Improvements in and relating to Brewing Plant.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 17th July, 1894-Accepted, 18th Aug., 1894
Improvements in and relating to Brewing Plant.
I, FREDERICK NOEL MACKAY, of 242 York Road, Kings Cross, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to brewing plant and has for its objects to provide improved
apparatus for controlling or regulating the temperature of and agitating or mixing
liquors undergoing fermentation also improved apparatus for removing the hops
from the hop back and raising the same into the wort copper; and the said invention
comprises other improvements in brewing plant as hereinafter described, all of which
improvements are to be used in combination in one brewing plant. My improved
cooling and mixing apparatus is intended to supersede wholly or partially the use
of cold water circulating in coils, and the hand stirrers such as have heretofore
been commonly used in brewing operations.
According to my invention I control the temperature of the air space above the
liquor by providing for the direct expansion and vapourization of liquefied gas
within tubes or other cooling chambers placed in said space. I utilize as much of
the liquid as is available for further cooling purposes in other pipes or chambers
placed within the liquor, and I further use the spent gas or such liquefied gas as may
have remained unevaporated in other cooling pipes or chambers within the vessel
(commonly called the yeast back) that contains the yeast given off by the liquor
during the fermentation process, and thereby preserve the yeast. The said pipes or
chambers in the liquor, in the space above the liquor, and in the yeast back, may
be connected together in a series so that the cooling liquefied gas travels from one
to the other, or they may be independent of each other and be fed from a common
source of liquefied gas. In some cases I connect said pipes or chambers or any two
sets of them in series, and in addition provide each set of the same with a feeding
pipe direct from the source of liquefied gas to allow of supplementing the cooling
medium passing therethrough by a direct supply. My said improvements can be
applied to fermenting tuns, skimming vessels, and yeast backs that are closed, and
equally well to vessels that are open to the atmosphere.
I sometimes also discharge directly into the yeast back the spent carbonic acid
gas used in cooling pipes or surfaces in the fermenting tun, skimming vessel or
yeast backs, so that the cold gas may assist in maintaining the yeast at the
desired temperature, and I prefer to utilize for cooling purposes the gas so used
together with that given off by the liquor when fermenting by drawing off the same
by pumps and compressing it into the condenser having the usual receiver for
liquid carbonic acid.
My device for agitating, mixing or stirring the liquor during the fermentation
process comprises a vertical pipe, which is preferably of increasing diameter from
the top to the bottom and has a wide bell-shaped lower extremity, suitably sus-
pended in the liquor by a cord or otherwise, so that it can be raised and lowered at
will. The pipe is open at both ends and carries at its upper end a shallow dish or
saucer forming a valve having preferably a downwardly projecting rim, the same-
being mounted so as to be capable of a limited free rise and fall with respect to
the pipe on which it normally rests. When the pipe ascends, the liquor rushes
into the same at the lower end thereof, and when it descends the aforesaid valve
resting on the top thereof is floated upwardly and the liquor is discharged in an

page_text: annular stream between the said valve or dish and the upper lip of the pipe.
By this means very effective mixing of the heavier liquor at the bottom of the
vessel with the lighter liquor nearer the surface is obtained.
In some cases I provide a chamber into which the mixer passes and slides up
and down therein. Said chamber is furnished with a suction valve which opens
inward when the mixer rises and admits liquor into the chamber, which liquor rises
up through the mixer and is discharged through the valve before described at the
top of the mixer, or through a delivery valve within the mixer.
The device may be raised and lowered periodically by a rotating crank arm or
like device external to the fermenting vessel but attached to the cord from which
the device is suspended. I prefer that the suspending pulley round which the cord
passes shall be supported by a small carriage which can travel on a rail or like
support carried by the roof of the fermenting vessel. The said carriage can be
drawn along the rail to the side of the vessel opposite to that on which the cord
enters, and returned to the central or working position when required. By drawing
the carriage to the side of the vessel, the mixer or agitator is at the same time
raised out of the liquor. In this position the agitator can be removed through a
door-way provided in the vessel, and if desired transferred to another fermenting
vessel. It will be seen that the agitator is worked without employing any levers
or shafts within the fermenting vessel, which is a great advantage.
I construct the skimmer with an upwardly extending guide rod or tube which
passes out through a bush in the roof of the fermenting vessel. The hollow
discharging stem of the skimmer passes out through a stuffing-box in the floor of
the vessel and it is thus guided top and bottom. The skimmer is suspended by a
cord by which it can be raised and lowered as required. The skimming board is
secured to the upper guide rod or tube, and to enable this board to be rotated from
outside the fermenting vessel I mount on the upper guide rod outside the vessel a
rope pulley which is connected to the said rod by a feather key or the like, and I
provide suitable means for rotating said pulley. By this construction the skimming
board can be rotated and the skimmer raised and lowered as required by gear
external to the fermenting vessel.
