An Appliance for Distributing and Aërating Brewers' Wort.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 21st Nov., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Appliance for Distributing and Aërating Brewers' Wort.
I, RICHARD Howard Leaker, of Montague Villa, Kingsdown Parade, in the
City and County of Bristol, 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 :-
This invention consists in an appliance for distributing and aërating brewers'
wort. Under one arrangement it is adapted for aörating the wort immediately
prior to its delivery to the cooler. Under another arrangement it is adapted for
cooling and aërating the wort in its passage from the boiling pan or copper to the
hop back.
The appliance consists mainly of a trumpet-shaped chamber in which is suspended
a bell-shaped plate adjustable vertically on the bolt by which it is suspended.
Towards the top of the trumpet-shaped chamber is an inlet for the wort. The
chamber is surmounted by a removable cap.
In the appliance as adapted for distributing wort on the cooler the bell-shaped
distributing plate is preferably perforated with sparge holes. The trumpet-shaped
chamber and the bell-shaped distributing plate are of such conformation and are so
arranged in relation to each other that the outlet for the wort is a space between
the lower face of the chamber and the upper face of the bell-shaped plate. From
this orifice the wort is discharged on to the cooler in a circular film the tenuity of
which is controlled by the adjustment of the plate within the chamber. A spring
bearing against the under face of the top of the distributing plate allows play
vertically thereof. The wort discharged around the bell-shaped plate descends in
a dome-shaped stream to the cooler and is aërated in its descent. That part of the
wort which passes through the perforations in the bell-shaped plate descends to the
cooler in the form of rain.
In the appliance as adapted for cooling and aërating wort in its passage from the
boiling pan or copper to the hop back, the outlet space for the wort is larger to
permit hops to pass, the bell-shaped plate is not perforated and no spring is
employed to bear on the plate. The wort is aërated and cooled, and is less liable
to cause buckling and fracture of the hop back plates.
In the accompanying sheet of drawings,
Fig. 1 represents, partly in section and partly in elevation, my improved
appliance as adapted for distributing and aërating brewers' wort prior to dis- .
charging it on to the usual cooler.
Fig. 2 is a similar view of the appliance as adapted for cooling and aërating wort
as it passes from the boiling pan or copper to the hop back.
In both cases the appliance consists mainly of a trumpet-shaped chamber a in
which is adjustably suspended a bell-shaped distributing plate b. The wort inlet c
is situated towards the top of the appliance which is surmounted by a removable
cap d. As adapted, as shown at Fig. 1, for aërating the wort prior to delivering it
on to the cooler, the bell-shaped plate b is perforated. It has play on the bolt e
by which it is suspended, the amount of play being controlled by the relief spring.
The plate b is adjustable on the bolt e, the adjustment being made by means of the
nut 9. The wort escapes mainly from the appliance in a circular film the tenuity
of which depends upon the position of the plate 6 in relation to the mouth of the
chamber a. It descends in a dome-shaped stream to the cooler. A. proportion of
the wort escapes through the "needle" perforations in the plate and descends to
the cooler in the form of rain. Thus the wort is distributed and aërated while
being delivered to the cooler, and less work is left to be done by the refrigerators.
In the appliance as adapted, as shown at Fig. 2, for cooling and aërating wort in

page_text: its passage to the hop back the space between the chamber a and plate 6 for the
escape of the wort is wider, permitting the passage of hops. The plate b is not
perforated and the spring f, Fig. 1, is not required. The wort in its passage
through the appliance is in part aërated and cooled and, consequently, there is less
liability to buckling and fracture of the hop back plates.
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
1. An improved appliance for aërating and distributing brewers' wort prior to
delivering it on to the usual cooler or coolers, the said appliance consisting of a
trumpet-shaped chamber such as a, a perforated bell-shaped distributing plate such
as badjustably suspended in the chamber a and a relief spring such as permitting
play vertically of the plate b, the parts being so arranged that the wort delivered
to the chamber a is in part discharged between the edges or rims thereof and of the
plate, and in part through the perforations in the plate, substantially as herein-
before described with reference to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.
2. The modified arrangement as adapted for cooling and aërating brewers' wort
in its passage from the boiling pan or copper to the hop back, substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings, said
arrangement being similar to that hercinbefore described with reference to Fig. 1
of the drawings except as regards the adjustable plate which in the modified
arrangement is not perforated and with regard to dispensing with a relief spring
for the said plate.
Dated this 15th day of October 1891
NICHOLAS WATTS,
Bristol Bank Buildings, Bristol, Agent.