Via GQ‘s Death Race 2012 blog, “Your President Is A Homebrew Devotee“. Jason Noble at the Des Moines Register reports:
In perhaps the most startling revelation so far in Obama’s three-day bus tour across Iowa, it was revealed this morning that the White House brews its own beer, and that the presidential bus is stocked with bottles of that beer.
The revelation came incidentally, when a man at the Knoxville coffee shop where Obama stopped today somehow got the president onto the subject of beer, and Obama noted that a sample of the White House’s home brew was just outside….
In a press gaggle a short time later, White House Spokesman Jay Carney took several questions about the beer, some which he could answer, others he could not.
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…
ETA: As the story at the link says, the “news” is not the existence of the White House brweery, but the fact that President Obama brings his homebrew along when he’s travelling. Hey, I plan my packing around a special pillow for my bad back, so even as a non-beer-drinker I can appreciate the forethought!
***********
It being a little early yet to start testing the homebrew, what’s on the agenda for the morning?
SRW1
It being a little eary yet to start testing the homebrew, what’s on the agenda for the morning?
Early?
Arclite
Hmm, I’ve known about the Whitehouse beer for quite a while. Maybe they were just out of the loop.
SiubhanDuinne
@Arclite: I’m not even a beer drinker, but I’ve also known about this for a long time. Seems odd for the press to be calling it a ” startling revelation.”
Steeplejack (phone)
Awakened by the new cat, who apparently has repaired her sleep deficit by snoozing 20+ hours a day. Wouldn’t be so bad except apparently being awake = must be petted. Finally got her settled in the meatloaf position. Oops, now she’s up and head-butting my hand again. Good times.
TenguPhule
Leno is going to have a field day with this.
Citizen_X
Awesomest version of “99 Bottles of Beer On the Wall” EVAR!
arguingwithsignposts
Well, here’s something I just saw on the Interwebs that will make blood boil: Rich kids of Instagram.
karen marie
@SiubhanDuinne: They’re dopes. Perhaps they want us to be shocked! that the president drinks beer on the bus, priming the record for possible future speculation about whether Obama drinking on the bus is “a sign of a bigger problem.” A good journalist establishes data points that help the CW narrative, whatever it might end up being.
@Steeplejack (phone): She wants food. Canned food. I’d bet $10,000, if I had it.
amk
Cue Obama has drinking problems poutrage from the msm and the thugs.
amk
Mars sends a rover too.
buckyblue
As a homebrewer, and a political junkie (read: Blog Addict), I have never heard this. And I would also call this unexpected. Just one more reason to vote for the man with the ‘D’.
Anne Laurie
@SRW1: Thanks, fixtd.
raven
Halperin and Joe are shocked by the HATE of the Obama campaign.
danielx
Cue the screams of “Budweiser isn’t good enough? Obama is an elitist who doesn’t support American brewers!”
What, you mean Budweiser is now brewed by a Belgian owned company? Oh, wait…
danielx
First day of my daughter’s internship program at a local hospital and she’s scared. I can’t walk her through everything…dammit.
Steeplejack
@karen marie:
Maybe. It’s a moot point now. I got up, fed her–yes, wet food–and came out to the living room to fiddle around on the computer for a while. Oh, and I gave her a chance to explore the rest of the apartment–she has been in bedroom lockdown since arriving last Friday–but that freaked her out a bit.
. . . Just went back to check on her. I thought she might have burrowed under the covers to go back to sleep. But, no, she’s up and active. We’re sort of in the gray area between “I’m too big for the bedroom” and “Yes, I can handle the rest of the place.” Baby steps.
bemused
Morning Joe crew is having a cowfit confab about Biden’s chained remark. Jonathan Capehart is defending Obama team for fighting back. Hee, hee.
Anya
@raven: Those two are so predictable.
BD of MN
@buckyblue: we’ve discussed this already, although I hope the pres is following the 200 gallons per household annual limit…
WereBear
@Steeplejack (phone): LOVE!
It’s wonderful.
I knew about it too; oh, our incredible press corpse. But this ensures the President has captured the home brewers; there are many.
Geoduck
Sadly, it’s also one less security risk for the Secret Service to worry about..
WereBear
Went to a concert last night featuring Ruthie Foster.
My oh my oh my. Most excellent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs0ew_-cH_M
EconWatcher
Wouldn’t you just love, love to drink about a dozen of those home brews with Barack and then get him to tell you what he really thinks of the clown show that is modern American politics? The preternatural calm is one of the things I most admire about the guy, but what fun it would be to hear him really let loose.
JPL
@EconWatcher: According to TPM the President hit back last night.
