White House Continues to Stonewall: No Beer Recipe Forthcoming
Update: See bottom.
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The Tea Party was right: This is the most secretive White House in modern history—at least when it comes to beer recipes. By now, thousands of beer geeks across America have petitioned the White House to reveal the recipe to President Obama's White House Honey Ale, a honey-infused home-brew that the president brought on the campaign trail in Iowa last week. Today, the determined beer lovers finally got a boost from the Fourth Estate, which questioned White House press secretary Jay Carney on the issue in the briefing room Thursday, per The Washington Examiner's Charlie Spiering:
A reporter asked Jay Carney if the White House would release the “secret beer recipe” for their home-brewed Honey ale ... “I am not aware of any plans at this time to divulge the secret recipe,” Carney replied.
What are you hiding, Obama!?
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If you're not convinced this issue has real momentum behind it, just look at the efforts of Brody Burks, the assistant district attorney of Limestone County, Texas. Burks filed a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this week and we caught up with him this afternoon asking him if he was frustrated by the White House's stonewalling. He responded:
Who wouldn't be? In an era of open government, it shouldn't take this level of media coverage to get a response. The White House likes to talk about the home brew, but only on their terms.
Burks, who posted his FOIA request to Reddit, said he's a big supporter of the president's home-brewing predilection, but wants to see more transparency out of him:
President Obama has joined a great tradition of Presidential brewing going back to George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Part of that tradition is helping other home brewers. It's past time for the White House to fulfill their obligations to home brewers and the country. There should be nothing to hide. Share the recipe!
The people have spoken, Mr. President. Will you answer?
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Update 9:55 p.m.: Big development. The White House has agreed to release the recipe if the home-brewers collect enough online signatures for their petition. Carney laid out the terms of the disclosure in a tweet this evening:
Got a Q today on
@wethepeople petition asking us to share WH beer recipe: wh.gov/4y9b If it reaches the threshold, we'll release it— Jay Carney (EOP) (@PressSec) August 23, 2012
Don't start celebrating too soon, beer geeks. You still have a long ways to go. At press time, the We the People petition still fell more than 20,000 signatures short:
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Spread the word, home-brewers!
