Improvements in the Manufacture of Sirup and Beer from Maize or Indian Corn and Malt.
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Sirup and Beer from Maize
or Indian Corn and Malt.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine Lake; & Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my 'invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SIRUP AND BEER
FROM MAIZE OR INDIAN CORN AND MALT to be as follows:-
"
The principal object of my.invention is to provide a quick, certain, and cheap
method of separating all of the insoluble matter in malt and maize inash from that
portion which is valuable in making beer and sirup, a result heretofore impracticable,
when a large proportion of maize has been used.
1
The leading features of my process are:-(1) The new and superior manuer in
which the starch of the maize is prepared for conversion so that a perfect conversion
is effected, with only a small quantity of malt. (2) The comparatively smali
quantity of fine insoluble matter in the mash, because of the use of granulated
maize with granulated malt or malt wort instead of ground meal and ground malt
to make the conversion. (3) The more expeditious safe and easy way of separating
the wort from the fine insoluble matter after conversion by means of the use of
gelatine and gas as hereinafter more particularly described; instead of by means
of the slow and unsatisfactory method of draining through a perforated false bottom
or by the costly and imperfect filtration under pressure.
In brief the process, may be described as follows:
Running water, sufficient to thoroughly saturate the maize, into the ordinary
cooking and cooling vessel, raising the temperature of the water to about
150° Fahrenheit by, the injection of steam through pipes, stirring the water while
the meal is run into it as fast as it will mix; (granulated meal and malt being
preferred to that ground by mill stones or smooth rollers in the usual way, because
of the greater uniformity of the particles, which aids the liquefaction of the starch
and the separation of the coarse insoluble, matter); after mixing the meal and
water, raising the temperature nearly to the point where the albumenoids begin
to coagulate (156° F.) say to 150° to 155° F; keeping the meal at this temperature
until it is thoroughly soaked; then adding to the meal from two to four per cent,
by weight, of finely ground or granulated malt, which has been previously soaked
in water of a temperature of about 100° F. for twenty or thirty minutes; then

page_text: raising the temperature of the m.al slowly and gradually (to about 167° F.) the
mixture being continually stirred; then raising the temperature again quickly to
at least 183° F. (the point at which starch dissolves), or between that and the
boiling point (200° F. preferred); keeping the meal at that temperature until the
constituents of the meal are rendered as soluble as possible, say from thirty to
sixty minutes according to the fineness of the meal; then running the meal into
any suitable separating machine or press to separate the soluble from the insoluble
portions; cooling the soluble portions of the meal, thus separated, to any desired
temperature for mashing; then adding malt (granulated malt preferable) which
has been soaked in.water for twenty or thirty minutes, at a temperature of about
100° F., thoroughly stirring the meal, then running it into the conversion and
settling tub (to be shown in drawings),..keeping it there until conversion is
complete; using malt wort instead of malt to make the conversion when it is
desired to separate the fine insoluble matter of the mash, after conversion and
boiling, by the method hereinafter described, that is, by the treatment of the
whole liquid by a. gelatinous substance and gas,; a temperature of about 145° F.
being most favorable for conversion and the production. of a large proportion
of sugar compared with the dextrine; maintaining an even temperature in the
mash with my apparatus (to be shown in drawings) by turning steam on through
pipes into space surrounding tub so as to keep the temperature of the upper portion
of the mash as high as, or a little higher than, that of the bottom or centre, and
allow the fine insoluble matter to settle; then running the clear wort off to the
boiling tub or vacuum pau, boiling until coagulation is complete (from two to four
hours); then putting the remainder of the mash, left in the conversion tub after
the clear wort is run off, into any suitable separating machine or press and treating
it in the same manner as meal. to remove the coarser part of the malt; used for
conversion, then cooling the liquid portion of the mash, thus separated,. to. a
moderate temperature, say from 50° to. 70° F., adding to it some gelatinous
substance, as Irish moss, which has been, boiled in water; thoroughly stirring
the whole, running it into the separating tub (to be shown in, the drawings), then
treating with yeast to generate gás by fermentation, or forcing carbonic acid gas
or atmospheric air from the bottom up through the liquid to carry the insoluble
with the gelatinous matters to the surface, where they may be skimmed off and
the clear wort drawn off underneath; all of the insoluble matter of the mash
remaining after removing the coarser insoluble part of the malt used to make
the conversion, and also that coagulated by boiling after conversion and usually
separated from the clear wort by filtration, being by ny process also capable of
removal, in one operation, by boiling the mash (after conversion and the separation
of the grosser insoluble matter from it) till the coagulation is completed, and adding
gelatinous matter, after cooling as above described, or while boiling, and then
fermenting it at a moderate fermenting' temperature, say from 50° F: to 70° F.,
or treating it with a gas or atmospheric air to force the insoluble matters to, the
surface for skimming off, as before indicated; then as the final step in the process,
taking the clear wort which has been separated, as before described, from the fine
insoluble matter before boiling, boiling it until coagulation is completed and then
treating it as that first drawn from the mash, by evaporation in the vacuum pan,
to any gravity desired; so also taking the wort from which the fine insoluble
matter has been removed at. one operation by use of gelatine and gas above
described, boiling it, and then treating it, likewise, by evaporation in the vacuum
pan to any gravity desired for the sirup.

