TTB flags two Obama beers as Inauguration Day approaches

[Update: Sixpoint Hop Obama will be on tap on Inauguration Day.]

A law exists that disallows a business from using alcohol (and presumably other products) to endorse a Presidential/public figure as it actually implies the opposite. Two beers donning the image of Barack Obama on the bottle recently failed to pass the sniff test with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (though the TTB apparently doesn’t care if it involves dead presidents). Nevertheless, those breweries have made “modifications” to their plans.

The newest case involves Flossmoor Station in Obama’s own state of Illinois. The brewery designed a label for a brown ale called

Obama Brau

earlier this month. Unfortunately, the TTB rejected it this past week.

Tough break for Flossmoor Station as, according to its blog, the beer “was approved by the local committee to be given and sold to the local Inaugural Ball to be held here in Chicago next Tuesday.” The ale will obviously not go to waste and people are invited to go to the pub on Inauguration Day.

There is also a good amount of buzz on Beer Advocate about another Obama beer, this one from Ommegang in New York. The brewery helped out on the campaign trail with a fancy bottle honoring the new President-elect (full label mockup at Joe Sixpack’s Beer Radar). The beer is now set to hit the taps in “limited areas including DC, NYC, Syracuse, Philly, Chicago and Boston.” While it is now known as Inauguration Ale, the tap handles may still show it as Obamagang. As for the beer itself, it sounds interesting: “The style lies between a porter and stout, with a bit of Kriek and a touch of chocolate blended in.” (Pic courtesy of It’s Pub Night).

Obama has been featured as part of a beer brand before several times (do you think he is remotely aware of any of this?). Another New York brewery, Sixpoint Craft Ales released “Hop Obama” in early 2008. And then there was Colorado’s Wynkoop Brewing who put Obamanator on tap around GABF 2008 (I put the label up on Election night).

Between this post, the thorough post on Obama beers from the Green Grog, and a RateBeer search, there have been at least ten beers total that endorse Barack Obama. The irony is to think of what Obama’s tax plan might do to some of th- [ed: stopping there, I'd go down in flames in a debate!]

Here is the list for those who prefer to scan
Italics means it is presumed to be no longer available

Ommegang Obamagang
Flossmoor Station Obama Brau
District Chop House & Brewery Barack Bock
Schlafly Baracktoberfest
Sixpoint Hop Obama – (flash) click ‘Hop Obama’
Wynkoop Obamanator
Zero Gravity Bock Obama
San Francisco Bock Obama
Half Moon Bay Mavericks Obama ’08 Presidential Ale
[Kenya beer nicknamed 'Obama']

Any that I am missing?

Oh, and for the McCain folks, I punched in “McCain Beer” into Flickr wondering what I might find . . . and then I remembered.

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