GB2294884A

GB2294884A - Method and apparatus for enhancing a beverage head

Info

Publication number: GB2294884A
Application number: GB9521513A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alexander Richard Dunn; John David Cooke
Original assignee: Scottish and Newcastle Ltd
Current assignee: Heineken UK Ltd
Priority date: 1994-10-20
Filing date: 1995-10-20
Publication date: 1996-05-15
Anticipated expiration: 2015-10-20
Also published as: GB9521513D0; GB9421142D0; GB2294884B; WO1996012669A1; AU3702595A

Abstract

A gas jetting apparatus is used to jet a fine jet of gas through an orifice of a nozzle into a beverage, for example beer, to promote formation of a creamy head. This apparatus may be incorporated into a beverage dispenser, for example a beer tap which dispenses draught beer. <IMAGE>

Description

"Method and Apparatus for Enhancing a Beverage Head" This invention relates to a method and apparatus for enhancing a beverage head, particularly, but not exclusively, a head on a draught beer dispensed from a tap.

Sparklers are sometimes used to agitate a flow of beer as it is dispensed from a beer tap; this can promote frothing of the beer and contribute to formation of a head on the dispensed beer. It is also known to provide a single use secondary chamber within a sealed, pressurised beer can from which gas and/or beverage is jetted > o beer within the can when the can is opened.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of promoting formation of a beverage head, comprising jetting a fine jet of gas derived from a gas source through at least one orifice and into a dispensed beverage.

The method may form or assist in the formation of a head.

The beverage may be dispensed from a tap; it may be a draught beverage.

The gas may be jetted into the beverage once the beverage has been dispensed. Alternatively or additionally, the gas may be jetted into the beverage whilst the beverage is being dispensed, it may be jetted into a stream of beverage.

The orifice may be a restricted orifice; it may be substantially circular in cross-section and may have a diameter of approximately 0.3mm. One preferred diameter of orifice is 0.22mm. The gas is preferably pressurised; it may be pressurised at between 25 and 50 psi. A preferred pressure is 40 psi. The gas may be nitrogen, carbon dioxide, a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide and any other suitable gas or mixture of gasses.

The gas may be jetted obliquely into the dispensed beverage in relation to a top surface of the dispensed beverage; it may be jetted into the beverage at an angle of substantially 45" to the surface of the dispensed beverage.

The gas may be jetted into the beverage from a position below the surface level of the dispensed beverage.

The beverage may be, for example, a beer, (which term is intended to include normal and low alcohol beer, lager, stout, ale, and other similar beverages), a cider, a non-alcoholic drink or a soft drink.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a multiple use beverage head promoting apparatus, in which the apparatus comprises a gas jetting member which defines at least one orifice adapted to have a gas from a gas source jetted therethrough so as to jet a fine jet of gas into a beverage to promote formation of a head.

The apparatus may have an actuator for causing gas to be jetted through the orifice; this may be manually operated.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a beverage dispensing apparatus having a gas jetting apparatus for jetting a fine jet of gas through an orifice and into a beverage.

The apparatus may have separate, independent, actuators for causing beverage to be dispensed and for causing gas to be jetted into the beverage. Alternatively, or additionally, the apparatus may have a single actuator for causing both functions.

The jetting apparatus may comprise a small bore tube; this may be disposed within or on the exterior of a beverage outlet of the dispensing apparatus.

Preferably, a plurality of orifices are provided; each of these may have a diameter of approximately 0.3mm. A preferred diameter is 0.22mm. One preferred number of orifices is four.

The orifice(s) may be disposed in the side of the tube or in a nozzle and may be angled obliquely, preferably at 45 , to a top surface of the dispensed beverage.

The gas may be stored at a source remote from the dispensing apparatus. It may be derived from a keg or barrel from which a beverage is dispensed by the apparatus or from a gas supply supplying a keg or barrel.