page_text: or Indian Corn and Malt.
I HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co Patent' Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex 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 :-
The principal object of my invention is to provide a quick, certain, and cheap
method of separating all of the insoluble matter in malt and maize mash from
that portion which is valuable in making beer and sirup,-a result heretoforé
impracticable when a large proportion of maize has been used.
The leading features of my process are,
1. The new and superior manner in which the starch of the maize is prepared
for conversion, so that a perfect conversion is effected with only a small quantity
of malt.
.:
2. The comparatively small quantity of fine insoluble matter in the mash,
because of the use of granulated maize with granulated målt or malt-wort, instead
of ground meal and ground malt to make the conversion.
3. The more expeditious, safe, and easy way of separating the wort from the
fine insoluble matter after conversion by means of the use of gelatine and a gas as
hereinafter more particularly described, instead of by means of the slow and
unsatisfactory inethod of draining through a perforated false bottom or by the
costly and imperfect filtration under pressure.
I will first describe the process, and then the parts of the apparatus employed,
which are original with me and necessary to the operation of the process,--my
invention consisting in the process hereinafter specified, the new apparatus which
I necessarily make use of in carrying out the process, and the new and improved
sirup for brewing purposes, produced by said process.
Water in sufficient quantity to thoroughly saturate the maize, say from thirty
five to forty gallons to each hundred pounds of meal is run into the ordinary
cooking and cooling vessel. The temperature of the water is to be raised to about
150° Fahrenheit by injecting steam into it through pipes, and while the water is
stirred, the meal is run in as fast as it will mix.
I prefer granulated meal and malt to that ground by millstones or smooth rollers
in the usual way, because the particles are more nearly of one size, and consequently
the liquefaction of the starch goes on more uniformly and effectively; it is also
more easily separated from the coarse insoluble matter; and contains much less fine
insoluble matter, which is the greatest obstacle in the way of drainage or easy
filtration under pressure.
After the meal and water are mixed, the temperature is raised to about 155°;
(say from 150° to 155°), and preferably not higher, because the albuminóids begin
to coagulate at about 156° Fahrenheit, and that would, to a'certain extent, prevent
the water from penetrating to the interior of the larger and harder particles of
the meal. The meal is kept at this temperature until thoroughly soaked, which
with fine meal will take about an hour, a longer time being required in case the
cal is coarser or drier. . There is then added to the meal from two to four per
cent, by weight, of finely ground or granulated malt, which has been previously

page_text: soaked in water (of a temperature of about 100° Fahrenheit) for twenty or thirty
minutes. The temperature of the meal is then raised slowly and gradually (to
about 167° Fahrenheit), the mixture being continually stirred. Then the tempera-
ture is raised again quickly to at least 183° Fahrenheit, (the temperature at which
starch dissolves), or between that and the boiling point (200° Fahrenheit preferred),
and the mixture kept at that temperature until the constituents of the meal are
rendered as soluble as they can be by this treatment,-say from thirty to sixty
minutes, according to the fineness of the meal. The meal is then run into any
suitable separating machine or press, and the liquid and soluble portions separated
from the insoluble portions. The soluble portions of the meal thus separated,
consisting principally of starch, dextrine, soluble albuminoids, soluble salts, and
sugar, mixed, however, with some fine insoluble albuminous matter and fine
cellulose, are now cooled to any desired temperature for mashing. The malt
(granulated malt preferable), having been soaked in water at a temperature. of
about 100° Fahrenheit for twenty or thirty minutes, is then added-and the mash
thoroughly stirred, and then run into the conversion and settling tub, shown in
Figure 1, where it is kept until the conversion is complete. When it is desirable
to separate the fine insoluble matter of the mash after conversion and boiling, by
the method hereinafter described it is best to use malt-wort instead of malt to
make the conversion, because there is no unconverted starch in the mash to be
dissolved by boiling, as when malt is used. A temperature of about 1'45° Fahrenheit
is the most favorable for the conversion and the production of a large proportion of
sugar compared with the dextrine. An even temperature in the wash can be
maintained with my apparatus for any length of time by turning on just enough
steam or hot air through pipe C, Figure 1, into the space surrounding the sides of
the tub t, and over the upper surface of the mash to make the thermometers b¹ 61,
indicate continually the same or a very little higher temperature than the mash.
