CPC Definition - Subclass C12C
This place covers:
Raw materials used in preparing beer (e.g. malt, hops), and treatment thereof.
Preparation of wort.
Fermentation processes for beer.
Processes for producing special kinds of beer.
Brewing devices.
Beer per se.
C12H deals only with pasteurisation, sterilisation, preservation, purification, clarification or ageing of alcoholic beverages.
Post-fermentation treatment such as carbonation is subject matter of this subclass but is classified in C12H when combined with subject matter of that subclass.
Low alcohol beer is classified in C12C 12/04.
Low alcohol wine is classified in C12G 1/14 and other low alcohol beverages are classified in C12G 3/025.
This place does not cover:
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Preparation of malt for use as foodstuffs | |
Cleaning of raw materials, e.g. fruit and vegetables | |
Separation of solids from liquids in general | |
Containers with means for effervescing potable liquids | |
Pitching or depitching machines, or cellar tools | |
Propagating yeasts | |
Ethanolic fermentation for non-beverage purposes |
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Beer | The term beer includes alcoholic drinks produced by the fermentation of sugars derived from grains of barley, wheat, sorghum, maize or rice. |
Brew kettles | Apparatus in which the wort is boiled. |
Caramel/black malt | Malt which has been sufficiently heated to caused sugars to caramelize. |
Fermentation | Process whereby yeast converts sugar to ethyl alcohol. |
Germ | The germ is the shoot which has started to grow from a grain. |
Immobilized yeast | The yeast is absorbed on a material instead of being dispersed in the liquid. |
Low alcohol | This is beer which has a lower alcohol content than would be expected from complete fermentation of the wort. |
Malt | Malt is the term used for partially germinated and subsequently dried grains in which part of the starch has been converted to sugar. |
Mash | Mash is a mixture of malt and water. Mashing refers to the process of extracting the sugars from the grains, often at elevated temperature. |
Pitching | This is the process of adding yeast to the wort. |
Steeping | Soaking the grains in water primarily to stimulate germination. |
Wort | Wort is the liquid part of the mash which is left after removal of the insolubles |
In patent documents, the following words/expressions are often used as synonyms:
- "Low alcohol", "Reduced alcohol" and "dealcoholized"
In patent documents, the following words/expressions are often used with the meaning indicated:
"malt" | "malted barley". |
" Secondary sources of starch/sugar" | " adjuncts. |
""wort" | "beerwort". |
"Brew kettles" | "coppers". |
" Water when used in brewing" | "liquor". |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for preparing malt for brewing beer.
This place does not cover:
Malt products for use in food |
Methods or apparatus for preparing malt for purposes other than brewing beer may/might be classified in this group if there is a similarity with typical beer brewing methods/apparatus and/or if no group that is more pertinent exists.
This place covers:
Germination of brewing grains on single or multi-stage floors.
This place does not cover:
Germination in boxes or drums |
For the distinction of "floors" from "boxes" the dimensions are relevant: the term "floors" designates large surfaces (such as classical hurdles), whereas "boxes" implies relatively small surface areas.
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Hurdle | Malt germination (or drying) floor |
This place covers:
Germination of brewing grains in boxes or drums.
This place does not cover:
Germination of brewing grains on single or multi-stage floors |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Malt drying on moving supports (may involve drums) |
For the distinction of "floors" from "boxes" the dimensions are relevant: the term "floors" designates large surfaces (such as classical hurdles), whereas "boxes" implies relatively small surface areas.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for preparing malt for brewing beer, wherein the germination is influenced by chemical and/or physical means.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for preparing malt for brewing beer, wherein the germination is influenced by irradiation, electric or wave energy treatment.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for preparing brewing malt, wherein the brewing grains are subjected to drying.
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Continuous or semi-continuous drying |
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Kilning, kiln-drying | Drying of malt in a kiln |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus specially adapted to save or recover energy during drying of brewing grains.
Since saving or recovering energy is a general goal of grain drying, this symbol should only be given if the respective means are specifically emphasised and/or claimed, i.e. if they form an important aspect of the invention.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for preparing brewing malt, wherein the brewing grains are subjected to drying on fixed supports.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for preparing brewing malt, wherein the brewing grains are subjected to drying on moving supports.
