GB2167388A - Beer dispensing; producing a "head" - Google Patents

Abstract

In a dispensing tap for beer, arranged to produce a good "head" with minimum or no wastage, a first dispensing control is achieved by means of an adjustable restrictor 54 located in the dispensing tap and upstream of the tap outlet, whilst another feature comprises the provision at the dispensing outlet of a very narrow dispensing passage of the order of 1/16th inch (1.5mm) diameter. (Fig. 3, not shown) These features may be used in combination or separately. Inside the flow passage of the tap shown, a sleeve 54 having an aperture 62 can be turned by a screwdriver in head 60 to bring aperture 62 more or less into register with aperture 50B. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Beer dispensing This invention relates to the dispensing of liquids, in particular the dispensing of beer, and seeks to provide an improved method of dispensing having advantages which are of particular significance, as will appear clearly hereinafter, in the dispensing of beer.

The present invention is concerned with the dispensing of liquid from a tap in a manner so as to control how the liquid will appear to the eye in a glass or other receptacle in which it is caught. Another aspect of the invention is to enable the rapid dispensing of the liquid by a means which avoids the spilling and splashing which can easily occur for example in the dispensing of beer.

Beer dispensed from a bulk supply is effected mainly in one of two methods. In the first method, the bulk supply, which typically will be a barrel, is connected to a source of pressurizing gas so that propulsion pressure will be applied to the surface of the beer in the barrel. When a valve is opened at a dispensing head in the vicinity of the tap, which may be at a counter or bar top or the like, the beer is forced from the barrel up through a dip tube extending into the barrel and then through piping to the tap from where it emerges and is caught in the glass from which it is consumed. A disadvantage of this method is that the pressurizing gas which is usually carbon dioxide can be absorbed into the beer affecting the condition and palatability thereof.Also, the pressure of the gas may vary as the bulk supply of beer is used up, giving different dispensing pressures, affecting the rate at which the beer is dispensed. The first method is typically used with beers such as lager, which are relatively highly carbonated, and if the delivery pressure varies then the amount of carbon dioxide which escapes from solution during dispensing can vary, and consequently it can be difficult to dispense the beer without creating a large frothy head. The person dispensing the beer must in fact dispense more than is required to fill the glass in order to reduce the head to a reasonable size otherwise complaints would be attracted from the customer; this over dispensing leads to considerable spillage.The spillage is caught in a drip tray, and is either drawn immediately back into the supply system to be re-dispensed, or is stored temporarily and is returned to the bulk supply at a later time.

It is not uncommon, even in the dispensing of highly carbonated beers to provide what is known as a "sparkler" on the end of the dispensing tap. This device is simply a restriction whose purpose is to accelerate the liquid in the region of the restriction, which acceleration causes agitation of the liquid, and therefore release of carbon dioxide therefrom, which contributes to the "head" which appears in the glass containing the dispensed drink. The utilisation of the conventional sparkler for the dispensing of highly carbonated beers is of little effect.

In a second method of dispensing beer from a bulk supply, which is used for beers of relatively low carbonation, sometimes referred to as "real ale" the bulk supply is open to atooosphere, and a pump which displaces a preset volume, for example quarter of a pint or half a pint, draws the beer from the supply on a stroke of the pump in one direction, and then discharges it through the dispensing tap on a subsequent stroke. The pump may be operated electrically, but more recently there has been a tendency to use more traditional hand pumps.The utilisation of a sparkler at the end of the dispensing tap in this method is of some importance because on the one hand, it is economically desirable that the beer should be dispensed from the dispensing tap as quickly as possible, which dictates that the supply pipes should be of as large a diameter as possible, but dispensing through such passages results in the dispensing of drinks in glasses which have no "head" and this is unacceptable to consumers at least in some parts of the United Kingdom. The provision of the sparkler to provide a restriction at the outlet of the tap provides that the flow of beer through the restriction causes agitation and acceleration which leads to the creation of foaming of the beer and therefore the creation of a head in the finished drink.The use of a sparkler however brings its own problems in this connection in that by accelerating the beer to produce the head by the use of a restrictor and also by virtue of the fact that the beer must issue at a sufficiently high velocity to ensure rapid dispensing of drinks, what happens in practice is that there is considerable turbulance in the collecting glass and this leads to considerable spillage. Spillage is always undesirable insofar as the condition of the spilled liquid is unlikely to be as good as the beer in the bulk supply, to the detriment of subsequent drinks dispensed, and this disadvantage is of particular significance in relation to "real ale" as mentioned above.