This will not only assist in the conversion, but will cause the fine insoluble matter
to settle so that most of the wort can be drawn off in a clear condition from above
the sediment. This effect is produced by keeping up the temperature of the mash
in every part, instead of allowing it to cool as is usually the case, faster at the
sides and top than at the bottom and centre,-which cooling causes a constant
circulation in the mash, effectually preventing the light insoluble matters from
settling to the bottom, With my apparatus and process such circulation is com-
pletely prevented by keeping the wort at an even temperature, or at a little higher
temperature at the top than below.
W3
1
After the conversion and settling are completed, the clear wort is run off to the
boiling tub or vacuum pan and boiled until the coagulation is complete, requiring
from two to four hours boiling and it is then run into the settling tub (Figure 1.)
again, the temperature is kept up as before until the coagulated matter settles
after which the clear wort is again run into the vacuum pan and evaporated to
any gravity desired.
The remainder of the mash in the conversion tub, after the clear wort is run off,
is to be put into any suitable separating machine, and treated in the same manner
as the meal. The liquid portion of it after it is separated, is to be cooled down to
a temperature of from 50° to 70° Fahrenheit, and the gelatinous part of Irish moss,
which has been boiled in water, or a solution of isinglass as usually prepared for
fining ale, or any other like gelatinous substance is to be added to it, the whole
thoroughly stirred, then run into the separating tub (Figure 2) and submitted to the
action of any suitable gas or atmospheric air, preferably carbonic acid gas under
pressure, which is forced through a pipe f¹ into the space at the bottom of the tub
and thence through the porous false bottom e¹, into and up through the liquid.
This will have the effect of separating the insoluble and gelatinous matters from
the soluble part, and carrying them to the surface, where they can be skimmed off
or the clear wort can be run off from underneath.
The wort is then to be boiled to coagulate the albuminous matter and treated in
the same manner as the wort first drawn until the sirup is finished. The quantity

page_text: of. Irish moss or other gelatinous substance to be used depends to a great extent on
the gravity of the wort, the quantity of insoluble matter in it, the temperature and
force of the gas passing into and through it. If enough moss is not used the gas
will pass through the wort without drawing up the insoluble matter. Usually the
gelatinous matter from one ounce of good clean Irish moss will be found sufficient
for thirty gallons of mash. I prefer Irish moss to the other substances mentioned
because it is cheaper, easier to prepare has no deleterious effect upon the sirup and
imparts no flavor to it.
This last step in my process that of separating, after conversion, the insoluble
from the soluble matter of the mash, without resorting to the slow and imprac
ticable method of filtration under pressure and of draining through a perforated false.
bottom, may also be conveniently accomplished (and by one operation) by boiling
the whole mash (after conversion and the separation of the grosser insoluble matter
from it) till coagulation is completed, and adding gelatinous matter, either a solution
of Irish moss or other gelatinous substance, (during or after boiling the mash) then
cooling the mash to a temperature of, say, from 50° to 70° Fahrenheit, and then adding
a sufficient quantity of yeast to produce a moderately slow. fermentation to generate
the gas which shall carry with it the gelatinous and insoluble matters to the surface,
where they may be skimmed off, or the clear wort may be drawn from underneath.
where the impurities are caused to rise by the forcing in at the bottom of atmos
pheric air or carbonic-acid gas instead of by the natural action of the gas arising
from the fermentation of the yeast. The quantity of Irish moss or other gelatinous
substance to be added to the mash depends, in this case, as in the other, upon the
gravity of the wort, the quantity of insoluble matter in it, and the temperature;
but about one ounce of the moss or other similar substance is likely to suffice for
each. barrel of the mash...