Preferably, an end of the gas tube is blanked and is disposed below the surface of the beverage when operated.

A metering apparatus may be provided to meter a or one of a plurality of predetermined doses of gas to be jetted into the beverage. This may comprise a chamber which is pressurised with the gas and from which the gas is subsequently discharged through the orifice(s).

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: Fig.l is a front view of an apparatus in accordance with the present invention; Fig.2 is a side view, partially in cross section, of the apparatus of Fig.l; Fig.3 is a side view, similar to Fig.2, of a slightly modified apparatus; Fig.4 is a front view of part of an alternative apparatus; Fig.5 is a front view of part of Fig.4 with a front cover removed; Fig.6 is a cross-section along line 6-6 of Fig.4; Fig.7 is a cross-section along line 7-7 of Fig.5; Fig.8 is a cross-section along line 8-8 of Fig.5; and Fig.9 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view of an end of a gas jetting nozzle.

The apparatus 10 of Fig.l and Fig.2 is provided in the form of a beer tap for dispensing draught beer. Its base 11 will typically be mounted on a bar.

When pivoted downwardly a manually operable actuator in the form of a lever 12 acts via a cam 13 on a beer valve 14 to dispense draught beer through a beer outlet nozzle 15. A gas outlet valve 16 is positioned above the beer valve 14. Rearward movement of the actuator 12 causes the cam 13 to rotate so as to open the gas outlet valve 16 and cause pressurised gas to be jetted from a pressurised gas source (not shown), through a 23mm diameter gas tube 17 and out of a gas jetting nozzle 18. The gas tube 17 may be provided as a plastics or metal (for example stainless steel) pipe and is arranged, in this embodiment, along an outside surface of the beer nozzle 15. Alternatively, the tube 17 may be positioned within or partially within the beer nozzle 15.

Positioning the tube 17 on a side of the beer nozzle 15 which normally faces towards a barman makes it inconspicuous to a customer at the bar. The outlet of the gas jet 18 is positioned below the outlet of the beer nozzle 15, in this case by about 10mm.

The actuator 12 is biased to a rest position (as shown in Fig.2) in which the cam 13 does not act on either the gas valve 16 or the beer valve 14 and these valves are, in this configuration, resiliently biased closed.

In the apparatus of Fig.3, the beer nozzle 15 and gas tube 17 have a slightly different configuration.

The gas jetting nozzle 18 (shown in Fig.9) has a plurality of restricted outlet orifices 19 disposed circumferentially around a wall 20 above a blanked end 21. Each of the six orifices 19 which are shown are angled within the wall 20 such that they point down and away from a longitudinal axis of the nozzle. Multiple orifices 19 are provided as it is envisaged that some of the orifices may become blocked during repeated operation. The nozzle 18 is preferably provided as a releasable, for example screw threaded, attachment to the tube 17 to facilitate regular removal and cleaning.

In an alternatively preferred embodiment, 4 orifices are provided, spaced around a 300 arc of the circumference of the nozzle. This allows the nozzle to be placed in a glass of beer close to a wall of the glass and to fire gas in a 300 sector away from the wall.

The apparatus 10 may be used to dispense a desired quantity beer, for example into a glass, in the same way as a standard beer tap. An operator may then use the actuator 12 to jet a fine jet of gas from the gas jetting apparatus 16, 17, 18 through the restricted orifices 19 of the gas nozzle 18 into the beer in the glass. This is preferably done when the gas nozzle 18 is positioned below the surface level of the beer in the glass. Typically, gas may be jetted for 1-2 seconds but longer or shorter jetting times may be desirable.

The high velocity fine jet of gas seeds release of bubbles from the carbonated beer and assists in the formation of a creamy head.

The apparatus may also be used to jet gas into a beverage that has been dispensed from a different dispenser or to inject a further jet of gas into a dispensed beverage.

