Abstract: Apparatus for supplying a draught beverage, comprising beverage cooling heat exchange means, a beverage outlet for cold beverage from said heat exchange means to issue from the outlet, openable and closable valve means for controlling supply of beverage to said outlet, and a beverage circulation loop for beverage to circulate in said loop.

Abstract: A self cooling can has water on a pre-wetted wick (478), in a chamber and an adsorbent in another chamber communicable upon actuation of the can with the chamber. One or both of the chambers is at low pressure. Upon actuation the pressure of the wick drops, water vapour is absorbed by the adsorbent from the internal atmosphere and more water evaporates from the wick to replace it, thereby causing a cooling effect in heat generated in the adsorbent may be contained by but a take-up system, such as phase change material or microcapsules of high heat capacity material such as water.

Abstract: A beverage pack comprises a container (28), beverage (41) held in the container (28), and beverage cooling means (10) provided in, or in association with, the container (28) and comprising a phase-change medium (22) such as water adapted in use to change phase and thus extract heat from the beverage. Adsorption or absorption means (20) such as activated carbon, ammonium nitrate, and a polymer may be provided to adsorb or absorb the phase-change medium (22). The phase-change medium may be arranged to vaporize into a vaporization chamber (26) at sub-atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: A self cooling beverage container or can. In one embodiment water (26) is maintained at low pressure such that the boiling point is reduced. The water (26) is caused to boil and the vapour to be absorbed by a desiccant. The boiling of the water (26) causes heat to be absorbed from the beverage. The desiccant may be carbon (28). The water (26) or carbon (28) (or other chemicals) in one embodiment are maintained within a blind bore (30) within the container. The water and carbon are separated by a burstable membrane (42).

Abstract: A self cooling beverage container or can. Different embodiments of a self cooling can are shown including the use of an endothermic reaction perhaps between ammonium nitrate and water. In another embodiment a volatile liquid is evaporated. In another embodiment water is maintained in a low pressure environment and allowed to boil. The vapour which is produced from the boiling water is absorbed by a desiccant maintaining the boiling process. The cooling process may be initiated by the pressure release of a carbonated beverage can during opening of the can.

Abstract: Proteinaceous material is added to beer or other beverages. In beer and those other beverages on which a head can be formed it helps to improve the head, while in beverages not normally forming a head it can enable a head to be formed. Proteins extracted from albumen may be employed or whole albumen may be used. To avoid any tendency to haze-formation, particularly on pasteurization, protein fragments may be used. These can be formed by hydrolyzing proteins such as albumen proteins. An alternative method is to use alkylated proteins. Alkylated protein fragments are particularly satisfactory. The alkyl radicals may contain from four to twenty carbon atoms, preferred radicals containing six carbon atoms.