The Great White House Beer Summit: What Beer Would You Choose?

It’s old news that to resolve the heated debate revolving around the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Gates by Officer James Crowley in Cambridge, MA President Obama has invited both parties to the White House to sit down and work things out over a few cold refreshing beers. Kieran and I heartily endorse this move as many of our heated arguments over curtain patterns and who the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle is have been resolved over a few cold ones down at the bar.

Now the Great White House Beer Summit has caused a new debate though over the beer selection. Based on the preferences of the meeting parties, the selection; Blue Moon, Red Stripe and Bud Light, has American brewers up in arms as none are made by American owned companies. Yes, the beers are all part of large conglomerate companies, being London-based SAB-Miller (Blue Moon), London-based Diageo PLC (Red Stripe), the massive Belgian-Brazilian company InBev (Anheuser-Busch).

Numerous breweries have been lobbying the White House to serve their beers to the summit. Local D.C. brewpub Capitol City Brewing Company has offered their Equality Ale in the spirit of the event. Sam Adams/Boston Brewing Company owner and founder Jim Koch has even offered to brew a special beer for the occasion, made with, "a blend of ingredients from all over the world. Which is certainly what's represented there with the three participants," he said. "I would blend those ingredients together artfully and harmoniously, because that's really what we all hope for."

Of course, who are we to judge since these are the selected beers of Gates and Crowley? Though I refuse to accept Bud Light is nothing but political. That said, our beer summit selection would be much different, with perhaps some Collaboration Not Litigation Ale from Avery, a little Gonzo Imperial Porter to invoke the spirit of the late great Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, and of course some Sixpoint "Hop Obama" Ale (even though you can no longer get, somehow we magically would).

If it were your selection for the Beer Summit, what would you choose?




Sources:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124891169018991961.html#mod=rss_Page_One
http://www.11alive.com/rss/rss_story.aspx?storyid=133171