A brief moment of indiscretion, with the slip of a tongue, President Obama catapulted a percolating controversy into an international debacle.  What was the Gates/Crowley affair suddenly, with an unchecked honest opinion, became the Gates/Crowley/Obama affair and the incident, the arrest of the Harvard professor began to rise in import.  When it came out that Obama, whether seriously or flippantly, agreed to set down and have a beer with the two in order to avoid costly lawsuits, the story became a sensation, trumping the health care debate, the Sotomayor hearings, a historical deficit, and wars and rumors of wars.

While I think we as a culture may at times pride controversy over cataclysm, but at the same time, our virtuous history pokes through and we hope for unbridled reconciliation, and what better vehicle for healing, than a good brew.  After all, beer is America’s favorite beverage, played pivotal roles in the America’s formative history, and was brewed in at the hands of our first president.

The question now arises:  “What frothy varieties will serve as peace-pipe at the Obama residence?”  It is not only the craft beer community asking this question.  Across the blogosphere political pundits and curious citizens alike are prodding the oval office for clues, demonstrating that we the people are aware that a man’s beer of choice can reveal much about his character.

While unconfirmed, it appears that Crowley, Gates, and Obama have let on as to what they will be drinking.  The word on the street is (ABC news):

Obama:  Budweiser

Gates:  Red Stripe

Crowley:  Blue Moon

As these choices are yet unconfirmed, I do hope one of the three read this post before settling on these choices.  First of all, while beer is the perfect companion to camaraderie, I do wish that the three could all feast upon the same brew.  I think any lover of the malt will agree that sharing the same brew is bonding experience.  Second, each of the three suspect brews is foreign.  With an imploding economy, a falling dollar, and an unhealthy unemployment rate, I really am convinced that the president needs to throw his weight behind a more patriotic, American owned, choice.  The US craft beer industry is, after all, a thing to be beheld and supported, has achieved world class status in a relatively short time, and unlike other industries, held its head above water in tough times.

So, assuming the President, or Gates and Crowley were to read this article, I ask your opinion…what do you think should be served at Obama’s first presidential beer party?  Were the voice of this blog to reach the right ears, I know that the writers of this blog would volunteer some of their homebrew!

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