IMPROVE- MENTS IN BREWING AND DISTILLING, ALSO IN DRYING YEAST, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED
Year: 1865

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Patrick Robertson at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 4th August
1865.
I, PATRICK ROBERTSON, of Jeffrey Square, St. Mary Axe, in the City of
London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN BREWING AND DISTILLING, ALSO IN DRYING YEAST, AND IN THE APPARATUS
EMPLOYED," to be as follows '_
This Invention has for its object improvements in brewing and distilling
also in drying yeast, and in the apparatus employed. For these purposes in
place of producing wort or wash in the ordinary manner a close vessel is
employed into which the bruised malt or grain is placed, and into which water
at the temperature of about 165° of Fahrenheit is forced by having the supply
of water from an elevated position. The bruised malt is placed between
perforated plates situated near the top and bottom of the vessel, and there is
a close lid at the top; a supply pipe and outlet pipe are applied to the vessel;
there is an outlet and stop cock at the upper part of the vessel to allow of
the an being driven out of the vessel after the malt has been introduced and
during the admission of the wate The vessel having been filled with water,
the further supply is to be shut off for a time till the wort or wash be produced,
when water of a higher temperature is again allowed to flow into the vessel

page_text: by which the wort or wash previously produced therein will be driven out
through the outlet pipe into another vessel, and the water is to be allowed
to flow into the vessel and through and amongst the bruised malt or grain
till the water comes off free or nearly so from any extract of malt or grain; or
I mash the malt in any of the ordinary ways, and when the wort or wash is
produced I fix the perforated cover and lid at top of vessel and introduce
the water at the higher temperature below, which forces off the wort or wash
produced into another vessel along with any further extract which is obtained
The products thus obtained may be mixed more or less or kept separate
according to the strengths of wort or wash desired to be obtained. By these
means the malt or grain will be more thoroughly and readily treated than
when wort or wash is produced therefrom in the ordinary manner, whilst the
cost of labour will be considerably reduced. The wort or wash thus obtained
will then be boiled or treated in the ordinary manner according as it is
intended for brewing, or vinegar-making, or for distilling. In order to covi
worts or wash, I use a centrifugal apparatus, the revolving drum of which is
lined with cloth or porous material, through which water mixed with air in
the shape of spray is thrown off against tubes or passages or hollow channels,
through which wort or wash is allowed or caused to flow. In order to
evaporate worts to concentrate them before boiling I arrange a set of pipes
in a chamber through which a current of air is caused to pass. Steam is
admitted to and made to circulate through the pipes, and the wort to be
concentrated is made to fall in a shower on to the pipes and it drips from pipe
to pipe, and in so doing rapidly concentrates; there is a trough underneath
the pipes to collect the concentrated wort. In order to dry yeast and thereby
preserve it after the ale or beer has been separated therefrom, I place it on
perforated trays or surfaces in a vessel or chamber from which the air is
continually exhausted, and I apply during the process a moderate heat, or 1
keep up a vacuum in the vessel with or without heat, and condense the
moisture on the sides of the vessel by applying water to the outside; or I
place in the vessel calcined sulphate of lime to absorb the moisture.