White House, President Brew Own Beer And Bring It On The Road

By Anthony Todd in Food on Aug 14, 2012 7:20PM

We knew President Obama was a foodie geek and First Lady Michelle Obama was a gardening nerd. But we forgot that the White House was brewing its own beer. Why isn't this being used in campaign ads right now?

President Obama is in the midst of a three-day tour across Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports that, during a stop in Knoxville, he got into a discussion with a man at a coffee shop about beer. Obama just happened to mention there was a sample of the White House's home brew in the presidential motorcoach. A spokesperson said that the president gave the guy a whole bottle of the beer! Here's the question: Do you drink it or sell it on ebay?

This is the first time we've heard about the beer going on the road. As you might imagine, the press corps wanted to know more. The light beer mentioned below is presumably the White House Honey Ale, but no more info was forthcoming about the dark ale.

The beer comes in two varieties, light and dark, Carney said. He has personally sampled the lighter brew, and declared it “refreshing.” “It is superb,” he said. “It is quite good.” Does the president himself drink the beer? Indeed he does, Carney said.

And why wasn’t the ultra-local ale served at the famed beer summit at the White House in 2009? Because that was before the brewing began he said. And who, finally, is the beermeister in charge of brewing it all up? “I have exhausted my knowledge of this subject,” Carney said. “When someone hands me a beer I don’t ask how it was made, I just drink it.”

We expect this to be the subject of a major feature in a big food magazine very soon. At least the president can't piss off any teetotallers with this news - anyone likely to be annoyed by this is already voting for Mitt Romney.