If I drank a dozen of those home brews, I would be passed out.
also,too.. Maybe the President will mention that Romney lies so much, he doesn’t know what the truth is anymore.
bemused
Now Morning Joe is trying to say Ryan is truly a small government conservative as opposed to the Republican activists who advise legislators to go home and lie to their constituents they are anti big government. Joe says you can find a couple of Ryan votes for big gov’t bills but so what…Joe knows Ryan is an authentic small government guy. Depends on how you define big/small government, Joe. From what I’ve read of Ryan, he is pro big gov’t for corps, defense and the wealthy and pro small or practically non-existent gov’t for everything and everyone else.
WereBear
@bemused: I blame scum like Mornin’ Ho for contributing to the pervasive “Who knows what the truth is?” attitude that undermines civilization itself.
As a follower of the Tao, I can testify that the Truth is more than willing to reveal itself… if we are willing to look.
Steeplejack
@WereBear:
What kind of cat litter do you use/recommend? I’ve been out of the market for eight years, and the stuff that came with the cat doesn’t seem very good.
henqiguai
@Steeplejack (#27):
I use the bulk clumping cat litter from Petco. Been using it for years with no adverse effects (admittedly I do occasionally mix in a couple hands full of baking soda…)
WereBear
@Steeplejack: How is the current kind failing you?
We have a Litter Robot, and have found that the Arm & Hammer brand clumps the best and controls odor; of course, when it comes to odor, we have a not-so-secret weapon:
http://www.wayofcats.com/The_Way_of_Cats/Littermint.html
Now, because we use this particular device, we need something that clumps hard and does not leave any buildup. For a manual box, I’ve had good luck with World’s Best Cat Litter, which is biodegradable.
You DO want a clumping litter. Honest to goodness, there’s no comparison.
Valdivia
@Steeplejack:
I use FelinePine which I buy at Safeway. The clumping chemical stuff totally ruined the floor of the apts I have lived in because both cats tracked it all over the place, so I went with something natural that a vet recommended after one of the cats had an infection. It works even with two cats, I highly recommend it.
bemused
@WereBear:
Joe Schmo is quite practiced at muddying the waters. When I watch him do this, I think he is lying and knows it. He’s no true conservative either. Come to think of it, is there such a thing as an authentic small government conservative that truly believes everyone would benefit? Scratch the surface a little and I have never found one that didn’t have a more for me, scraps for you motive.
Ben Cisco
Not sure if serious, or spoof: http://teapartyforobama.com/
Either way, WTF?
kindness
@EconWatcher: I’d rather stuff a dozen brews down Romney’s gullet so I could Youtube it for everyone. That would be some fun flip floppin.
Uncle Cosmo
Dunno what’s the big deal with the Ohomebrew–Rmoney brings his own private-label whine with him wherever he goes…
Ronzoni Rigatoni
@WereBear: Just ordered some Littermint. New cat inna house (since 7 years ago). A woods rescue. My dotter found her with 3 kittens abandoned in the woods behind her house. Kittens weaned and in new homes. Mother came to me (Dotter already has 2 other cats LOL).
bjacques
WANT!!
And Obama really *is* someone you’d want to have a beer with.
J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford
Homebrew? Meh. I’d be more impressed if the President grew his own.
WereBear
I agree.
I do believe that some of them believe what they are saying. What they don’t realize is that it is actually fear-motivated, and many of the assumptions that led them to this place are quite twisted.
At bedrock, it’s the petulant teenaged You can’t tell me what to do that I see surfacing in most of their protestations of the “nanny state.” From vegetables without pesticides to wearing seatbelts, they seem to think they have some kind of superhero powers that magically let them make the right decision… and that there is always enough information about that decision available for their superpowers to work upon.
This is the underlying assumption that guides them to making decisions. And the results are there for all to see.
Todd
@arguingwithsignposts:
I first caught that at Messy Nessy Chic, who seemed irritated as well. They’re just our future Job Creators in need of a tax cut and regulatory reform, born of our current Job Creators in need of a tax cut and regulatory reform, who were born of previous Job Creators…
Anyway, I comforted myself in the knowledge that some enterprising and entrepreneurial future kidnappers are using this data to analyze and assess their next target of business opportunity.
Emma
@Steeplejack (phone): Welcome to the wonderful world of “Hey! I’m awake! You have to pay attention to me!” which is followed by “Hey. I’m trying to sleep. Leave me alone!”
Suffern Ace
@WereBear: Ruthie is phenomenal.
Linda Featheringill
@WereBear:
Always nice to see another Way traveler. :-)
I often take comfort from the fact that you don’t have to be swift and wonderful to follow the Way. You just have to put your little feet on the path and shuffle along.
Suffern Ace
I guess the question is whether the POTUS packs the beer in 2 oz bottles when he travels. And whether this is a little swipe at Romneys teetotaling ways.
Cassidy
@SiubhanDuinne: THis is the WH press. Halperin has a “startling revelation” every morning when he notices his toes.
WereBear
@Suffern Ace: Kind of “I lead the free world, and I drink beer!”
Also, the home brew angle avoids inadvertent endorsement of a particular brand.
kd bart
Obama has the White House brew its’ own beer. Romney wants a car elevator installed in one of his homes.
MSM-Elitist. Both sides do it.
Steeplejack
@henqiguai, @WereBear, @Valdivia:
Thanks for the feedback. Looks like I need to do a little research.
The current litter, which my friend brought over with the cat and a bunch of accessories of greater or lesser value, is Companion, a brand I have never heard of. It seems really clay-like, and it clumps huge. My previous routine when I had cats was to sift the litter once or twice a day and change it every week. This stuff clumps so big that it makes sifting hard, and so last night I just changed it after just a few days. And I’m not sure the cat likes it, because last night there was a lot of periodic scratching going on in the litter box, as opposed to “Do your business and get on with your life.” But maybe I’m just hypersensitive because of the temporary close quarters and not having a cat for so long.
Mike Lamb
I’m guessing his homebrew isn’t like mine or most other home brewers. Obama probably has Vinnie Cilurzo or Matt Brynildson on staff.
Steeplejack
@Emma:
Yes, we’re still getting our schedules synchronized.
El Cid
I think that sounds like one of the coolest and most accessible details of Obama’s White House life yet.
Soonergrunt
It’s 5:00 PM somewhere.
Valdivia
@Steeplejack:
my cats always walked around like they had glue in their feet, shaking them and tracking so much stuff when I used the chemical stuff. I love Feline Pine because it smells like fresh trees out of the bag, very little dust when you put it in the litter and the pellets disintegrate so you know when to change it. But: one of my cats still loves to scratch and make a lot of noise. He has always been like that though. :)
I am sure you will find something that works. FP also makes clumping litter btw, if that is your preference.
Johannes
@Valdivia: I’m another vote for Feline Pine. We have 7 of the little devils, and the stuff works.
WereBear
@Steeplejack: Texture is an important part of their comfort level; the more bio-oriented the litter, like World’s Best (corn) and FelinePine (wood) or SwheetScoop (wheat) the softer the texture. For some cats it’s really important.
Then again, it could just be the kitty. My little Smokepuff loved to get “all Zen” in there and buried and made patterns and such until the other cats, waiting cross-legged, would complain to me. :)
bemused
@WereBear:
Fear is definitely a issue. I see it in R friends and family. Even the most kind hearted, fair mined ones are become very anxious about change or new things in their lives.
Then there is the loyalty factor which is related to fear of change, imo. It takes a devastating, personal event clearly caused by their party for them to turn their backs on Republicans. Even then, they are reluctant and sad to do that.
YellowJournalism
@SRW1: “It being a little eary yet to start testing the homebrew, what’s on the agenda for the morning?”
You know, beer was originally consumed at breakfast time.
Scuffletuffle
@Steeplejack: It’s an inexpensive store brand and not so great. Go with Petco or ArmandHammer for clumping or SwheatScoop. Your home and cat will thank you.
tybee
it’s never too early for a beer. or three.
Maude
@Steeplejack:
I used Hartz Mountain litter when I had a cat. It doesn’t have chemicals in it. You have to change the litter anyway. I changed it every day. It stinks otherwise.
Bill in Section 147
I first heard of the WH Homebrew when the Medal of Honor recipient, Cpl. Dakota Meyer, got his white house visit.
http://thestir.cafemom.com/in_the_news/126139/white_house_beer_is_obamas
http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2011/09/president-obama-serves-homebrewed-white.html
Steeplejack
@Scuffletuffle, @Maude:
Thanks for the input. I’ve got some good leads now, and I’ll see what’s available at the store. I know the current stuff is on its way out.
ruemara
@Steeplejack: I recommend a giant 8$ bag of wood pellets for horses. Smells great, non-toxic, lasts forever and better than clay.
Steeplejack
@ruemara:
Hmm, it’s got to be something I can find at a “regular” store. But I’ll keep that idea in mind.
NCSteve
Elitist. Isn’t brewing your own beer somehow elitist and pretentious and out of touch with ordinary hardworking joes?
Oh, wait. They’re running the Galt/Gekko ticket. That memedawg got strapped to the top of the Land Rover and never got off it. Never mind.
different-church-lady
@J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford:
Don’t be silly. You can’t grow beer.
Oh wait… you meant… ooooohhhh….
Ji Hobr
@Ben Cisco: Of course we are real. we’re on the internet. It sucks that white trash homophobic racist nutjobs have hijacked our beloved protest. Nobody want’s higher taxes just FAIR taxes. Obama is striving for that. We don’t want to have people get sick and die because WE THE PEOPLE can’t take care of our own. Social issues are pulled into the political arena by our cookie brothers on the far-right to distract from the business Congress is elected to do. Tea Party was NEVER about helping corporations. It was not supposed to be about hate. That’s why we support reducing the deficit, reducing the size of government, AND Obama is the guy who is working towards that with the people in mind. Not Big Business.