It is obvious that I may work several agitators in a set of fermenting vessels
from a common source of power.
I provide a window in the side of the fermenting vessel to admit of watching the
fermenting process without requiring to open the vessel.
I sometimes provide angle shaped baffle plates or deflectors so arranged with
respect to the cooling pipes in the air space above the liquor as to direct the air or
gas currents around the pipes and thereby more effectively cool the said air or gas
in the fermenting vessel.
For lifting the hops from the hop back to the wort copper I employ an injector
worked by steam, compressed air, or compressed carbonic acid gas. In its simplest
form my said apparatus for this purpose comprises a metal or wood hopper prefer-
ably removable and supported by guides or otherwise on the wall of the hop back.
The hopper which may be either inside or outside the hop back is fitted with an
injector nozzle and a delivery pipe leading into the wort copper. I may employ a
simple jet nozzle or an annular nozzle, the hops in the latter case being passed
through the centre of the nozzle. The hops are thrown into the hopper and are
passed thence by the steam, air, or gas through the delivery pipe into the wort
copper. The bottom of the hopper is furnished with an outlet to drain off the
condensed steam formed when starting. I provide the lower part of the hopper
with a lid, plug, slide or other device to close the same so that in case of a stoppage
in the delivery pipe steam can be blown into said pipe to clear away the obstruction.
In cases where the hops are very sticky and solid I may provide in the hopper a
worm to stir up the hops and maintain them in a more or less loose condition. In other
cases I provide within the hopper two cylinders an outer and an inner cylinder the
latter being rotatable in the former which is fixed. The injector nozzle enters
the inner cylinder at one end and the delivery pipe passes out at the other end. The

page_text: outer cylinder has a large opening in its side, and the inner cylinder has a corre-
sponding opening or port which can, by turning the cylinder, be brought coincident
with the opening in the outer cylinder whereupon the hops will pass through the
openings into the inner cylinder. When the inner cylinder is full it is turned round
to close the opening, and the steam, air, or gas is then turned on to drive the
contents through the delivery pipe into the copper. The steam, air or gas is then
shut off and the cylinder turned back to be refilled, whereupon the operations of
closing and discharging are repeated. According to a still further modification I
provide a vibrating or jolting hopper the movements of which cause the hops to fall
regularly into the jet chamber proper or bottom of the hopper whence they are
discharged by the jet. Such a hopper may be suspended by chains for example
and caused to vibrate by a steam or like jet playing on its lower extremity. The
construction of the bottom part of the hopper forming the jet chamber may be
varied to suit particular requirements. In some cases I furnish it with a series of
conical rings so constructed and arranged that the jet acting at one end thereof
drives the hops into and through the first ring then through the second ring and so
on through the whole set of rings. By this means a single jet of steam acting on
the whole contents of the hopper discharges the same without the use of a worm.
In large plants however I prefer to provide in connection with the hop back, a
worm conveyor arranged in a suitable trough and discharing into the injector hopper.
The said worm conveyor may be driven in any suitable manner; if a separate small
steam engine is used, the exhaust from such engine may be utilized to work the
injector, or the worm may be worked when of only short or moderate length by
the steam on its way to the injector acting upon vanes of a small motor to which the
conveying worm is connected, or the ends of the worm may be fitted with discharge
jets arranged at such an angle as to cause the worm to revolve in the hopper, and
the steam acting in the injector at the same time.
Dated this 17th day of October 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Brewing Plant.
1, FREDERICK NOEL MACKAY, of 242 York Road, Kings Cross, in the County
of Middlesex, 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 relates to brewing plant and has for its objects to provide improved
apparatus for controlling or regulating the temperature of liquor undergoing
fermentation by cooling such liquor; also improved devices for agitating or mixing
the liquor; also improved apparatus for removing the hops from the hop-back and
raising the same to the wort-copper; and my said invention comprises other
improvements in brewing plant as hereinafter described. My improved cooling and
mixing apparatus is intended to supersede wholly or partially the use of cold water
circulating in coils and the hand stirrers such as have heretofore been commonly
used in brewing operations.
According to my invention I control the temperature of the air-space above the
liquor undergoing fermentation by providing for the direct expansion and
vapourization of liquefied gas within tubes or other cooling chambers placed in
said space.
