The Historic First: Beer Finally Returns to the White House
Picture this: the most powerful man in the world, sleeves rolled up, stirring a pot of bubbling wort in the White House kitchen. White House Honey Ale is the first beer known to have been brewed in the White House. The process began in January 2011 at the request of President Barack Obama, who purchased the homebrewing kit using personal funds. This wasn’t some grand political statement or campaign stunt – it was simply a president who loved beer deciding to make his own. As far as we know the White House Honey Brown Ale is the first alcohol brewed or distilled on the White House grounds. George Washington brewed beer and distilled whiskey at Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson made wine but there’s no evidence that any beer has been brewed in the White House. After more than 200 years, someone finally brought brewing back to America’s most famous address.
The Secret Ingredient That Made It Special
It includes a pound of honey collected from beehives on the South Lawn. The honey wasn’t just any honey – it came from the very first beehive ever installed on White House grounds. Charlie Brandt, a White House carpenter for more than two decades, started beekeeping as a hobby, and the Obama White House quickly embraced the idea of making honey on-site to use in White House recipes. Brandt is now the official beekeeper of what is believed to be the first ever beehive on White House grounds. Talk about farm-to-table brewing! Like many home brewers who add secret ingredients to make their beer unique, all of our brews have honey that we tapped from the first ever bee-hive on the South Lawn. The honey gives the beer a rich aroma and a nice finish but it doesn’t sweeten it. Every bottle carried the essence of presidential real estate.
A Carpenter Turned Presidential Beekeeper
Charlie Brandt had been swinging hammers at the White House since the 1980s, but nobody expected him to become the presidential beekeeper. Charlie Brandts, a White House carpenter since the mid-1980s, serves as the White House beekeeper too, a sweet gig in a variety of ways. The idea all started when a member of the kitchen staff approached Brandts, who now keeps several dozen hives at his home, about starting a hive to get regular amounts of homemade honey into the White House kitchen. What started as a simple request turned into something historic. Fortunately, not only did Brandts know how to make the honey, but he also had a spare beehive at home that he was happy to donate to the White House. Now Brandt is the White House’s official beekeeper tending a hive of approximately 70,000 bees near the new Kitchen Garden. From fixing cabinets to managing 70,000 buzzing workers – that’s what you call a career pivot!
The Buzzing Numbers Behind the Operation
The White House beehive wasn’t just a cute hobby project – it was a serious operation with impressive numbers. Right now, expect to find just 25,000 bees, but by mid-May the single colony will reach 60,000 and kick up the “major honey flow.” During peak season, that single hive was home to tens of thousands of busy workers. Take a look at this year’s colony, estimated at about 70,000 bees – imagine that many insects working just steps away from the Oval Office! Brandts says the one colony produces enough honey for the White House and the bees haven’t been a problem on the grounds. “They are more interested in nectar and pollen than they are in bothering people,” he says. These weren’t just any bees – they were presidential bees with a job to do.
From Super Bowl Party to Presidential Toast
The first batch of White House Honey Ale made its debut at Obama’s 2011 Super Bowl party, and it was an instant hit. A Super Bowl party, attended by nearly 200 guests including acquainted celebrities and members of the U.S. Congress, was one of the first events where the ale was served. Nearly 10 US gallons (38 L) were produced for the party, with around 90 to 100 bottles available. But perhaps the most memorable moment came when Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer got his wish. Earlier, when informed of his award over the phone, he requested to share a beer with President Obama. The president accepted the offer and they each drank a bottle of the ale on the patio outside the Oval Office. Picture that scene – a war hero and the Commander in Chief, sharing a cold one on the White House patio with beer they made themselves. You can’t make that stuff up!
The Kitchen Staff’s Brewing Adventure
Nobody in the White House kitchen had ever brewed beer before Obama’s request, but they dove in headfirst anyway. To be honest, we were surprised that the beer turned out so well since none of us had brewed beer before. The kitchen staff, used to preparing meals for world leaders, suddenly found themselves learning about hops and fermentation. We had no idea what we were doing. But you just give it a shot. And if you have cooking experience and kitchen experience and you know how to kind of follow a recipe, which we did … as long as you are careful, it’s not that complicated. So yeah, no, it turned out great. Their beginner’s luck paid off in ways they never expected. After the few first drafts we landed on some great recipes that came from a local brew shop. We received some tips from a couple of home brewers who work in the White House who helped us amend it and make it our own.
