When President Barack Obama told an Iowa man about his White House-brewed beer stash aboard his tour bus, he piqued the interests of citizens across America — 25,000 to be exact. That’s the amount of signatures needed on a “We the People” petition submitted under the Freedom of Information Act by a determined Reddit user.
White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, promised that when America hit the magic number, the recipes would become available to the public.
However, when the petition had more than 12,000 signatures on Sept. 1, the White House formally released a blog entry titled “Ale to the Chief,” which contains recipes for White House Honey Ale and White House Honey Porter.
“With public excitement about White House beer fermenting such a buzz, we decided we better hop right to it,” said Sam Kass, writer of the blog and the White House assistant chef and senior policy adviser for Healthy Food Initiatives.
Both beers are brewed with White House honey, tapped from the first White House beehive on the South Lawn. The White House Honey Ale is the also the first known alcohol to be brewed or distilled on White House grounds.
Internet home brew supply shop Northern Brewer has launched two kits that include all the necessary ingredients for each White House beer. The Honey Ale retails for $39.75 and the Honey Porter for $31.75.
The ingredients and recipe for both brews can be found on www.whitehouse.gov/blog. Drink up, America.