- Then, as a final step in the process, the clear wort which has been separated, as
before described, from the fine insoluble matter before boiling, is to be boiled until
coagulation is completed, and then treated as that first drawn from the mash, by
evaporation in the vacuum pan to any gravity desired. So also the wort, from
which the fine insoluble matter has been removed at one operation by the use of
gelatine and gas, above described, may be boiled, and then treated likewise by
evaporation in the vacuum pan to any gravity desired for the sirup.
In the drawings
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the conversion and settling tub.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the separating tub.
The conversion and settling tub, shewn in Figure 1, consists of the inner and
outer tubs t,t with a space between them, which space is not only around the sides
of the inner tub t, but extends over said tub (the inner tub having no cover)
to contain and confine steam or hot air; into this space opens pipe C for admitting
steam or hot air to keep the temperature even or somewhat higher at the top than
at the lower part of the wort; the valves a, a, a, all are for drawing off the
clear wort; the thermometers 61, 61 for indicating the temperature at any point;
the trough c¹ for catching and carrying off the water produced by condensation;
the discharge pipe d¹ for emptying the tank. The separating tub, Figure 2, is made
with a false bottom e¹, leaving a space underneath to which gas is supplied by a
pipe and there is also a pipe g₁ from this space to a pressure gauge P, for
indicating the pressure of the gas. The false bottom e¹, consisting of a frame of
iron with the spaces between filled with porous wood, allows the free passage of the
gas. h¹ h¹ are windows for observing the condition of the material.
I am aware that it is not new to soak grain in water at a temperature of about
130° Fahrenheit, to add malt, and then to cook the whole for conversion. By my
process, however, as hereinbefore described, the temperatures are differently
arranged, new features are added, in the use of granulated maize and malt to
diminish the fine insoluble matter, the facilitating of the settling of the insoluble
matter in the mash by means of a circulating conductor of heat which keeps the.
top and sides as warm as the other portions, the separation (after conversion) of the

page_text: insoluble impurities by adding a gelatinous substance to the mash, as described the
raising of the gelatinous substance, with the attaching impurities to the surface of
the liquid by means of the passage of atmospheric air or carbonic-acid gas, or of
the gas caused by the fermentation of yeast, all of which does away with the
impracticable method of filtration under pressure, and gives as a product a sirup
from which the insoluble and fatty matters unfit for beer making have been elimi-
nated completely without the use of dangerous acids, and in which are retained the
absolute essentials for the production of good beer, dextrine, sugar, soluble
albuminoids, and soluble salts, and in substantially the same proportions as in
barley malt. This constitutes my sirup from maize and malt a complete equivalent
for malt extract, with the advantages accruing from greater quickness and greater
cheapness in the process.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. The herein described process for the manufacture of beer-wort and sirup
from maize or Indian corn and malt, which consists in soaking the meal in water at
a temperature a little below the point at which the albuminoids begin to coagulate,
then adding a small per-centage of malt, then raising the temperature slowly up to
the heats at which starch dissolves, (from about 183° Fahrenheit to the boiling
point), and keeping the mixture at this temperature for a suflicient time to render
the constituents of of the meal as soluble as possible by such treatment; then, in
a suitable separator, separating the soluble portions, fine albuminous matter, etc.,
from the insoluble portions, then mashing the malt, then running the mash into a
settling and conversion tub suitable for the purpose, keeping it at a substantially
even temperature to facilitate conversion and settle the fine insoluble matter by
rendering the top portions of the mash as warm as, or a little warmner than, the
lower portions; then drawing off the clear wort, boiling the same until coagulation
is completed; then running the wort into the settling tub, settling it as before, and
drawing off the clear wort for further treatment, substantially as set forth.