I utilize as much of the liquid as is available for further cooling
purposes in other pipes or chambers placed within the liquor, and I further use the
spent gas or such liquefied gas as may have remained unevaporated in other cooling

page_text: pipes or chambers within the vessel (commonly called yeast-back) that contains
the yeast given off by the liquor during the fermentation process, and thereby
preserve the yeast.
For agitating mixing or stirring the liquor I provide devices hereinafter fully
described which can be raised and lowered inside the vessel by gear outside of the
said vessel, my improved skimming device is also constructed so as to be readily
adjustable and operated from outside the vessel.
For lifting the hops from the hop-back to the wort-copper I employ an injector
worked by steam, compressed air or compressed carbonic acid gas. The hops are
thrown into a hopper from which they are ejected and forced up a delivery pipe to
the copper by the steam or the like.
In order that my invention may be clearly understood I will now proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a vertical section of a fermenting tun provided with my improved
cooling apparatus and mixing and skimming devices.
Figure 2 is a vertical section of one of my improved mixing or agitating devices
drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figures 3 and 4 are similar views of modified forms of mixing device.
Figure 5 is a section on the line x, x Figure 3.
Figure 6 is a vertical section shewing a wort-copper and one form of my improved
devices for feeding hops thereinto from the hop-back.
Figure 7 is a detail view of the hopper and injector shewn in Figure 3.
Figure 8 is a section of the hopper on line y, y Figure 6 looking in the direction
of the arrow.
Figure 9 is a plan shewing a method of detachably securing the hopper to the
hop-back.
Figure 10 is a sectional plan of a modified form of hop injector drawn to an
enlarged scale.
Figure 11 is a section on the line z, z Figure 10.
Like letters denote similar parts throughout the drawings.
Referring now to Figure 1, A is the fermenting tun, B is the yeast-back.
The fermenting tun in this instance is closed by a cover A¹ but my improvements
can be equally well applied to fermenting vessels and also to yeast-backs that are
open to the atmosphere.
The cooling apparatus comprises three sets of pipes C, C¹, C' placed respectively
in the space above the liquor, in the liquor itself, and in the yeast-back. Liquefied
carbonic acid gas is passed into said pipes and evaporating in its passage therethrough
cools the space or liquor adjacent to said pipes. I prefer to use in the cooling
apparatus the carbonic acid gas given off in the yeast-back by the liquor in fermenting.
Said gas is drawn from the yeast-back through a pipe D by a pump D', which delivers
it under pressure through a pipe D2 to a condenser D³ from which the gas in a
liquefied state passes into a receiver D*. The liquid carbonic acid is conducted by
a pipe E furnished with a suitable valve E¹ to the pipes C situated in the air-space
above the liquid in the tun or tank A, where it partly evaporates and cools the air
space very considerably. From these pipes it passes through a second set of
pipes C within the liquid where a further portion evaporates thereby cooling the
liquid in the tun. The gas and such liquefied gas as may have remained unevapor-
ated is finally led through a set of pipes C2 in the yeast-back cooling that vessel, and
escapes into the same whence it is collected by the pipe D together with the gas
given off by the fermenting liquor.
Instead of the sets of pipes C, C', C' being connected in series as hereinabove
described they may be independent of each other and be fed from a common source
of liquefied gas. In some cases I connect said pipes or two sets of them in series
and in addition provide each set of the same with a feeding pipe direct from the
source of liquefied gas to allow of supplementing the cooling medium passing
therethrough by a direct supply. Instead of pipes I may use chambers of any
suitable form or description.

page_text: Instead of drawing the gas from the yeast-back and sending the same through
the pipes or other cooling chambers I may use gas supplied by an independent
source.
I provide, in the air-space above the liquor, angle-shaped baffle-plates or
deflectors F, F as shewn so as to direct the air or gas currents around the pipes and
thereby more effectively cool the air or gas in the fermenting vessel.
Referring now to Figure 2 the device therein shewn for agitating, mixing, or
stirring the liquor during the fermentation process comprises a vertical pipe G which
is preferably taper as shewn and has a wide bell-shaped lower extremity G¹, and
is suitably suspended in the liquor by a cord G2 so that it can be raised and lowered
at will.
As shewn clearly in the vertical section Figure 2 the pipe is open at both ends
and carries at its upper end a shallow dish or saucer G³ forming valve and having
a downwardly projecting rim. The said saucer is mounted on a rod G* carried by
a spider G secured to the pipe and can freely move for a limited distance up and
down said rod. The cord G2 is conveniently attached to an eye at the top of the
said rod. When the pipe ascends, the liquor rushes into the same at the lower end
thereof, and when it descends the valve or saucer G³ resting on the top of the pipe
is floated upwardly and the liquor is discharged in an annular stream between the
said valve or dish and the upper lip of the pipe. By this contrivance a very
effective mixing of the heavier liquor at the bottom of the vessel with the lighter
liquor nearer the surface is ensured.
