THE BREWSPAPER / WHAT’S BREWING AT THE WHITE HOUSE

WHITE HOUSE BREWMASTERS—Hard at work preparing a batch of honey based ale for President Obama are (left to right):  White House Sous Chef Tafari Campbell and Sam Kass, White House Assistant Chef and personal chef to the President.

ALE TO THE CHIEF—Now that you received your Homebrewing Kit for Christmas it’s no better time than to try President Barack Obama’s personal recipe for White House Honey Ale Porter.  And, BTW, the Prez just received lifetime membership to the 1.2 million member American Homebrewers Association, to recognize him as the first President to turn the White House kitchen into a part time microbrewery.  

In search of a new hobby in 2011, Obama purchased a home brewing kit and enlisted his personal chef, Sam Kass, to create workable recipes they could try.

Kass and beer afficiando’s from the Obama’s ‘hood came up with two formulas that used honey taken from the bee hive on the South Lawn.

The results were 1600 Pennsylvania Honey Porter and Honey Ale

“We were surprised that the beer turned out so well since none of us had brewed beer before,” Kass said.

Both Obama and Kass were instrumental in bringing homebrewing to the most famous house in the world. The AHA is thankful for their enthusiasm and thrilled to welcome them to the AHA community, which consists of many bipartisan leaders, patriots and craft beer entrepreneurs.

“From constructing our Kitchen Garden to brewing our own Honey Brown Ale, Sam has left an indelible mark on the White House,” Obama said in early December

Kass is actually departing the White House this month after six years cooking for the first family and heading up Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move anti-obesity initiative.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/09/01/ale-chief-white-house-beer-recipe

WHITE HOUSE HONEY PORTER

Ingredients:

2 (3.3 lb) cans light unhopped malt extract

3/4 lb Munich Malt (cracked)

1 lb crystal 20 malt (cracked)

6 oz black malt (cracked)

3 oz chocolate malt (cracked)

1 lb White House Honey

10 HBUs bittering hops

1/2 oz Hallertaur Aroma hops

1 pkg Nottingham dry yeast

3/4 cup corn sugar for bottling

Directions:

In a 6 qt pot, add grains to 2.25 qts of 168˚ water. Mix well to bring temp down to 155˚. Steep on stovetop at 155˚ for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 2 gallons of water to 165˚ in a 12 qt pot.

Place strainer over, then pour and spoon all the grains and liquid in. Rinse with 2 gallons of 165˚ water. Let liquid drain through. Discard the grains and bring the liquid to a boil. Set aside.

Add the 2 cans of malt extract and honey into the pot. Stir well.

Boil for an hour. Add half of the bittering hops at the 15 minute mark, the other half at 30 minute mark, then the aroma hops at the 60 minute mark.

Set aside and let stand for 15 minutes.

Place 2 gallons of chilled water into the primary fermenter and add the hot wort into it. Top with more water to total 5 gallons if necessary. Place into an ice bath to cool down to 70-80˚.

Activate dry yeast in 1 cup of sterilized water at 75-90˚ for fifteen minutes. Pitch yeast into the fermenter. Fill airlock halfway with water. Ferment at room temp (64-68˚) for 3-4 days.

Siphon over to a secondary glass fermenter for another 4-7 days.

To bottle, make a priming syrup on the stove with 1 cup sterile water and 3/4 cup priming sugar, bring to a boil for five minutes. Pour the mixture into an empty bottling bucket. Siphon the beer from the fermenter over it. Distribute priming sugar evenly. Siphon into bottles and cap.

Let sit for 1-2 weeks at 75˚.

And Here is your recipe for the ale: