After taking a day to consider the choice of beers consumed at the picnic table on the White House lawn Thursday evening, my opinions have solidified a bit. Don’t worry, this is as close to discussing politics as I will get in this forum and this post is still all about the beer.
So the scene was as expected (see image below). President Obama was at the table with Henry Louis Gates Jr., Sgt. James Crowley, and Vice President Biden. I would have linked a video of the occasion, but watching four guys sit at a table is really not that exciting.
Beers on the White House lawn via www.cnn.com
The beers of choice were . . . Obama drank Bud Light, Gates had Sam Adams Light, Crowley enjoyed a Blue Moon, and Biden consumed a Buckler (non-alcoholic).
Gates’ choice was as it should be since he lives and works in the Boston area. There are many other ways he could have gone with a New England product, but I generally take no issue with his choice. I very much enjoy Boston Beer Co. products and Sam Adams Light is on the top rung of light beers in my book.
I can also not fault Vice President Biden’s choice. He does not drink and it was a good way for him to be at the table for this beer-centered gathering. Also, I won’t lie to you, he is a Syracuse University guy so he could have been drinking water and I would have given him a pass.
On we go to Sgt. Crowley and President Obama. I am not what you would call a beer snob and there are not many beers on my “Do not drink” list. I do, however, give the edge to regional products and craft beers when I have the opportunity to do so.
Sgt. Crowley should have shown some love to New England as Mr. Gates did. I am not bashing Blue Moon as I have reviewed it and have even had it on tap at the Coors brewery in Golden, CO. I am just saying that it would have been nice to show some support to a Harpoon Brewery, a Smuttynose Brewing Co, or the like. Boston and New England in general has a ton of great craft beers. We all know about Coors and I am pretty certain they didn’t need the additional publicity (assuming everyone knows that Blue Moon is a Miller Coors product).
In the same vein, I thought Mr. Obama would perhaps show some support for a Chicago product that he has been missing since coming into office. It could have been a Goose Island or maybe a Rock Bottom? Or he has breweries like Flying Dog and Wild Goose (one and the same now I believe) right in Maryland to choose from. I guess what I am saying is that you are the President, so you should be able to get any beer from anywhere. It seems that the search could have gone farther than the local convenience store.
In the end everyone (including these four gentlemen) should drink what they want and more importantly what they like, but don’t be afraid to try something different and new when given the chance.
Maybe Mr Obama was drinking his beer as a political statement. You know, a beer that the average Joe might drink. Simple beer for a simple guy or something.
Great blog. Someone should tell the president that everything he does comes under a microscope. Wait, I think you just did.
Question, if I may. There’s a restaurant in my town (Pizza Fusion) that offers organic, gluten-free beer. What? It’s supposedly brewed from Sorghum, a safe grain for those allergic to wheat or gluten. Can it possibly be any good?
Keep up the good work. I look forward to your posts.
What a tough question to field as my first! Here is what I think I know.
I have not had any sorghum-based beer, so I cannot comment on how good it is. I guess I haven’t gone out of my way to find it since I don’t have those allergies. I have, however, read a bit about it in my travels around the net for beer info. From what I remember it originated or at least the idea came from Africa (maybe barley isn’t grown as much there). They essentially replace the barley in the brewing process with sorghum and another grain like rice or millet. A few years back I remember Anheuser-Busch coming out with a gluten free beer, but I am not sure if it is still on the market.
Organic beers I have tried. In fact, our local Orlando Brewery is a certified organic brewery. Organic beer is like any other organic product out there . . . ingredients (hops and barley in this case) grown without pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, grown in chemical free soil, etc. I think a lot of larger breweries don’t do it because organic hops aren’t easy to get quite yet and because the consistency in the final product can vary with the quality of the organic ingredients (among other reasons I am sure).
For me, the organic beers I have tried (only three that I can recall for sure) didn’t have a real full flavor. The body varies with the beer style, but they were also a bit lighter than I expected them to be. That doesn’t mean they were bad. They were crisp and refreshing, but my palate tends to favor fuller beers . . . in body and flavor.
Bud Light is the top selling beer in the United States, so I am sure there was a bit of an agenda behind the choice. I think the idea of a get together outdoors with a few beers probably was a good way to relate to many Americans. I wonder what he drinks when no one is watching?