The mixer is raised and lowered periodically by a rotating crank-arm GⓇ or like
device external to the fermenting vessel to which the cord G³ is attached. I prefer
that the suspending pulley G' round which the cord G³ passes shall be supported by
a small carriage which can travel on a rail or like support carried by the roof or
lid A' of the fermenting vessel. The said carriage can be drawn along the rail to
the side of the vessel opposite to that on which the cord enters, and returned to the
central or working position when required. By drawing the carriage to the side of
the vessel, the mixer or agitator is at the same time raised clear out of the liquor.
In this position the agitator can be removed through a door-way provided in the
vessel, and if desired transferred to another fermenting vessel. It will be seen that
the agitator is worked without employing any levers or shafts within the fermenting
vessel, which is a great advantage.
Referring now to Figure 3 which shews a modified form of mixer G is a
cylindrical pipe having a valve G³ at its upper extremity similar to that herein-
before described with reference to Figure 2. The lower part of the pipe is
arranged to slide up and down in a chamber G" secured to the bottom of the tun.
Said chamber is formed in two parts bolted together as shewn and between the two
parts I provide a valve G³ of simple design. The lower part of the chamber G* is
furnished with openings G⁰ to allow the water to flow into the chamber when the
pipe G is lifted.
I preferably secure the lower part of the chamber to the tun by means of a
T-shaped bolt O which is secured in the bottom of the tun by the nut O'. The
bottom plate of the chamber G8 has a slot O2 therein shewn clearly in Figure
through which slot the head of the bolt O can be passed, a quarter turn of the
part G8 locking the plate to the bolt after the manner of a bayonet joint. I prefer
that the plate shall be thickened on one side of the slot towards one end thereof and
on the other side of the slot towards the other end of the same thus forming a kind
of circular wedge up which the head of the bolt slides causing said bolt to very
firmly clamp the plate in position.
I provide for rotating the chamber G8 by means of the upper part of the tube G
in the following manner, G" is a collar secured to the chamber G8, G12 is another
collar secured to the pipe G. The collar G2 has a projecting part G which fits
a recess G¹ in the collar G" so that the pipe G can at the upper limit of
its travel be locked with the chamber G8. The chamber G8 and its base plate

page_text: can then be rotated by turning the pipe G and released from the bolt O when
desired.
The mixer shewn in Figure 4 differs from that shewn in Figure 3 in the
following particulars, the pipe G which is formed with a flange G₁ encloses
the part G and the valve G in the latter which is preferably located at
the top of said part G8 is further from the bottom of the tube than it is
in the mixer shewn in Figure 3, in other respects the two mixers are practically
the same.
The operation of the mixers shewn in Figures 3 and 4 is as follows, that is to
say while the pipe G is being lifted by the cord G2 the valve G³ is shut and
the valve G opens owing to the pressure of the liquid in the bottom of the tun
so as to admit said liquor to the chamber G³. When the pipe G is allowed
to descend the valve G shuts and the valve G³ opens, consequently the
liquor in the mixer escapes by the valve G³ and mixes with the liquor at or
near the level of the top of the liquid in the tun. The flange G on the
mixer shewn in Figure 4 also stirs up the liquor adjacent thereto in a very
advantageous manner.
The liquor in the mixer may be caused to escape when the valve G³ is above
the top of the liquid in which case a very advantageous aeration of the liquor is
effected.
It is obvious that I may work several agitators in a set of fermenting vessels from
a common source of power.
The skimmer H is provided with an upwardly extending tube H¹ passing through
the tube I and a downwardly extending hollow stem H2 through which the scum is
discharged, the stem H2 passes through a stuffing box H³ in which it can slide, into
the yeast-back B. The skimmer is thus guided at the top and bottom and can be
raised and lowered and its level adjusted by the cord H attached to the tube H¹.
The skimming board I is secured to the tube I which encloses the tube H' and
passes through the top of the vessel A, said tube is provided with a rope pulley 12
adapted to slide but not rotate thereon by means of which pulley it can be rotated
through suitable gearing as shewn at I³. The tube I is raised and lowered at the
same time as the tube H' a collar on said tube H' engaging with the bottom of
said tube I. I provide a valve H' in the top of the tube or stem H2 which valve
can be opened when required through the medium of a cord H passing through the
tube H.
I provide a window in the side of the fermenting vessel to admit of watching the
fermenting process without requiring to open said vessel.
