Process for the manufacture of beer, ale and the like

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A POTABLE BEER BY THE CONTINUOUS FERMENTING AND MATURING OF BREWERY WORT IN A CONTINUOUS FERMENTATION AND MATURING SYSTEM, THE STEPS OF MAINTAINING A FIRST FERMENTING ZONE AND A SECOND FERMENTING ZONE; MAINTAINING IN EACH FERMENTING ZONE A BODY OF CONTINUOUSLY FERMENTING WORT CONTAINING YEAST IN SUSPENSION; ADDING BREWERY WORT TO SAID FIRST ZONE; SUBSTANTIALLY HOMOGENEOUSLY DISPERSING THE ADDED WORT THROUGHOUT THE BODY WITHIN SAID FIRST ZONE AS TO MAINTAIN CONTINUOUSLY THEREIN A SUBSTANTIALLY HIGH CONCENTRATION OF YEAST GROWTH MATERIALS WHEREBY CONDITIONS FAVORABLE TO YEAST PROPAGATION ARE MAINTAINED THROUGHOUT SAID BODY IN THE FIRST ZONE; PASSING PROPAGATING YEASTBEARING EFFLUENT FROM SAID FIRST ZONE TO SAID SECOND ZONE; AND SUBSTANTIALLY HOMOGENEOUSLY DISPERSING SAID PROPAGATING YEAST-BEARING EFFLUENT THROUGHOUT THE BODY WITHIN SAID SECOND ZONE AS TO MAINTAIN SAID SECOND ZONE BODY AT A SUBSTANTIALLY HIGH YEAST CONCENTRATION FAVORABLE TO RAPID FERMENTATION AND MAINTAING SUBSTANTIALLY HIGH CONCENTRATION OF PRODUCTS OF ERMENTATION INCLUDING ALCOHOL IN SAID BODY OF SAID SECOND ZONE, WHEREBY CONDITIONS FAVORABLE TO ACCELERATED MATURING ARE SUSTAINED; AND WITHDRAWING FERMENTED AND MATURED YEAST-BEARING EFFLUENT FROM THE SECOND ZONE AND SEPARATING YEAST THEREFROM.