GB1603452A

GB1603452A - Hollow stopper for vessels containing fermented beverages

Info

Publication number: GB1603452A
Application number: GB1929878A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: SOUTHERN VINYARDS Ltd
Current assignee: SOUTHERN VINYARDS Ltd
Priority date: 1978-05-31
Filing date: 1978-05-31
Publication date: 1981-11-25

Description

(54) HOLLOW STOPPER FOR VESSELS CONTAINING FERMENTED BEVERAGES (71) We, SOUTHERN VINYARDS LIMITED, a British Company of 65/67 Western Road, Hove, Sussex, BN3 2JQ do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement :- This invention relates to stoppers for bottles or other vessels for containing fermented beverages e. g. beers and wines.

More particularly it relates to stoppers which may be employed in the manufacture of beer or sparkling wines by the amatuer brewer and/or winemaker at home.

In the commercial production of sparkling wines by the"champagne method", wine which is incompletely fermented and unracked, i. e. which still contains the fermentation yeasts, is bottled and tightly stopper. Fermentation is allowed to continue slowly in the bottle for an extended period of time and a process known as "remuage"is carried out. In this process the bottles are gently agitated and moved over a period of weeks so that they attain an angle of 45 or more to the horizontal with the base of the bottle uppermost.

Each agitation of the bottle takes place with a rotation of the base so that yeasts and other sediments which may have settled are dislodged from the inside surface of the bottle and caused to slip towards and rest in the neck of the bottle.

Once the wine is clear, the sediment is usually removed by freezing the neck of the bottle and removing the stopper, whether it be a conventional cork or crown stopper. A pellet of ice enclosing the sediment is ejected by the internal pressure and losses of wine are made good either with clear wine or with a mixture of wine and brandy before the bottle is finally corked for sale.

This is a lengthy procedure and until now there has been no easy and reliable alternative method of isolating andíor removing the sediment after fermentation in the bottle which, it is generally agreed, is necessary to produce the best quality sparkling wines. It has been very difficult for the amateur home winemaker to produce sparkling wines since he lacks the techniques and facilities needed to remove the sediment by traditional methods.

A stopper in plastics material has been proposed to make the manufacture of sparkling wine easier. This stopper is hollow thoughout its length, is fairly rigid and has a head portion and a chamber that communicates with the interior of the head portion.

The idea is that sediments present and formed in the wine are agitated slowly during remuage down the neck of the bottle and through the hollow stopper into the chamber. Once the wine is clear, the chamber is swiftly cut off at its point of attachment to the head, thus revealing a hole in the head portion, and a plastic bung is forced into this hole to seal the bottle. Unfortunately, because of the rigidity of the plastic the head portion frequently splits when the bung is forced in.

This, of course, ruins the whole procedure.

In the home brewing of beer a problem frequently encountered is that of the separation of sediment usually present in bottles of beer. This sediment is generally suspended in the beer after most of the fermentation has been carried out and the beer has been racked but the presence of sediment in the beer when bottled helps develop sparkle in the beer. During this development, the : ediment generally settles to the base of the beer bottle and is desirably removed before the beer is drunk or moved e. g. by decantation. This removal is time-consuming and is frequently incomplete, owing to inexperience on the part of the person decanting, leading to cloudy beer.

We have now developed a range of stoppers for wine or beer bottles or other vessel which enables simple isolation of the sediment from the liquid in the bottle. In the case of sparkling wine, stoppers we are proposing obviate the need to open the bottle in any way during isolation of the sediment. Our stoppers include a reservoir into which the sediment can slip either during remuage (in the case of wine) or a similar activity carried out with beer and once the liquid is clear, a simple operation can prevent the sediment from returning into the bottle. In the case of beer-making, the stopper and sediment can be removed and a conventional stopper then fitted to the bottle to allow the beer to be transported in clear condition.

According to our invention, we provide a hollow stopper suitable for use with a bottle or other vessel containing liquid undergoing fermentation and containing sediment, said stopper being provided with a chamber arranged to communicate via a hollow head portion with the interior of the vessel in use, the chamber opening into the interior of the hollow head position and being otherwise closed, the stopper cooperating with the orifice of the bottle or vessel andEor having a form whereby in use impediment to the passage of sediment into the chamber is avoided, the wall of said chamber being sufficiently flexible to allow it to be deformed manually without fracture so as to trap sediment in the chamber. In the case of sparkling wine making, the chamber when deformed may be secured for reasons of convenience as will be explained below.

