NEW GLARUS - The honor went to the nine military veterans employed at the New Glarus Brewery.
"I'm super excited about tasting this beer. Not many people get to taste the White House beer," said Kord Flesher, a Navy veteran.
Deb Carey brought home a few bottles of White House label beers, given to her by President Barack Obama during her fourth meeting with the White House Business Council last week in Washington, D.C.
Carey said she chose the veterans as the testers, because the company is proud of their service and because Obama said he wanted a professional opinion on the beers.
"I wasn't going to just eat popcorn with it," she laughed.
The veterans - Ben Geisthardt, Kord Flesher, Lance Altmann, Skyler Kottwitz, Greg McGinnis, Chic Gladding, Scott Noll, Giff Hosely, and Carlos Villa-Rivera - were also honored for the occasion with a backdrop of an American flag once owned by Noll's grandfather who served in WWII.
White House chefs were mainly responsible for crafting the limited brews, but "Obama is definitely involved" in the brewing of the beer, Carey added.
The New Glarus brewers tested two varieties of the White House beer, a light Honey Ale and a darker Honey Porter, in the New Glarus Brewery laboratory.
Overall, the taste testers voted them both "Good."
They described the Honey Ale as similar to Belgian Wit, a Belgian style of wheat beer. It had fruitiness, with a touch of zest; was not overly sweet and with no harsh bitterness at the end.
"Very drinkable," one veteran said.
Dan Carey declared the Honey Porter as more like a Belgian Double, indicating it had higher alcohol content from more malt being added to the recipe. Deb Carey detected a dark chocolate malt and perhaps English hops. One Army veteran, Skyler Kottwitz, picked up a nutty flavor. Another veteran noted the taste was "clean, there's no "hang' in your mouth." The group agreed it was well-balanced.
Deb Carey believes the White House brewers used whole grains fermented by adding sugars, as would be common in making home brews. Both beers had good carbonation, good color and appeared unfiltered, she added.
"I'm super excited about tasting this beer. Not many people get to taste the White House beer," said Kord Flesher, a Navy veteran.
Deb Carey brought home a few bottles of White House label beers, given to her by President Barack Obama during her fourth meeting with the White House Business Council last week in Washington, D.C.
Carey said she chose the veterans as the testers, because the company is proud of their service and because Obama said he wanted a professional opinion on the beers.
"I wasn't going to just eat popcorn with it," she laughed.
The veterans - Ben Geisthardt, Kord Flesher, Lance Altmann, Skyler Kottwitz, Greg McGinnis, Chic Gladding, Scott Noll, Giff Hosely, and Carlos Villa-Rivera - were also honored for the occasion with a backdrop of an American flag once owned by Noll's grandfather who served in WWII.
White House chefs were mainly responsible for crafting the limited brews, but "Obama is definitely involved" in the brewing of the beer, Carey added.
The New Glarus brewers tested two varieties of the White House beer, a light Honey Ale and a darker Honey Porter, in the New Glarus Brewery laboratory.
Overall, the taste testers voted them both "Good."
They described the Honey Ale as similar to Belgian Wit, a Belgian style of wheat beer. It had fruitiness, with a touch of zest; was not overly sweet and with no harsh bitterness at the end.
"Very drinkable," one veteran said.
Dan Carey declared the Honey Porter as more like a Belgian Double, indicating it had higher alcohol content from more malt being added to the recipe. Deb Carey detected a dark chocolate malt and perhaps English hops. One Army veteran, Skyler Kottwitz, picked up a nutty flavor. Another veteran noted the taste was "clean, there's no "hang' in your mouth." The group agreed it was well-balanced.
Deb Carey believes the White House brewers used whole grains fermented by adding sugars, as would be common in making home brews. Both beers had good carbonation, good color and appeared unfiltered, she added.