CA2928398A1 - Winemaking apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

There is provided an electric fermentation apparatus that allows the user to produce an alcoholic beverage with more automation thus reducing the need for lifting and racking The apparatus will also enable the user to filter and bottle the beverage using the same automation. The apparatus will provide a better end product with very little effort from the user.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electric fermentation apparatus that allows the user to produce an alcoholic beverage with more automation thus reducing the need for lifting and racking. The apparatus will also enable the user to filter and bottle the beverage using the same automation. The apparatus will provide for a better end product with very little effort from the user.
BACKGROUND
The present process for making wine has not changed for many decades. The process involves combining wine making ingredients into a plastic fermentation vessel referred to as the Primary. The Primary has a large opening and a loose fitting lid to allow access to oxygen as the initial fermentation requires oxygen to assist in rapid cell reproduction.
The mixture is allowed to ferment for approximately 1 week, after which the Primary is elevated to such a degree as to allow the fermented liquid to be siphoned to a Secondary vessel. The Secondary is normally made of either plastic or glass and has a small opening in order to fit an air lock, allowing the liquid to continue to ferment while not allowing exposure to oxygen, as now oxygen is very detrimental to wine as it will oxidize and darken the wine making it undrinkable.
The wine is now left to finish converting any residual sugar, that was not consumed in the Primary, to alcohol. This process usually lasts anywhere from 2-4 weeks, all depending on the temperature and strain of yeast used.
The completely fermented wine is now ready to be stabilized and clearing agents added, but first the Secondary must be lifted to a elevation in which the wine can be once again siphoned off the dead yeast "lees" into another clean Secondary vessel where the stabilizing and clearing ingredients are added. The air lock is again inserted into the small opening preventing any oxygen to access the wine, and is left for a week to clear.
The cleared wine is now ready to filter if one chooses and bottled, but once again the vessel must be lifted and then carefully siphoned off the settled lees before any filtering or bottling is attempted.
Between all these steps the racking tubes, hoses, and vessels must be cleaned and stored away for future use.
DISCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention contains two (2) stainless steel vessels, both of which has a hole in the sealed clamp down lid that the rubber air lock can be inserted, and another hole in the bottom of the vessel that contains a pre-filter of stainless steel screen attached to a food grade hose at which the extended end contains a "closed" female quick disconnect coupling. When the coupling is opened the liquid is allowed to flow through.

The stainless steel vessels sit in a cabinet and or enclosure that allows the vessels to rest on a shelf within the cabinet, the shelf has holes in the center below each vessel that enables the hose and coupling to fall below the shelf.
Mounted under the shelf is a small 12 volt food grade electric pump. This pump has Two (2) hoses connected to it. One hose is the intake and the other the outflow. At each extended end of each hose is an "open" male quick disconnect coupling.
The cabinet that houses the vessels has a lid that lifts up. The front or face of the cabinet contains two ports, one marked "clean" and the other "fill". The face of the cabinet also has two power buttons, one is constant and the other is intermittent. Also on the face of the cabinet near the top is the filling spout.
Inside the cabinet with the two fermentation vessels rests two other small containers, one is the filter assembly, the other is the container that holds the cleaning solution.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A "wine kit" or liquid that is being fermented is added to the Primary Stainless vessel and initiated with yeast, the lid is put in place without the air lock and allowed to ferment for 4 days after which the air lock is inserted into the lid preventing any oxygen to access the fermenting liquid.
The product is now left to finish fermenting which takes 2-4 weeks.
The product is now ready to have the stabilizing and clearing agents added.
First remove lids on both vessels, and connect the intake hose from the pump to the female coupling of the Primary. Now connect the outflow hose of the pump to the female coupling of the Secondary.
Turn on the pump with the constant power switch. While the pump is transferring the liquid from the Primary to the Secondary the stabilizing and clearing ingredients are added to the Secondary. When complete which takes about 8 minutes, turn off the pump and attach the lid with the air lock to the Secondary. Disconnect the hoses from the vessels. Clean the Primary and if wanted, one could now start another batch.
The pump and hoses after each use need to be cleaned. To do this attach the intake hose to the clean port and attach the outflow hose to the fill port. Fill the cleaner container inside the cabinet with cleaning solution, which consists of water and a pinch of metabisulphite.
Place a capturing container under the fill spout and depress the intermittent power switch, hold till all cleaning solution is dispensed, about 5 seconds. Disconnect the hoses.
After a week the product is now cleared and ready for filtering or one can go straight to bottling. If filtering simply hook up the filter unit between the filling spout and fill port inside the cabinet. If direct filling the hose from the fill port will go directly to the filling spout. To fill, hook up the intake hose to the Secondary and the outflow to the fill port. Place fill spout inside of bottle and depress the intermittent power switch until the desired level is reached. Repeat till done.

Remove hoses. Clean pump and hoses as before.
Conclusion With the present invention one can ferment, transfer, filter, and bottle without much lifting, other than the "kit" or initial liquid into the Primary.
The present invention adds protection from both oxygen and light, both of which are detrimental to the quality of the final product.
The entire unit takes up very little space and is easy to clean and keep clean.

Claims (7)

Claims:

1. An alcoholic producing apparatus comprising:
A housing made from plastic, wood, metal or any combination of such materials.
The housing will be no less than Six (6) and no more than Ten (10) cubic feet in size.
A top or lid will allow access to the fermentation tanks of which the two (2) tanks shall sit on an internal shelf.
The shelf will have a holding strength of no less than 150lbs and comprise of several ports or holes for tubing and electrical wiring.
An external door will allow access to the electric pump and tubing below the internal shelf.

2. An alcoholic producing apparatus further comprising of two fermentation tanks made from either stainless steel, glass or food grade plastic, holding capacity no less than Ten (10) litres and no greater than Thirty (30) litres.
Fermentation tanks have holes bored in the bottom, inserted on the inside of each tank is a stainless pre-filter screen attached to a external tubing with a quick disconnect fitting that allows for transfer of beverage from one tank to the other and for automated bottling.
Fermentation tanks have an opening on top that is equipped with a vent or airlock. The opening allows for the addition of ingredients to be fermented and for cleaning purposes.

3. An alcoholic producing apparatus comprising of small container no larger than 1 litre capacity that is open on top and has tubing off the bottom attached to a quick disconnect. This container will hold cleaning solution.

4. An alcoholic producing apparatus comprising of a inline filter unit that will connect to the dispensing spout at one end and have a quick disconnect at the opposite end. The inline filter unit will enable the user to clean or replace the filter.

5. An alcoholic producing apparatus comprising of a small voltage electric pump for the use in transferring fermented beverage from one fermentation tank to the other fermentation tank for the purpose of degassing and stabilizing.

The electric pump will be also used to transfer the fermented beverage onced stabilized and cleared through a filter and then through a dispensing spout into the final holding container for the finished beverage, be that a bottle or bag.
The electric pump will also transfer cleaning solution from the container of claim 3 to clean its self and any tubing used to transfer the fermented beverage.

6. An alcoholic producing apparatus consisting of two electric switches that operate a small electric pump of claim 5. One of which will be a rocker switch, this will operate the main transfer from tank to tank. The other being a intermittent switch, pressed will activate the pump, released will stop operation. The intermittent switch will mainly be used for dispensing and cleaning.

7. An alcoholic producing apparatus consisting of food grade plastic tubing.
The tubing is the "plumbing" of the apparatus, connecting and disconnecting the fermentation tanks, cleaning container, and dispensing spout through the electric pump with the use of quick disconnect fittings.