This symbol is only to be given if the supports move during the drying process (i.e. rotating hurdles). For instance, floor segments that can be inclined to discharge grains do not fall within this group, because they are actuated only when drying is complete.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for the semi-continuous or continuous steeping, germination and/or drying of brewing grains.
This place does not cover:
Batch mode steeping, germination and/or drying of brewing grains |
This symbol should be given if (semi-) continuous steeping, germination and/or drying is specifically emphasised and/or claimed.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for the semi-continuous or continuous steeping, germination and/or drying of brewing grains, wherein the grains are transported vertically.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for the semi-continuous or continuous steeping, germination and/or drying of brewing grains, wherein the grains are transported horizontally.
This place covers:
Apparatus for turning, charging and/or discharging brewing grain or malt.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for the after-treatment of malt, e.g. malt cleaning or detachment of the germ.
This place covers:
Preparation of malt extract or of special kinds of malt, e.g. caramel malt, black malt.
This place covers:
Apparatus and methods adapted for the treatment of hops used in brewing beer.
This place does not cover:
Boiling of wort (beerwort) with hops |
This place covers:
Apparatus or methods adapted for the preparation of hop powder or hop pellets.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for the preparation of solvent extracts from hops.
This place does not cover:
Boiling of wort (beerwort) with hops |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for the solvent extraction of hops with beerwort.
This place does not cover:
Boiling of wort (beerwort) with hops |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for the solvent extraction of hops using carbon dioxide.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for preparing isomerised products from hops used in beer brewing.
This place covers:
Brewing water used as ingredient for preparing beer.
This place covers:
Enzymes used as raw material (or as ingredient) in the preparation of beer.
This place does not cover:
The use of malt extract or special malt products as enzyme source |
This place covers:
Beta-glucanase or functionally equivalent enzymes used as raw material or as ingredient in the preparation of beer.
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Functionally equivalent | Beta-glucanase is usually added to avoid "gushing", i.e. undesired excessive foaming of beer. Enzymes other than Beta-glucanase used to give the same effect are considered as functionally equivalent. |
This place covers:
Use of hop surrogates as raw material or ingredient in the preparation of beer.
This place does not cover:
Hops, i.e. the standard hopping ingredient |
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Hop surrogates | Materials used for obtaining the same or similar effects usually provided by hop, in particular flavouring. |
This place covers:
Beer additives used for enhancing the vitamin content.
This place does not cover:
Adding vitamins to foods |
This group covers also any vitamin containing material in so far as the purpose of its addition is indicated to be vitamin enrichment of beer.
This group is considered as relating to the addition of (vitamin containing) additives to finished beer only.
This place covers:
Beer additives used for flavouring purposes.
This place does not cover:
Hops | |
Hop surrogates | |
Flavouring additives for non-alcoholic beverages |
This group is considered as relating to the addition of flavouring additives to finished beer only.
This place covers:
Beer additives used for colouring purposes.
This place does not cover:
Black malt or other colouring malts |
This group is considered as relating to the addition of colouring additives to finished beer only.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for preparing wort in a beer brewing process.
Methods or apparatus for preparing wort in processes other than beer brewing, e.g. production of industrial alcohol from cereals, in so far as significant similarities with the usual beer brewing methods or apparatus and/or no classes that are more relevant exist.
Wort preparation is also common in the industrial / non-beverage preparation of alcohol and is covered by C12P 7/06.
This place does not cover:
Malt extract |
Until further notice, wort preparation in processes other than beer brewing is also covered, in so far as it is considered that significant similarities with the usual beer brewing methods or apparatus and/or no better classes for covering the subject-matter exist.
In patent documents, the following words/expressions are often used with the meaning indicated:
" Wort " | " beerwort ". |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for pre-treating malt, e.g. malt grinding used for preparing wort in a beer brewing process.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for preparing or treating mash in a beer brewing process.
Mash preparation is also common in the industrial / non-beverage preparation of alcohol and is covered by C12P 7/06.
Until further notice, mash preparation in processes other than beer brewing is also covered, in so far as it is considered that significant similarities with the usual beer brewing methods or apparatus and/or no better classes for covering the subject-matter exist.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for mixing malt with water in the preparation of mash for beer brewing.
This place does not cover:
Steeping brewing grains |
This place covers:
Methods for cooling the mash in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Apparatus, with cooling means for cooling the mash in a beer brewing process, per se |
This place covers:
Methods for preparing or treating mash in a beer brewing process, wherein at least part of the mash is derived from unmalted cereal material.
This place does not cover:
Use of non-cereal material |
This place covers:
Methods for preparing or treating mash in a beer brewing process, wherein at least part of the mash is derived from non-cereal material.
This place does not cover:
Use of unmalted cereal material |
This place covers:
Mashing apparatus adapted for preparing and/or treating the mash in a beer brewing process.
Until further notice, mashing apparatus adapted for processes other than beer brewing is also covered, in so far as it is considered that significant similarities with the apparatus typically used in beer brewing and/or no better classes for covering the subject-matter exist.
Mashing apparatus are also commonly used in the industrial / non-beverage preparation of alcohol ind is covered by C12P 7/06.
This place covers:
Mashing apparatus with a horizontal stirrer shaft, adapted for preparing and/or treating the mash in a beer brewing process.
This place covers:
Mashing apparatus with a vertical stirrer shaft, adapted for preparing and/or treating the mash in a beer brewing process.
This place covers:
Mashing apparatus with cooling means, adapted for preparing and/or treating the mash in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Methods for cooling the mash in a beer brewing process |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for converting mash into wort by clarification, which relate to a beer brewing process (typically Läuterung, i.e. "lautering").
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for converting mash into wort by straining, which relate to a beer brewing process.
In patent documents, the following words/expressions are often used with the meaning indicated:
" Straining " | " filtering ". |
This place covers:
Note: This group no longer used, see corresponding group C12C 7/17.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for converting mash into wort by straining, relating to a beer brewing process, with transport of the mash by or relative to a filtering surface.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for converting mash into wort by straining in mash filters, relating to a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Straining in lauter tuns |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for converting mash into wort by straining in a lauter tun, relating to a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Straining in mash filters |
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Lauter tun | Tub or vessel having a false / perforated bottom for straining / filtering |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for converting mash into wort by centrifuging, relating to a beer brewing process.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for boiling the wort in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Brewing kettles used for boiling wort |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for boiling the wort with hops in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Hop extraction with wort | |
Brewing kettles used for boiling wort |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for boiling the wort with hops in a beer brewing process, which are adapted to save or recover energy.
This place does not cover:
Brewing kettles used for boiling wort in general |
This group should be used only if saving and/or recovering energy is specifically emphasised and/or claimed.
This place covers:
Apparatus and methods for clarifying wort between hop boiling and cooling, relating to a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Clarification of word during or after cooling; Cooling as such |
This place covers:
Apparatus or methods for cooling wort and/or for clarifying wort during or after the cooling, relating to a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Clarifying before cooling |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for after-treatment of wort in a beer brewing process (e.g. sterilisation).
This place does not cover:
Fermentation of wort | |
Acidifying the wort |
Until further notice, "after-treatment" is considered as covering the stages between wort boiling and fermentation. In case of doubt, "after treatment of wort " should be given a broad scope and considered as covering various types of treatment. When a certain treatment qualifies specifically as after-treatment of wort, the symbol should be given.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for the concentration of wort in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Drying of wort |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for drying wort in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Concentration of wort |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for treating wort with hop extract, as after-treatment of wort in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Extraction of hops with beerwort | |
Boiling wort with hops |
This place covers:
Note: This group is no longer used, see warning in header.
This place covers:
Note: This group is no longer used, see warning in header.
This place covers:
Note: This group is no longer used, see warning in header.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus for fermentation in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Fermentation apparatus in general |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus adapted for the fermentation of wort in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Continuous fermentation | |
Preparation of wine | |
Preparation of alcoholic beverages other than beer and wine | |
Non-beverage alcoholic fermentation |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Fermentation apparatus in general |
This place covers:
Fermentation tanks adapted for the fermentation of wort in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Bioreactors, i.e. fermentation tanks for continuous fermentation |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Fermentation apparatus in general |
This place covers:
Methods for pitching yeast for the fermentation of wort in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Propagating yeast |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Pitching and depitching machines |
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Pitching | Seeding yeast to initiate/allow fermentation |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus adapted for acidifying the wort to be fermented in a beer brewing process.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus adapted for continuous fermentation in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Fermentation of beerwort in general (in particular discontinuous) |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Fermentation apparatus in general |
This group is pertinent if the aspect of continuous fermentation is specifically emphasised and/or claimed.