We also provide a method of isolating sediment from a liquid e. g. beer or wine during or after fermentation wherein fermentation is carried out in a vessel fitted with a hollow stopper having a chamber made of a flexible material communicating with the interior of the vessel, comprising allowing the sediment to pass into the chamber under the influence of gravity, and manually deformiag said chamber to trap the sediment therein and prevent remixing of the sediment with the liquid.

A preferred embodiment of a stopper useful in the production of sparkling wine comprises a hollow head portion having integrally connected thereto a depending generally cylindrical neck portion adapted to be inserted into the neck of a bottle such that the head portion abuts the top of the bottle. The neck portion is also hollow and allows communication of the interior of the bottle with the interior of the head portion.

An elongate chamber is also formed integrally with the head portion; one end of the chamber opens into the interior of the head portion and the other end is closed. The chamber extends from the side of the head portion opposite to the neck portion and is coaxial with the neck portion.

A further preferred embodiment of a stopper useful in the production of beer comprises a hollow head portion adapted to fit over and be retained by a rim on the neck of a bottle such that the interior of the head portion abuts the top of the bottle, there being an elongate chamber projecting from the head portion, one end of the chamber opening into the interior of the head portion whereby the interior of the chamber communicates with the interior of the bottle, the other end of the chamber being closed.

The stoppers can be made of any inert flexible material which is nevertheless capable of withstanding the internal pressure generated during the fermentation. Plastics materials are suitable and polythene has been found particularly suitable.

When the stopper is to be employed to contain liquid in bottles under quite high pressure, e. g. up to 100 psi as will be the case when making sparkling wines, the stopper will be provided with means to enable it to be secured to the bottle. Such means will preferably comprise a plurality of grooves down the side of the head portion to enable a flexible wire cage to be placed over the stopper and tightened around the rim of the bottle.

When the stopper is to be used to contain liquid in bottles under low pressures e. g. up to 20 psi as will be the case when finishing the fermentation of beer, the stopper will generally be able to clip over and be retained by the neck of the bottle.

It is preferred that the internal diameter of the stopper useful in the production of sparkling wine is substantially constant over the length extending from near the open end of the neck portion to the point at which the chamber joins the head portion, the said open end being tapered so as to meet the interior surface of the neck of the bottle at a small angle. This facilitates the passage of sediment through the neck and head portions and into the chamber. It is a disadvantage of the stopper previously proposed for making sparkling wine that the passage of the sediment into the chamber is impeded by a reduction in the internal diameter over a short distance where the chamber joins the head portion, which results in some sediment remaining in the head portion when the chamber is removed.

The chamber will most desirably be circular in cross-section, for maximum strength, although polygonal cross-sections may be used. The chamber may have a constant cross-section along substantially all of its length, or may taper, either with increasing or decreasing cross-section away from the head portion. The shape of the chamber is not critical to the successful use of the stopper, provided that the criterion of wall thickness is met.

To isolate the sediment and prevent its flow back into the clear beverage, that part of the chamber containing the sediment when the bottle fitted with the stopper is in a partially or completely inverted position may either be bent over and towards the neck of the bottle (in the case of sparkling wine), where it may be secured in its bent-over position either to the neck, or to the unbent portion of the chamber or to the head portion, depending on the length bent over or, in the case of beer, the chamber may simply be squeezed between the sediment and the head of the stopper and the stopper removed immediately afterwards when the beer will either be drunk or stoppered conventionally.

The chamber will prefrably be of a length which will enable it to be either secured to the neck of the bottle when manually bent over or squeezed. Any simple fastening can be employed to secure the deformed chamber to the neck of a bottle e. g. rubber band, tape, wire or string, and we have found thin wire most advantageous as this may be threaded through one of the loops of the flexible wire cage prior to being twisted around the bent-over chamber and this not only assists in preventing the fastening"rid- ing-up"the bent-over chamber, but also enables removal of the stopper cage and fastening in one easy action with retention of the chamber in the bent-over position.

This, it will be realised, is particularly relevant to the manufacture of sparkling wines.

In order to enable isolation of all the sediment when fermenting wine or when squeezing the chamber, and to allow bending over of the end of the chamber, when it is desired to secure it to the neck of the bottle it is generally convenient for the chamber to be at least 5 cm long, a length of 6-9 cm being most suitable. The thickness of the wall of the chamber is important and will be dependent to some extent on the material used.

In the case of polythene stoppers for making sparkling wine, the wall thickness will desirably be at least 1-00 mm, the thickness of the tip being, if desired, less to provide an element of safety. In the case of stoppers for making beer, the thickness is less crucial, as excess pressure will tend to blow the stopper of the bottle, but will generally be not less than 0-5 mm. Too thick a wall however would make manual deformation difficult and might lead to fracture, and too thin a wall might not withstand the internal pressure of the bottle at normal operating pressures and could also fracture when bent over. In the case of stoppers for making sparkling wines the thickness will desirably be such as to fracture at a predetermined range of pressures to act in use as a safety device to allow release of any excess pressure in the event of the pressure reaching a range that might burst the bottle, though it is intended that only rea ! champagne bottles, which can withstand high pressures e. g. up to 200 psi should be used. For example, the stopper may be able to withstand a working pressure of 100-140 psi.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a stopper of the invention, suitable in the manufacture of sparkling wines, along its longi- tudinal axis; Figure 2 shows a section along the line B-B of Figure 1 through the head portion of the stopper; Figure 3 shows a section along the line A-A of Figure 2 through one of the solid portions of the head bearing a groove; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a stopper in use on a wine bottle, after the chamber has been manually deformed and secured to trap the sediment; and Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a further stopper of the invention, suitable for use in making beer, along its longitudinal axis.

Referring to the drawings, the stopper is made of low density polythene and has a neck portion 2 with an open end of external diameter about 18 mm suitable for insertion into the retention by the neck of a wine bottle. The end 1 is tapered so as to meet the interior surface of the neck of the bottle at a small angle. On the exterior surface of the neck portion 2 of the stopper are situated a plurality of ribs 3, three being shown, for stiffening the neck portion 2 and for engagement within the neck of the bottle. The neck portion of the stopper between the ribs 3 and the open end 1 is flared slightly to assist in insertion and retention of the stopper in the neck of the wine bottle.

A head portion 4 of the stopper integrally connected to the neck portion 2 enables grip on the stopper and fastening thereof to the bottle. The head portion 4 comprises four projections 6 extending radially outwardly from the interior wall of the head portion 4 and parallel to the principal axis of the stopper. The projections 6 define therebetween recesses 7 which are bounded by a skirting wall 5 and an end wall 18 at the neck end. As shown in Figs. I and 4, the recesses 7 are open at one end. This may simplify manufacture and save material.

The projections 6 have grooves 8 formed thereon for engagement with a wire cage 14 to secure the stopper to the bottle. The grooves may be of constant depth along all of their length but in the embodiment illustrated, the projections 6 and skirting wall 5 are angled at 9 as shown in Figures I and 3 and so the grooves will be of varying depth, being deepest at the points 9. The internal diameter of the stopper between a point near the open end I and the end wall 18 is substan tially constant in the embodiment illustrated so as to allow free passage of sediment through the stopper.

An elongate chamber 10 is defined by a wall 11 and has a closed end 12. The chamber 10 is formed integrally with the head portion 4 and opens into the interior of the head portion 4 so as to be in communication with the interior of the bottle in use. The wall 11 is sufficiently flexible to allow it to be manually deformed without fracture and secured so as to trap sediment in the chamber. In the illustrated embodiment the chamber may be bent over to define a fold line which seals off the end of the chamber.

In the embodiment illustrated, the wall 11 tapers slightly towards the closed end 12, though it need not do so. The thickness of the wall 11 is preferably 1-00 mm or slightly more, this being found suffiicient to withstand normal internal pressures of wind fermenting in bottle but thin enough to allow bending over by hand towards the head portion 4 without fracture. To allow bending over of the chamber 10, a suitable length for the chamber is from 6-9 cm. The thickness of the closed end 12 may be less than 1-00 mm as a safety feature.

The stopper of the invention may be produced by techniques conventional in the plastics industry for the production of hollow articles, of which side injection moulding using a four part side tool is most preferred.

In use, the stopper is inserted into the neck of a bottle 13 of fermenting wine and secured with a wire cage 14 placed over the head portion 4, in the grooves 8 and under the rim 15 of the bottle. The bottle is inverted and as fermentation continues sediment passes through the neck portion 2 and head portion 4 to settle in the chamber 10. When fermentation is complete, the chamber 10 is bent over by hand and secured to the neck of the bottle by a suitable fixing such as a wire band 16 threaded through one of the loops of the wire cage 14 and twisted around the end of the chamber.

When the chamber is bent over, a fold 21 is formed, preferably close to the head portion 4, and seals off the end of the chamber so as to trap the sediment as indicated at 22. The stopper and trapped sediment may then be removed allowing completely clear wine to be served.

In Fig. 5, the stopper is made of low density polythene and has a head portion 4 suitable for clipping over the neck of a beer bottle 23. The head has a rib 3 for stiffening the head portion and for engagement under the rim 15 of the beer bottle.