Second. In the manufacture of beer-wort and sirup, the herein described process
of treating the residue that remains in the settling tub after conversion and
settling, and after the clear wort, etc., has been drawn off, which consists in
separating from the said residue, in a suitable separating machine, the liquid
portions thereof, cooling the same to a temperature of from 50° to 70° Fahrenheit,
and adding thereto Irish moss, gelatine, or other similar substance, as usually,
prepared for fining beer; thoroughly mixing the same in a suitable vessel, passing
a gas or atmospheric air through it, or adding yeast to cause fermentation, and
after the wort is cleared from the fine insoluble matter, drawing it off and then
treating the clear portion in the same manner as the wort first drawn from the
mash, substantially as set forth.
Third. The herein described process for preparing the starch of maize or Indian
corn for conversion to saccharine extract by the action of the diastase of malt,
which consists in soaking the meal in water at a temperature a little below the
point at which the albuminoids begin to coagulate, then adding a small per-centage
of inalt, then raising the temperature slowly to the point at which starch dissolves,
or higher, and keeping the mixture at such temperatures a sufficient time to render
the constituents of the meal as soluble as possible by such treatment; then, in a
suitable separator or press, separating the soluble starch, etc., from the insoluble
portions of the meal, and then mashing with malt or malt-wort, substantially as
set forth.
"Fourth. The herein described method of diminishing the quantity of fine
insoluble matter in Indian corn or maize and malt mashes, which consists in
granulating the maize, soaking it, in water, then liquefying the starch by the
action of the diastase of malt and heat, then separating the liquefied starch, etc,,

page_text: from the coarser insoluble matter, then converting it to saccharine extract by
mashing it with granulated malt or malt-wort, substantially as set forth.
°
Fifth. The herein described method of facilitating the settling of the fine
insoluble matter of maize or Indian corn and malt mashos during and after
conversion and also after boiling, which consists in surrounding the vessel
containing the mash or wort on its entire sides and over the upper surface of the
mash or wort, with a circulating conductor of heat of the same or a little higher
temperature than that of the contents of said vessel, substantially as shown and
described, whereby the escape of heat from the sides and upper portion of the
mash or wort and the consequent circulation caused by unequal cooling is
prevented, substantially as set forth.
Sixth. The process herein described for separating the fine cellulose and other
insoluble matters from maize or Indian corn and malt mashes after conversion and
separation from the coarser insoluble portion of the mash, which process consists in
adding to the mash before fermentation, or passing a gas through it, any gelatinous
substance, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Seventh. In the manufacture of beer wort or sirup, the herein described process
of treating the whole of the liquid, when malt-wort or granulated malt has been
used to make the conversion (doing away with the need of a second separation of
coarse material), which .consists in passing a gas of any sort through the liquid
after the addition of any gelatinous substance for the purpose of carrying the
fine insoluble matter to the surface at any stage of the process, as set forth.
Eighth. The herein described process for the treatment of maize or Indian corn
and malt mashes with a gelatinous substance before separating the fine insoluble
matter, which consists in first removing the coarser insoluble matter from the mash
after conversion, then boiling the mush to coagulate the albuminous matter, then
adding Irish moss or other similar gelatinous matter to the boiling mash, then
cooling the mash to a moderate temperature, preparatory to fermentation or passing
a gas into or through it, for the purpose specified.
Ninth. The herein described process for the treatment of maize or Indian corn
and malt mash with a gelatinous substance before removing the fine insoluble
matter from it, which consists in first separating the coarser insoluble matter from
the mash after conversion, then boiling the mash until the coagulation is completed,
then cooling to a moderate fermenting temperature, then adding to it the gelatinous
portion of Irish moss or any other similar gelatinous substance properly prepared,
and thoroughly mixing them before fermenting or passing a gas into or through
the mash for the purpose specified.
Tenth. The herein described process for separating, at one operation, all of the
fine insoluble natter (including that coagulated by boiling) in maize or Indian corn
and malt mash from the wort after conversion and the removal from the mash of
the coarser part of the malt used therein to make the conversion which consists in
boiling the whole of the mash remaining after separating from it the coarser
insoluble matter, until the coagulation is completed, adding to the mash while
boiling, or afterwards, Irish moss or other gelatinous substance, cooling the mash
to a moderate temperature, then causing the insoluble and gelatinous matters to
rise to the surface by the action of atmospheric air or by gas generated in the mash
by fermentation or forced into and through it in a suitable vessel, substantially as
shown and described.
Eleventh. The product derived from the herein described process.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant,