Barack Obama and
Dakota Meyer drinking White House Honey Ale on September 15, 2011
White House Honey Ale is the first
beer known to have been
brewed in the
White House.
[1] The process began in January 2011
[2] at the request of President
Barack Obama who purchased the
homebrewing kit using his personal funds.
[3] It includes a pound of
honey collected from beehives on the
South Lawn.
[4]
The chefs at the White House are said to use "traditional methods" to
brew the beer, before it is bottled and labelled with a customized logo.
The logo features a line drawing of the White House on a maroon
background encircled in yellow.
[5]
A bottle of White House Honey Ale
The beer has been brewed for various events held at the White House. A
Super Bowl party, attended by nearly 200 guests including acquainted celebrities and members of the
U.S. Congress, was one of the first events where the ale was served.
[5] Nearly 10 US gallons (38 L) were produced for the party, with around 90 to 100 bottles available.
[1] Some bottles were also brewed for
St. Patrick's Day. On September 15, 2011, former
United States Marine Corps Sergeant Dakota Meyer was the recipient of the
Medal of Honor
at the White House. Earlier, when informed of his award over the phone,
he requested to share a beer with President Obama. The president
accepted the offer and they each drank a bottle of the ale on the patio
outside the
Oval Office.
[3]
As of 2012, two styles have been brewed in addition to Honey Ale: White House Honey Blonde Ale and White House Honey Porter.
[6]
On August 21, 2012, at least two Freedom of Information Act requests
were sent to the White House seeking the recipe of the White House Honey
Ale from California attorney Scott Talkov and Texas attorney Brodie
Burks, both home brewers.
[7][8][9][10]
Former president
Thomas Jefferson,
who lived in the White House between 1801 and 1809, is known to have
brewed beer himself, particularly after his retirement. He has been
called "America's first microbrewer", but there is no evidence that it
happened within the White House.
[1]
References
- ^ a b c Kitsock, Greg. Beer with presidential aspirations. The Washington Post. February 22, 2011. Accessed September 18, 2011.
- ^ The Obamas Make History With Homebrewed White House Honey Ale. Obama Foodorama. March 1, 2011. Accessed September 18, 2011.
- ^ a b White House brewing its own beer. CBS News. September 16, 2011. Accessed September 18, 2011.
- ^ Crugnale, James. Obama Homebrews White House Honey Ale For Medal Of Honor Recipient. Mediaite. September 16, 2011. Accessed September 18, 2011.
- ^ a b Wolf, Z Byron. A White House Brewery? White House Honey Ale. ABC News. February 7, 2011. Accessed September 18, 2011.
- ^ Murgai, Puja (March 26, 2012). "Home brewing the toast of the Beltway". Politico.com. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
- ^ Marin Cogan (August 22, 2012). "The People Demand Answers (About What Exactly Is In The White House Homebrew)". gq.com. GQ.
- ^ David Minsky (August 23, 2012). "Help Brewers Obtain The White House Beer Recipe, Sign the Petition". MiamiNewTimes.com. Miami New Times. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
- ^ Kimberly Pierceall (August 24, 2012). "FOIA: Riverside lawyer seeks Obama’s beer recipe". PE.com. The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ^ Lesley Ciarula Taylor (August 24, 2012). "Obama’s suds recipe brews up a honey of a popular movement". TheStar.com. The Star. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
