving stirrers K curved to follow the curvature of
the bottom and mounted on a vertical shaft K' passing up through a stuffing box
in the jacketted bottom and rotated by means of a belt and pulley L, or by other
suitable gear. The upper surfaces of the stirrers are serrated, and above them is
a frame M consisting of radial bars fixed to the sides of the vessel, which bars are
curved to correspond with the stirrers K and have their under sides formed with
projections corresponding to the recesses in the stirrers, so that as these rotate
their projections or teeth pass through the spaces in the bars M. These bars M
might also be mounted on a shaft and made to revolve in the contrary direction to
that of the arms K or the latter might be stationary and the arms M alone be

page_text: made to rotate.
Whichever arrangement be employed, it will be seen that a very
effectual stirring action of the liquid in which the arms are immersed will be
effected thereby.
O is a horizontal shaft, passing through stuffing boxes on each side of the
vessel A and receiving rotary motion by means of a belt and pulley or other
suitable gear, which shaft carries radial stirring arms O' that are made to revolve
in a vertical direction through the upper part of the liquid charge of the vessel
and thus, ensure in conjunction with the stirrers K a very effectual stirring up of
the whole charge of liquid in the vessel.
P is a malt inlet pipe, P' is a hot or cold water inlet pipe, P' are glass sight
holes. P is a steam or compressed air inlet pipe connected firstly with a pipe P
leading into the top of the vessel and provided with a safety valve at P³, secondly
with a pipe P' communicating with the steam jacket D, and thirdly with an
annular pipe P' extending round the vessel A. and provided with nozzles P8 passing
through the sides thereof so that steam can be admitted through them into the
charge. Po is a sparging pipe, communicating with a water supply pipe.
Ou the pipe P' is a branch air pressure pipe P. Qis a discharge pipe passing up
through the steam jacket to the inside of the vessel and adapted to discharge waste
water and the like, and R is a pipe similarly opening into the vessel and provided with
a valve R¹, connected with a lever R³, rod R³ and handle R whereby the said
discharge valve may be opened or closed. S is a steam outlet pipe opening into
the steam jacket. S' is a safety plug in the steam jacket. By this means steam
may be let into or discharged from the jacket, which is protected against
excessive pressure by the safety plug. T is a pressure gauge, T' is a manhole,
T3 Fig. 2 is a thermometer projecting far into the vessel. U₁ is a pipe leading
from the discharge valve to the mash tub or hop jack U.
All the above described pipes are provided with suitable shut off valves.
The several parts of the vessel A may be variously modified according to the
particular purpose to which the apparatus is to be applied. The above described
apparatus may be used as a beer making apparatus or mashing apparatus, a steam
cooking apparatus or a sterilizer.
When it is to be used as a beer kettle, the valve F is opened, steam is let into
the steam jacket and the kettle being filled with a charge of suitable materials,
these are heated by the steam jacket to the requisite .degree while the kettle is
open to the atmosphere through the tube E.
If the apparatus is to be used as a mashing kettle, the mash is brought into
the kettle from the mash tub through the pipe Ü', or it may be introduced through
the pipe G. If the kettle is to be used as a cooker, a suitable quantity of water is
supplied to it by the water pipe at P₁. A proper quantity of malt is also poured
in through the pipe at P.
One or both of the stirring devices are then put in action, and the mashing
process is continued a suitable time, steam being admitted to the steam jacket and
also directly into the charge through the nozzles, so as to heat the charge both
directly and indirectly by the steam. When the mash is in its proper condition,
as for example boiling, all the valves are closed except that on pipe P' which is
opened slightly so as to cause the pressure in the kettle to be raised from twenty
to thirty-five pounds, and it is kept at this pressure by the application of heat
until the whole mash is thoroughly converted. The contents of the kettle are
then discharged into the mash tub by opening the valve on the pipe U³, when the
charge will be forced out by the pressure in the kettle.
The use of the apparatus as a pressure kettle is substantially the same as last
above described except that a pressure of about fifteen pounds is used.
When used as a sterilizing apparatus the charge may be first cooked at
atmospheric pressure by opening the valve F, and then by closing this valve, at any
desired higher pressure.
The charge is then cooled off by means of compressed filtered air admitted into
the kettle through the pipes P P and nozzles P

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In apparatus for brewing, the combination of a vessel A having a domed top
and bottom with a large sized tube E at the upper end with valve F for the
purpose of enabling the contents of the vessel to be heated either at atmospheric
pressure or at any higher pressure, substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for brewing the combination with a vessel A having a domed
top and bottom, of a large sized tube E at top with valve F, and a vertically
adjustable charging and discharge pipe G operated by gear outside the vessel for
the purpose of bringing its orifice to any desired level in the vessel A, substantially
as described.
'
3. In apparatus for brewing, the combination with a vessel A having a domed
top and bottom of a large sized tube E at top with valve F, a vertically adjustable
charging pipe, and horizontal and vertical stirring apparatus, substantially as
described.
4. In apparatus for brewing, the combination with a vessel A. having a domed
top and bottom, of a large tube E at top with valve F, a vertically adjustable
charging pipe, horizontal and vertical stirring apparatus, a steam jacket at bottom
for heating indirectly with steam and steam nozzles round the sides for heating
with direct steam, substantially as described.
5. Apparatus for brewing combined and operating substantially as herein
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 24th day of November 1894.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.