Three Presidential Beers, One Sweet Legacy
What started as one beer quickly expanded into a small presidential brewery. As of 2012, three styles have been brewed in addition to the honey ale: White House Honey Blonde Ale, White House Honey Porter and White House Honey Brown. Each beer had its own character and purpose. The first beer we did was honey brown ale, and we used the honey from the White House garden for all of our beers. And so we ended up doing a honey brown, honey blonde in the summer, and then we called it a honey porter, but it really wasn’t a porter. It was just really dark, but it wasn’t heavy at all, and it was absolutely delicious. The seasonal approach showed they weren’t just playing around – they were serious about their craft. Honey Blonde Ale – A light and refreshing beer perfect for summer get-togethers. Honey Porter – A dark and flavorful beer that had the richness of a porter but wasn’t as heavy as the traditional ones.
The People Demanded the Recipe
Americans didn’t just want to hear about the presidential beer – they wanted to make it themselves. On August 21, 2012, at least two Freedom of Information Act requests were sent to the White House seeking the recipe of the White House Honey Ale from California attorney Scott Talkov and Texas attorney Brodie Burks, both home brewers. The pressure was real, and Obama eventually caved to public demand. On August 29, 2012 during a brief Q&A session on Reddit, President Obama announced he would release the recipe. The recipe was released on September 1, 2012 on whitehouse.gov. As interest grew in the White House brews, the administration made a standout move in 2012: they released the homebrew recipes to the public. This was the first time a sitting president’s beer recipe was shared openly, so homebrewers all over the country could try their hand at making these White House beers in their own kitchens. Democracy in action – when the people want beer recipes, they get beer recipes!
More Than Just a Hobby: Bees as National Security
Obama’s interest in bees went far beyond just making beer – he saw them as crucial to America’s future. In 2014, President Barack Obama instructed the heads of federal agencies, including his National Security Council, to “create a federal strategy to promote the health of honey bees and other pollinators.” The crisis was real and the numbers were alarming. But over the past five years, winter losses of commercial honeybee colonies have averaged roughly 30 percent. Bees — along with birds, bats and butterflies — play a key function by pollinating commercial fruit and vegetable crops; alfalfa and clover that provide feed for cattle; and the nuts, seeds and fruits that sustain massive grizzly bears and delicate songbirds. Some estimates put the economic value of their activities at roughly $15 billion a year. When Obama told scientist May Berenbaum “I do care about bees — and we’re going to fix them!” he wasn’t just making small talk – he was addressing a genuine threat to the food supply.
The Honey That Tasted Like Sunshine
Michelle Obama had her own special connection to the White House honey, and her description was pure poetry. The White House garden is also home to a beehive, where Obama gets honey for her tea and for her favorite snack of sliced green apples and honey. It “tastes like sunshine,” she says. But the honey wasn’t just for personal enjoyment – it had a bigger purpose. She has some of the honey stash jarred and given as gifts both when international dignitaries visit here and when she travels abroad, even delivering a jar to each spouse during the 2010 G-20 summit in Pittsburgh. And while the White House proudly gives a “substantial” amount away to Miriam’s Kitchen, which serves the homeless in Washington, D.C., there is still plenty of honey to go around for White House chefs. Whether an addition to tea, used in salad dressings or in desserts—everything from pound cake and coating fruit to honey tarts and honey cupcakes—the honey goes a long way in the kitchen. From diplomatic gifts to helping the homeless – that’s some versatile honey!
Traditional Methods Meet Modern Politics
The White House brewing operation wasn’t some high-tech affair – they kept it simple and traditional. The chefs at the White House are said to use “traditional methods” to brew the beer, before it is bottled and labelled with a customized logo. Each bottle got the presidential treatment with custom labeling. The logo features a line drawing of the White House on a maroon background encircled in yellow. The White House Honey Brown Ale is an extract beer. They weren’t trying to reinvent brewing – they were just trying to make good beer. As Obama once said, stressing the social vibe of sharing a drink in both personal and political spaces, beer was about bringing people together, not showing off technical skills.
The Beer That Outlasted Its Brewer
Even after Obama left office, his brewing legacy lived on in unexpected ways. Even though Obama’s presidency wrapped up in 2017, his brewing legacy holds strong. The recipe became available to home brewers everywhere, and commercial kits started popping up. Our White House Honey Ale Beer Making Kit features the coveted presidential beer recipe commissioned by President Obama and brewed by his White House Chef. We worked closely with sources close to the White House beer brewing operation to bring you the same recipe (scaled down to fit the size of our White House Honey Ale Beer Making Kit), ingredients, and methods that the White House used to create their famous beer. The reaction from craft beer lovers and homebrewing communities was fantastic, further cementing the cultural impact of Obama’s brewing journey. Obama may have left the building, but his beer recipes? They’re still making people happy in kitchens across America.
What started as a simple presidential request for homebrew became a slice of American history that you can literally taste. Obama didn’t just make beer – he made a statement about bringing authentic experiences back to the people’s house. Who would have thought that honey from the South Lawn could create such a buzz?