The present invention is concerned in one aspect with the provision of a dispensing tap permitting the dispensing of liquids, especially "real ale" beer in a fast and efficient manner and in which the likelihood of spillage is eliminated or considerably reduced.

In accordance with my invention, in a first aspect I provide that a dispensing tap is provided with a restrictor for creation of frothing of the liquid being dispensed therethrough, said restrictor being located sufficiently upstream of the tap outlet to ensure that the liquid is decelerated between the restrictor and the point from which the liquid issues from the tap.

Preferably, the restrictor is formed by a sleeve which locates in the passage through the tap for the liquid, said sleeve having an aperture or apertures in the wall thereof through which the liquid can pass.

The sleeve may be adapted to be position adjusted in the tap so as to vary the size of the restrictor, thereby to vary the amount of frothing of the liquid which will take place as it passes through the restrictor.

The sleeve may be position adjustable in the tap by means of being rotated, and the sleeve may be rotatable between a position of maximum restrictor size and complete blocking of the flow through the tap.

It is desirable that the restrictor should be in the tap, as this leads to the simplest design and permits of the easiest of adjustment, when the restrictor is adjustable, and it is also desirable that the restrictor should not be located too far from the tap outlet, but in a modification it may be possible to achieve the same effect by providing the restrictor at a location other than in the tap, for example in the passage connecting the bulk supply of liquid with the dispensing tap outlet.

In one example, the tap outlet comprises an outlet pipe of some five or six inches long, the restrictor being located at one end of the outlet pipe, and the outlet at the other end.

The outlet may have a conventional sparkler screwed thereto, but it is but it is preferred that a sparkling outlet as according to the second aspect of the invention be used.

The advantage of locating the restrictor away from the tap outlet to give the liquid an opportunity of decelerating after it leaves the restrictor, but before it leaves the tap outlet is that the liquid which emerges from the tap outlet is still insufficiently in agitated or foamed condition to provide a desirable head in the finished drink in the glass, but it will be travelling at a velocity which although adequate in terms of glass filling time will not be so high as to cause splashing and spillage.

It is appreciated that where a hand pump is used to deliver the liquid to the dispensing outlet, the person manipulating the hand pump can operate same at such a slow speed as to dispense a liquid which has no froth associated therewith, but dispensing at such a rate would be uneconomical.

On the other hand, in some areas of the country it is desirable to dispense for example beer which has no head whatsoever, and in this connection the restrictor would be adjusted to the maximum restrictor size position enabling the fastest flow through with minimum agitation and frothing, enabling the dispensing of what are sometimes referred to as ''flat" drinks i.e. drinks with no foam head.

The advantages of the first aspect of the invention will be readily understood, particularly by persons concerned with beer marketing and dispensing in that without loss of speed of dispensing, the restrictor provides that a drink with little or no foam head or a drink with substantial foam head can be provided, and in that by the manner of controlling the flow, ensuring there is a relatively low issue velocity from the dispensing tap outlet, the risk of spillage will be eliminated or reduced.

In a second aspect of the invention, it has been discovered that real ale or traditional beer can be dispensed without spillage and with the correct amount of frothing to produce a dispensed drink having a desirable "head" by adapting the tap outlet so that it has an outlet passage of much reduced cross sectional area compared to that of the conventional outlet or the conventional outlet provided with a sparkler.

The small outlet provides that the beer is dispensed in a small diameter stream or streams which although fast flowing, are of such small volume that there is one substantial sparkling and furthermore the small stream or streams gives or give rise to perfect frothing in the dispensed liquid, which means that just the correct amount of head is created in the finished drink.