Referring now to Figures 6 to 9 J is the hop-back, K is the wort-copper, L the
hopper.
As shewn in Figures 7, 8 and 9 the hopper L has secured at one end thereof a
block or plate L' grooved at the sides so as to engage with slides J, J' in the side
of the hop-back, at the opposite end of the hopper I provide another plate L
secured by bolts L³ to the plate L, M is a pipe through which steam is supplied
to a steam jet M', said pipe M being preferably screwed through the top of the
plate or block L'. L2 is a worm conveyor one end of the shaft of which is
journalled in the plate L' the other end of said shaft being received in an orifice M'
in the end of the jet. When the bolts L' are removed the plate L' together with
the conveyor L2 may be readily withdrawn from the hopper through the opening L*
in the end thereof. When the conveyor L2 is rotated the hops in the hopper are
pressed forward to the opening of the outlet pipe K' where the steam issuing from
the jet M¹ forces them up said pipe and into the copper K. The conveyor is
rotated by any suitable means; if a separate small steam engine is used, the
exhaust from such engine may be utilized to work the injector, or the worm
when of only short or moderate length may be worked by the steam on its way
to the injector acting upon vanes of a small motor to which the conveying worm
is connected; or the ends of the worm may be fitted with discharge-jets arranged

page_text: at such an angle as to cause the worm to revolve in the hopper the steam
discharged from the jets acting in the injector to raise the hops in the delivery
pipes.
Instead of a simple jet-nozzle I may employ an annular nozzle the hops in this
case being passed through the centre of the nozzle. The bottom of the hopper may
if desired be furnished with an outlet to drain off the condensed steam formed when
starting.
I sometimes dispense with the screw-conveyor and in that case the position of the
steam jet with regard to the outlet pipe K' and the other arrangements of the bottom
of the hopper may be varied to suit requirements. In some cases, as shewn for example
in Figures 10 and 11, I provide a series of conical rings L³, L³ in the bottom of the
hopper, the jet M¹ being placed at the beginning of the series so that the steam issuing
therefrom drives the hops into and through the first ring, then through the second
ring and so on through the whole set of rings.
I provide the lower part of the hopper with a lid, plug, slide or other device to
close the same so that in case of a stoppage in the pipe K' steam can be blown
into said pipe to clear away the obstruction. For example as shewn in Figures 10
and 11 in the case where I use rings L³ in the bottom of the hopper I provide
within the hopper two cylinders i.e. an outer cylinder which is fixed and which may
be the casing of the hopper itself, and an inner cylinder N to which the rings L³
are secured and which is rotatable in the outside cylinder. The outer cylinder has
a large opening in its side, and the inner cylinder has a corresponding opening or
port which, by turning the cylinder, by means of the handle N', secured to the end
thereof can be brought coincident with the opening in the outer cylinder whereupon
the hops will pass through the openings into the inner cylinder.
If the delivery pipe be choked the handle N¹ of the inner cylinder N is turned
to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 11 in which position the cylinder N
cuts off the space within from the remaining portion of the hopper, the steam
jet can then blow through and readily clear the pipe. According to a further
modification I provide a vibrating or jolting hopper the movements of which cause
the hops to fall regularly into the jet chamber proper or bottom of the hopper
whence they are discharged by the jet. Such a hopper may be suspended by
chains for example and caused to vibrate by a steam or like jet playing on its lower
extremity.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. The combination with a fermenting vessel of a series of cooling pipes placed
in the liquor and in the air space above the liquor, in which pipes liquefied gas is
vapourized, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. For brewing plant a cooling apparatus constructed and operating substantially
as described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
3. An open or closed fermenting vessel fitted with the cooling and skimming
devices hereinabove described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying
drawings.
4. An agitator or mixing device so constructed that when moved vertically in
the liquid it draws the heavy liquid from the bottom of the containing vessel and
discharges it at various levels above or near the top of the liquid.
5. An agitator or mixing device constructed substantially as described with
reference to either of the Figures 2, 3 or 4 of the accompanying drawings and
operating as specified.
6. In a brewing plant, an apparatus for lifting the hops from the hop-back to the
wort-copper, in which apparatus a jet of steam or compressed air or gas forces
the hops through a delivery pipe into the copper, with or without a worm-conveyor
for conveying the hops into a suitable position for the jet to operate, substantially
as described.

page_text: 7. Improved hop lifting devices constructed substantially as described with
reference to either Figures 6 and 7 or with reference to Figures 6, 10 and 11 of the
accompanying drawings and operating as specified.
Dated this 17th day of July 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.