Homebrewers Urge Obama to Keep At It

The American Homebrewers Association is hoping to slide a little something under the White House Christmas tree this year: lifetime memberships for President Barack Obama and outgoing-toque Sam Kass.

AHA Director Gary Glass has extended the offer to keep the beer-making duo — Obama is credited with purchasing the first homebrew kit used at the White House; Kass and the rest of the White House cooking crew helped hone the resulting recipes — as part of the fold into perpetuity.

“Homebrewing is a model example of a bipartisan, pro-community and pro-business activity that all kinds of people can be passionate about and enjoy,” Glass said in a release congratulating Obama and Kass for bringing the White House on board with microbrewing. “What better way to honor their enthusiasm for the hobby than to give them a lifetime membership to our community, which consists of many leaders, patriots and successful craft beer entrepreneurs.”

According to a White House aide, the First Fridge has been restocked with freshly capped longnecks within the past few weeks.

And there’s plenty more where that came from. “The operation will continue,” an administration spokesperson assured HOH.

The Imbiber in Chief’s penchant for self-styled suds first came to light when food-policy scribe Eddie Gehman Kohan bubbled over with the news about specialty pours floating around at the White House. Kass, who stands poised to begin the next chapter of his life in New York, not only helped implement first lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative , but he also captured the imagination of fellow brewmeisters stirring things up in their home kitchens.

(Screenshot) “As chef Kass finishes his tenure at the White House, we hope his AHA membership will allow him to stay engaged in the hobby. After Kass’ exit, we look forward to seeing President Obama continue to brew beer from the most famous and important home in the world,” Glass stated in a release. “We thank them for their willingness to experiment with and share their delicious brew recipes with the country.”

The AHA’s formal invitations are reprinted below: To President Obama:

Dear Mr. President:

As one of the nation’s 1.2 million homebrewers, we would be honored to provide you a complimentary lifetime membership to the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), an organization dedicated to promoting the country’s ever-growing community of homebrewers.

Since its founding in 1978, the AHA has worked to educate Americans about the country’s longstanding tradition of homebrewing. Your participation in homebrewing has elevated national awareness for the hobby and has inspired the country’s homebrewers, many of whom have become successful craft beer entrepreneurs.

We thought this membership, which we have also given to chef Sam Kass as he completes his tenure at the White House, would be a fitting and timely holiday gift. Homebrewing is an activity that everybody—regardless of their background or politics—can bond over and enjoy. As part of your holiday celebrations this year, we hope you will brew a batch of the White House Honey Ale or Honey Porter, the brews that have drawn such great national attention to our favorite hobby.

We look forward to you becoming a member of the American Homebrewers Association. Happy holidays, and cheers to homebrewing.

Yours truly,

Gary Glass

Director American Homebrewers Association

To chef Kass:

Dear Chef Kass:

As you complete your tenure at the White House, we wanted to send a thank-you gift for all the contributions you have made to the country, and, in particular, to the advancement of our favorite hobby: homebrewing.

We would be honored to provide you a complimentary lifetime membership to the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), an organization dedicated to promoting the country’s ever-growing community of homebrewers.

Since its founding in 1978, the AHA has worked to educate Americans about the country’s longstanding tradition of homebrewing. Your enthusiasm for the craft, and your initiative in experimenting with and sharing the White House’s delicious homebrew recipes have been wonderful—and we are deeply grateful.

We thought this membership, which we have also given to President Obama, would be a fitting gift for the holidays. As part of your holiday celebrations this year, we hope you will brew a batch of the White House Honey Ale or Honey Porter, the brews that have drawn such great national attention to our favorite hobby.

We look forward to you becoming a member of the American Homebrewers Association. We hope this membership will allow you to continue to engage in the hobby as you embark on your next endeavor.

Cheers, and happy holidays.

Yours truly,

Gary Glass

Director American Homebrewers Association The 114th: CQ Roll Call's Guide to the New Congress Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone .

Homebrewers Urge Obama to Keep At It

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