The outlet of the tap is preferably defined by a single small diameter (of the order of 1/16th of an inch) outlet passage, which may typically be of the order of 1/2/ an inch long.

Dispensing beer, for example by a hand pump, through the outlet at an upstream pressure of the order of 60 p.s.i.

The outlet passage may be formed in an adaptor which is applied to the conventional tap outlet in place of the sparkler or it may be formed in the top outlet when it is manufactured.

The adaptor may be of any suitable length, but at present it is proposed that there be three lengths specifically 6", 4" and 1.1/2".

The small diameter outlet may be used independently of the ristricter or in combination therewith.

Simply by way of example, an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a "real ale" beer dispensing system; Fig. 2 shows in sectional elevation the dispensing tap of the system shown in Fig. 1, but in cross-sectional elevation; and Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing an outlet adaptor according to the second aspect of the diameter.

Referring to Fig. 1, a real ale beer dispensing system comprises a barrel 10 constituting a bulk supply of the beer, the barrel having a vent 12 to atmosphere and an outlet 14 leading to a piston operated pump 16. The piston is connected to a pull link 18 which is connected to a quadrant 20, quadrant 20 being pivotable about pivot point 22. An arm 24 is pivotally connected to quadrant 20 and is fast with a pull handle 26 which is mounted for example at a bar top or other dispensing point 28. Also mounted at dispensing point 28 is a dispensing tap 30 having a long outlet pipe 32 leading to an outlet 34, the tap 30 being in communication with the pump 16 via the supply line 36.

Under the outlet 34 is a drip tray 38 and for the collection of a quantity of beer, a glass 40 would be positioned under the outlet 34.

Operation of the system is basically simple in that when it is required to dispense a drink into a glass 40 (which is appropriately positioned) the operator pulls on handle 26 to pivot same in the direction of arrow 42, thereby turning quadrant 20 about pivot 22 and raising link 18 and the piston of pump 16. The beer in the pump 16 located above the piston is dispensed through the line 36 and the tap 30 to issue from the outlet 34. As the piston 16 is rising a fresh charge of beer is drawn into the vacated cylinder. When the handle is rocked back in the opposite direction to arrow 42, the beer in the cylinder flows through a valve in the piston so as to lie above the piston, and a subsequent pull on the pump 26 dispenses a further charge of beer through the tap 30 until the glass 40 is filled.In an improvement according to this invention, the pump 16 is made of smaller cross-section than normal so that the beer is pumped at a higher pressure than normal e.g. of the order of 90 psi compared to 30-40 psi as is normally used.

The tap 30 embodies an example of the first aspect of the present invention, and is shown in cross-sectional elevation in Fig. 2.

The tap 30 is essentially T-shaped in crosssection and is provided with an outlet spout 32 which has a passage 44 therein. This couples with the transverse passage 46 in a cross leg portion 48 of the tap. The front arm 50 of the portion 48 comprises a screwed plug 50A threaded so as to receive a locking nut 52, and in bore in the screwed plug is located a cylindrical flow sleeve 54 having a flange 56 which seats against the end of plug 50A and is sealed thereto via an O-ring seal 58. The nut 52 holds the sleeve 54 in position, but only sufficient so that the sleeve 50 can be turned in this example by means of a screw driver engaging in a slot 60 in an end head 60A of the sleeve 54. The sleeve is provided with an aperture 62 which registers with an aperture 50B in plug 50A which in turn registers with passage 44, and the sleeve is open at end 64.As beer dispensing takes place therefore the beer passes through the passage 46, through the sleeve 54, through aperture 62, through aperture 50B and then through the passage 44 which may be of a length of the order of five or six inches. Aperture 50B is best formed in the plug 50A after it has been inserted into operative position in the tap body to ensure that it will be correctly located in relation to passage 44.

The aperture 62 can form a greater or lesser restrictor depending upon the extent to which the sleeve 54 is angularly adjusted, and indeed the aperture 62 is moved completely out of register with aperture 50B, then dispensing can be blocked.