In a further arrangement (not shown) separate actuators, each with a respective cam, are provided for the beer valve 14 and the gas valve 16. The apparatus may also be arranged such that gas is jetted automatically when the beer valve 14 has been actuated to dispense the beverage.

In the apparatus shown in Fig.4 - Fig.8, similar parts have been designated with the same reference numerals as before, incremented by 100. In this arrangement, the beer valve 114 and the gas valve 116 are arranged side by side rather than one about the other. Each valve 114, 116, has a separate associated cam 113 but the cams 113 are linked so as to be operated by a single actuator 112.

Claims

Claim.

1 A multiple use beverage head promoting apparatus, in which the apparatus comprises a gas jetting member which defines at least one orifice adapted to have a gas from a gas source jetted therethrough so as to jet a fine jet of gas into a beverage to promote formation of a head.

2 An apparatus in accordance with Claim 1, in which the jetting member is provided as a releasable nozzle.

3 An apparatus in accordance with Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the jetting member has a plurality of orifices.

4 An apparatus in accordance with Claim 3 in which the orifices are spaced around a perimeter of the jetting member.

5 An apparatus in accordance with Claim 4 in which the orifices are spaced so as to jet gas over a portion extending substantially 300 around the jetting member.

6 An apparatus in accordance with any preceding claim in which the or at least one of the orifices is arranged to jet gas obliquely into the beverage with respect to a top surface of the beverage.

7 An apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which the or at least one of the orifices is arranged to jet gas into the beverage at an angle of substantially 45" to the top surface of the beverage.

8 An apparatus is accordance with any preceding claim in which the or at least one of the orifices is arranged to jet gas downwardly into the beverage.

9 An apparatus in accordance with any preceding claim in which the or at least one of the orifices is substantially circular in cross-section and has a diameter of substantially 0.22mm.

10 An apparatus in accordance with any preceding claim in which the gas jetted into the beverage is derived from a gas source in which the pressure is between 35 and 50 psi.

11 An apparatus in accordance with any preceding claim in which the apparatus has a metering apparatus for metering a predetermined dose of gas to be jetted into the beverage.

12 An apparatus in accordance with Claim 11 in which one of a plurality of predetermined doses of gas may be selected by an operator.

13 An apparatus in accordance with any preceding claim in which the beverage head promoting apparatus is incorporated in a beverage dispenser having a beverage nozzle.

14 An apparatus in accordance with Claim 13 in which the beverage dispenser is adapted to dispense the beverage under pressure from a container and in which the gas source for the gas is a gas source that is also adapted to dispense the beverage from the container.

15 An apparatus in accordance with Claim 13 or Claim

14 in which the gas nozzle is positioned externally of the beverage dispensing nozzle.

16 An apparatus in accordance with any one of Claims

13 to 15 in which the gas nozzle is positioned below an output of the beverage dispensing nozzle.

17 An apparatus in accordance with any one of Claim

13 to 16 in which the gas nozzle is connected to the gas source through a gas pipe, at least part of which is arranged along an exterior surface of the beverage nozzle.

18 An apparatus in accordance with any one of Claims

13 to 17 in which dispensing of the beverage through the beverage nozzle is controlled by a valve.

19 An apparatus in accordance with any preceding claim in which the gas is one of the group comprising: nitrogen, carbon dioxide; and a mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

20 An apparatus in accordance with any preceding claim in which the beverage is a beer.

21 A method of promoting formation of a head on a dispensed beverage in which a fine jet of gas derived from a gas source is jetted through at least one orifice into the dispensed beverage.

22 A method in accordance with Claim 21 in which the beverage is held in a drinking vessel.

23 A method in accordance with Claim 22 in which the drinking vessel is a glass.

24 A method in accordance with any one of Claims 21 to 23 in which the method is carried out using apparatus in accordance with any one of Claims 1 to 20.

25 An apparatus substantially as described herein with reference to one or more of the accompanying drawings.

26 A method substantially as described herein.