This group takes precedence over C12C 11/003.
This place covers:
Bioreactors adapted for continuous fermentation in a beer brewing process.
This place does not cover:
Fermentation tanks in general (in particular for discontinuous fermentation) |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Fermentation apparatus in general |
This group is pertinent if the aspect of continuous fermentation is specifically emphasised and/or claimed.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus adapted for fermentation in a beer brewing process, wherein immobilised yeast is used.
This place does not cover:
Continuous fermentation |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Fermentation apparatus in general |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus adapted for post fermentation treatment of fermented wort (i.e. beer), such as carbonation or concentration.
This place does not cover:
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
After-treatment of unfermented wort | |
Containers with means specially adapted for effervescing potable liquids | |
Pasteurisation, sterilisation, preservation, purification, clarification, ageing of finished alcoholic beverages, e.g. beer |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus specially adapted for making special kinds of beer.
This place does not cover:
Preparation of special malt products | |
Use of hop surrogates | |
Beer flavouring preparations |
The designation of beer as "special" inevitably involves some degree of subjectivity. This group should only be given for beer which significantly differs from standard beer and/or is emphasised/claimed as having specific particular qualities.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus specially adapted for making special kinds of beer using special microorganisms , i.e. any non-standard microorganism which does not fall within the subgroups C12C 12/004,C12C 12/006 and C12C 12/008, e.g. moulds such a (non-GMO) Aspergillus strains, strains of bacteria such as Acetobacter that are non-GMO and which do not belong to lactic acid bacteria
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Preparation of alcoholic beverages other than beer and wine |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus specially adapted for making special kinds of beer using genetically modified (e.g. recombinant) microorganisms, e.g. genetically modified microbes
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Preparation of alcoholic beverages other than beer and wine |
The specific method for genetic modification is not relevant, a broad interpretation should be given.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus specially adapted for making special kinds of beer using special yeasts, i.e. not standard or pitching yeast, e.g. yeast having magnetic particles adsorbed onto the cell surface, yeast attenuated by UV radiation, yeast isolated form soil of a vocanic area, genetically modified yeast, yeast with increased enzyme activity such as to produce a high amount of volatile flavour compounds
This place does not cover:
Fermentation using standard yeast | |
Fermentation using pitching yeast |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Preparation of alcoholic beverages other than beer and wine |
This symbol should be given if the character of the yeast used for fermentation is emphasised or claimed as being special.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus specially adapted for making special kinds of beer using lactic acid bacteria.
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus adapted for preparing beer with low calorie content.
This place does not cover:
Preparation of beer with low alcohol content |
This place covers:
Methods or apparatus adapted for preparing beer with low alcohol content.
This place does not cover:
Methods for reducing the alcohol content after fermentation |
Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:
Non-alcoholic beverages | |
Preparation of low alcoholic beverages other than wine and beer by fermentation | |
Reducing the alcohol content of alcoholic beverages other than wine and beer prepared by fermentation |
This place covers:
Apparatus or devices for beer brewing, the classification of which is not completely covered by a single group of C12C 1/00 - C12C 12/04.
This place covers:
Brew kettles for use in beer brewing.
This place does not cover:
Apparatus adapted for saving or recovering energy during the boiling of wort with hops | |
Fermentation tanks for fermenting wort | |
Bioreactors for continuous wort fermentation |
This place covers:
Brew kettles for use in beer brewing which are heated with steam.
This place covers:
Brew kettles for use in beer brewing which are heated with fire.
Note: This technology is no longer in use, mainly very old documents are classified in this group.
This place covers:
Brew kettles for use in beer brewing comprising internal heating elements.
This place covers:
Equipment for brewing beer on a domestic (or small) scale. Microbrewing equipment.
In this place, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:
Home brewing, Microbrewing | Brewing beer on a small scale, e.g. at home or in restaurants or pubs. |