The elongate chamber 10 is defined by the wall I I and has a closed end 12. The chamber 10 is formed integrally with the head portion 4 and the point at which the chamber joins the head portion has an internal diameter approximating to or larger than that of the internal diameter of the neck of a beer bottle, for example about 18 mm. This ensures that no ledge is created on which the sediment might settle instead of entering the chamber when the bottle and stopper are inverted.

A tongue 24 facilitates removal of the stopper from the bottle when desired.

In use, the stopper is clipped over the rim of a bottle containing partially racked beer.

The bottle is inverted and as the fermentation slowly ceases, sediment passes through the head 4 into the chamber. When it is desired to drink the beer or to transport it e. g. on a picnic, the chamber is squeezed and the bottle returned to the upright position, maintaining the squeeze to retain the sediment, before the stopper is unclipped and removed and a conventional stopper fitted if needed. This allows clear beer to be obtained.

It will be appreciated that although marginally less convenient, the chamber 10 and head portion 4 in this embodiment need not be integrally formed and a collar around the open end of the chamber could abut both the interior of the head portion and the top of the neck of the bottle, the combination when in position providing an equivalent result.

Claims

WHAT WE CLAIM IS :- 1. A hollow stopper suitable for use with a bottle or other vessel containing a liquid undergoing fermentation and containing sediment, said stopper being provided with a chamber arranged to communicate via a hollow head portion with the interior of the vessel when in use, the chamber opening into the interior of the hollow head portion and being otherwise closed, the stopper cooperating with the orifice of the bottle or vessel and/or having a form whereby in use impediment to the passage of sediment into the chamber is avoided. the wall of said chamber being suffiiciently flexible to allow it to be deformed manually without fracture so as to trap sediment in the chamber.
2. A stopper as claimed in claim I comprising a hollow head portion having inte grally connected thereto a generally cylindrical neck portion adapted to be inserted into the neck of a bottle such that the head portion abuts the top of the bottle, the neck portion also being hollow and allowing communication of the interior of the bottle with the interior of the head portion, the chamber being elongate and formed integrally with the head portion, one end of the chamber opening into the interior of the head portion and the other end being closed.
3. A stopper as claimed in claim 2 wherein the chamber extends from the side of the head portion remote from the neck portion and is coaxial with the neck portion.
4. A stopper as claimed in claim 2 or 3 including a plurality of grooves formed in the side of the head portion of the stopper to enable a flexible wire cage to be placed over the stopper and tightened around the rim of a bottle.
5. A stopper as claimed in claim 4 wherein the head portion has recesses between solid portions bearing the grooves.
6. A stopper as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5 wherein the internal diameter of the stopper is substantially constant over the length extending from near the open end of the neck portion to the point at which the chamber joins the head portion.
7. A stopper as claimed in any of claims 2 to 6 wherein the said open end of the neck is tapered so as to meet the interior surface of the neck of the bottle at a small angle.
8. A stopper as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7 wherein the wall of the chamber is at least 1-00 mm thick.
9. A stopper as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7 wherein the wall of the chamber is approximately 1-00 mm thick.
10. A stopper as claimed in any of claims I to 9 wherein the chamber is 6-9 cm long.
11. A stopper as claimed in claim 1 comprising a hollow head portion adapted to fit over and be retained by a rim on the neck of a bottle such that the interior of the head portion abuts the top of the bottle, the chamber being elongate and projecting from the head portion, one end of the chamber opening into the interior of the head portion whereby the interior of the chamber communicates with the interior of the bottle, the other end of the chamber being closed.
12. A stopper as claimed in claim 11 wherein the internal diameter of the chamber at the point which it joins the head portion is approximately equivalent to or greater than the internal diameter of the open end of the bottle.
13. A stopper as claimed in claim 1I or claim 12 wherein the wall of the chamber is at least 0-5 mm thick.
14. A stopper as claimed in any of claims 11-13 wherein the chamber is 6-9 cm long.
15. A stopper as claimed in any of claims 11-14 wherein the elongate chamber is formed integrally with the head portion.
16. A stopper suitable for use in making wine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1-4 of the accom panying drawings.
17. A stopper suitable for use in making beer substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.
18. A method of isolating sediment from a liquid during or after fermentation wherein fermentation is carried out in a vessel fitted with a hollow stopper having a chamber made of a flexible material communicating with the interior of the vessel, comprising allowing the sediment to pass into the chamber under the influence of gravity, and manually deforming said chamber to trap the sediment therein and prevent remixing of the sediment with the liquid.
19. A method of isolating sediment from wine or beer during or after fermentation as claimed in claim 18 substantially as hereinbefore described.