The aperture 62 is set to form the appropriate restriction i.e. partially overlapping aperture 50B so that at such restriction agitation and foaming of beer takes place. The passage 44 forms a deceleration passage so that by the time the beer issues from the outlet 34 it will be flowing at such a speed sufficient to fill the glass 40 at an adequately commercial rate, but not so fast as to cause excessive splashing which could lead to spillage. The tap can be set to ensure the dispensing of a drink with little or no head by appropriate positioning of the sleeve 54.

Fig.2 also shows a sparkler collar 66 and how it might be fitted to the outlet 34 if required, although it is believed that it will not be required especially in view of the second aspect of the invention.

Referring now to Fig. 3, in this figure the cross sectional view of the tap is shown in Fig. 2, but also shown in sectional elevation is an adaptor 100 which is for screwing onto the outlet end of the tap 32. The adaptor is a tubular body of length A, which typically may be 6 inches, 4 inches or 1.1/2 inches and it has a bore comprising at the upper end a section 102 of large internal diameter containing threads to thread to the outlet of tap 32, an intermediate bore portion 104 and finally an outlet small bore portion 106 which forms the outlet passage of the adaptor, which is of a diameter of approximately 1/16th inch.

Bore portion 104 has a diameter of 5/16th inch.

Bore portion 102 has a diameter of 5/8th inch and towards the bottom end the outer surface of the adaptor is tapered over a length of 1.3/4 inches.

The outlet passage 106 is important to the effective dispensing of the beer insofar as this passage ensures that a fine jet of beer issues from the outlet, and because of the smallness of the diameter, the splashing is restrained, and yet the correct frothing of the beer is achieved. The length of the passage is half an inch. It may be possible to form two or more passages 106, but the total cross section area should remain the same i.e. of the order of 1/16th inch for the effective dispensing.

The adaptor of Fig. 3 can be used in conjunction with the restrictor sleeve 54, or it can be used on its own as it has been found to provide effective beer dispensing in accordance with the requirements as mentioned herein.

Any of the features of novelty of the systems described can be used singly or in com bination and the applicantE reserves the right to claim on an invention any such feature or features prior to the grant of any patent on this application.

Claims (12)

1. A dispensing tap provided with an outlet of much reduced cross section compared to that of the conventional outlet or conventional outlet provided with a sparkler.

2. A dispensing tap according to Claim 1, wherein the outlet is defined by a single small diameter outlet passage.

3. A dispensing tap according to claim 2, wherein the outlet passage is of a diameter of the order of 1/16th of an inch.

4. A dispensing tap according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the outlet passage is of a length of the order of 1/2 inch.

5. A dispensing tap according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the outlet passage is formed in an adaptor removable from the tap.

6. A dispensing tap provided with a restrictor for creation of frothing of the liquid being dispensed therethrough, said restrictor being located sufficiently upstream of the tap outlet to ensure that the liquid is decelerated between the restrictor and the point from which the liquid issues from the tap.

7. A dispensing tap according to claim 6 wherein the restrictor is formed by a sleeve which locates in the passage through the tap for the liquid, said sleeve having an aperture or apertures in the wall thereof through which the liquid can pass.

8. A dispensing tap according to claim 7, wherein the sleeve is adapted to be position adjusted in the tap so as to vary the size of the restrictor, thereby to vary the amount of frothing of the liquid which will take place as it passes through the restrictor.

9. A dispensing tap according to claim 8, wherein the sleeve is position adjustable in the tap by means of being rotated, and the sleeve may be rotatable between a position of maximum restrictor size and complete blocking of the flow through the tap.

10. A dispensing tap according to any of claims 6 to 9, wherein the tap outlet comprises an outlet pipe of some five or six inches long, the restrictor being located at one end of the outlet pipe, and the outlet at the other end.

11. A dispensing tap according to any of claims 1 to 5 and any of claims 6 to 10.

12. A dispensing tap substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.