IMPROVE- MENTS IN STORING AND SUPPLYING BEER, ALE, AND PORTER
Year: 1847

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHRISTOPHER
VAUX, of Frederick Street, London, Gentleman, send greeting.
full
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her'
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighth day of February,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, in the tenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Christopher Vaux, my exors, admors, and assigns, Her especial licence,'
power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said Christopher Vaux, my
exors, admors, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Christopher Vaux, my
exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN STORING AND SUPPLYING BEER, ALE, AND PORTER;" in which said
Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Christopher Vaux,
shall cause a particular description of 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, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being
thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Christopher Vaux, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, that is to say :-
The objects of my Invention are,-
First, the attainment of a more regular temperature in the storing of beer,
ale, and porter, when the same are required for immediate use, than is attained
by the present mode of storing beer, ale, and porter.
Secondly, to draw off small quantities of beer, ale, and porter, without the
necessity of a continual recourse to pumping.
Thirdly, to obtain beer, alc, and porter free from the dregs or grounds, and
therefore clearer and finer than can generally be obtained by ordinary arrange-
ments of supply.
Fourthly, to prevent the loss of carbonic acid from, and the absorption of
the atmospheric air, by beer, ale, and porter.
But in order that my Invention may be fully understood, I will proceed
to describe the means pursued by me. Let a vat be constructed of any
suitable material, although I prefer wood as being a very good non-
conductor. This vat make, say, of about one inch in thickness when
of wood, and of a rectangular or other suitable shape, three and a half
fect high, by three feet long, and two and a half feet broad, which vat
should have a cover with an opening, say, nine inches square, though
this may be varied; the rest of the lid, except two small openings for valves,
should be perfectly air-tight. Through this large opening is inserted a
hollow vessel of sheet iron, of nearly the height of the vat, nine inches
square, or otherwise, of the same area as that of the opening in the cover,
and so as to correspond accurately with and close that opening. The upper
part of this iron vessel is provided with a thick wooden cover, the lower
part of which is provided with a small pipe passing through the bottom of
the vat and terminating in a brass cock, and capable of being readily removed
in order that the iron vessel may be withdrawn when the vat requires to
be cleaned out, or otherwise as required, or the whole of the top of the vat
may be made to take off when required. This vat should be enclosed in
another vat or outer case, made of suitable strength and closed, only allowing
of free access to the valves and the other apertures of the first vat, and
leaving a space between the two vats. This space I fill with powdered charcoal,
coke, or any other good non-conducting material. The capacity of the vat,
after subtracting the internal vessel, is therefore (according to the dimen-
sions above specified) about one hundred and twenty imperial gallons. In the

page_text: top of the vat are fixed two small valves, the one opening internally, so as to
admit air when liquor is withdrawn, the other opening externally to admit
of the escape of any excess of gas. These valves should each be capable
of sustaining a pressure of about half a pound per square inch. For the
purpose of drawing off the beer, ale, or porter, a pipe of suitable diameter and
length is inserted into the vat, about three-fourths of an inch above the
bottom (inside), the outer end being provided with a tap by which the beer,
ale, or porter may be drawn off as required. The temperature of the malt
liquor in the vat may be indicated by the bulb of an air thermometer being
inserted therein near the bottom, which thermometer is graduated, say, from
40° Fahrenheit to 80° Fahrenheit. The above vat I place in an elevated
situation relative to the cellar and the bar, where the beer, ale, or porter is
"drawn," and it may be supplied from time to time as required by a common
force pump, the outlet from which should be flush or on a level with the.
bottom of the vat (inside), which arrangement freely admits of the cleansing
of the vat by simply unscrewing a part of the pipe belonging to the force
pump. Now, the object of the internal vessel above described is, that if the
weather be warm, beer, ale, or porter may be cooled by putting into the iron
vessel lumps of ice, or it may be cooled more rapidly by putting in a mixture
of ice and salt. Or that, on the other hand, should the weather be cold, the
beer, ale, or porter may be warmed by the admission of steam, hot-air, or
water into the iron vessel. The beer, ale, or porter thus cooled or warmed,
as the case may be, may then be drawn off as it is wanted by means of the
tap provided for that purpose, and which dispenses with the continual
pumping. By the above arrangement it will be found that the body of the
beer, ale, or porter in the vat is not violently agitated when portions are
"drawn" off therefrom to be consumed; it is consequently clearer than usual,
and this freedom from agitation of the surface of the beer, ale, or porter allows
of there being always an atmosphere of carbonic acid in immediate contact
with the beer, ale, or porter, which prevents the absorption of the oxygen of
the air, and therefore the malt liquor does not so easily become converted into
vinegar. In some cases, in order that cool and pure air may be admitted into
the vat, I cause the inlet valve to be in connection with a pipe from the
cellar, or other cooler part of the building.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not confine
myself to the above details, for it is evident that variations may be made
therein for different kinds of malt liquor; but what I do claim is, the storing
of beer, ale, and porter in vats or vessels such as above described, and in an

page_text: elevated position above the bar, thence to be "drawn" for use. I also claim
the employing a metallic vessel for the ready communication of either cold or
heat, as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Christopher Vaux, havo hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Seventh day of August, in the year of Lord One 5
thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.