U.S. Patent No. 30,147 - Improvement in Factitious Beer

United States Patent No. 30,147
-Issued September 25, 1860

 Improvement in  Factitious Beer

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This is a fascinating one.  A powdered product which, when added to water, creates an "effervescent imitation beer."

The powder is made from a reduction of powdered sugar and red wine (claret in this case).  The reduction is thinned out with fresh wine and more sugar and mixed with gum arabic, sodium bicarbonate and tartaric acid.  The final mixture is dried, sieved and mixed with even more sugar.

Claret often shows up in old wine-based punch recipes and generally refers to a red wine - usually a young wine - from the Bordeaux region of France. 

According to Inventor Luedke, one teaspoon of powder in half a pint of water results in the imitation beer.   I'm not terribly sure how the combo of wine, sugar and water really gets you to beer but its an interesting idea.  In many ways, its a dried alcoholic punch (strong, weak, sour, sweet and bitter).   Sort of a Kool-Aid for adults....in the 19th century.

I'd be curious to see if this could be adapted with other base spirits or how the incorporation of citrus rind or spices to the original reduction might change the flavor. 


The entire patent after the jump.