Another view of the Commander in Chief's historic tête-à-tête with the Medal of Honor recipient... The White House has released the new photo, above, of President Obama toasting Medal of Honor hero Dakota Meyer as they shared beers on the Oval Office patio on Sept. 14. The first photo the White House released of the intimate manly moment between the Commander in Chief and the 28-year-old former Marine showed them leaning back in their chairs.
"President Barack Obama offers a toast to Dakota Meyer on the patio outside of the Oval Office, Sept. 14, 2011. The President presented Meyer with the Medal of Honor Sept. 15, 2011, during a ceremony at the White House," is the photo caption on the White House Flickr.
The President and Meyer drank White House Honey Blonde Ale, made with honey from the White House Beehive. The Obamas' chefs are the first to ever homebrew at the White House, according to curator William Allman, as first reported here on Obama Foodorama. (Above: The first photo released of the historic Presidential beer moment)
The White House also released the new photo, below, of the President, Meyer, and his grandmother Jean Meyer, taken on the day of the Medal of Honor Ceremony. First Lady Obama is in the background, but she's not mentioned in the photo caption.
"President Barack Obama shares a laugh with Jean Meyer, the grandmother of Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer, second from left, as they and members of the Meyer family walk along the Colonnade of the White House, Sept. 15, 2011," reads the photo caption on the WH Flickr.
An historic beer for Medal of Honor hero; President calls the former Marine "a down-to- Earth guy" whose story "will be told for generations"... President Obama quaffed beer with 23-year-old Dakota Meyeron Wednesday(above), a day ahead of presenting the former Marine Sergeant with the Medal of Honor on Thursday, for saving the lives of 36 comrades during a harrowing firefight with Taliban insurgents in eastern Afghanistan in September of 2009. Turns out the beers were one of the special homebrews the White House chefs have been making since last January, a White House spokesman told Obama Foodorama. The President served Meyer White House Honey Blonde Ale, made with honey from the Beehive that sits near First Lady Obama's Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn.(Above: A bottle of the very first homebrew created by the White House chefs, White House Honey Ale)
The beer outing on the Oval Office patio was at Meyer's request, President Obama explained during the Medal ceremony in the East Room, and came as he alerted Meyer by phone that he would receive the Medal of Honor. It's a moment that's also notable in the history of food: The Obamas' chefs are the first to ever homebrew at the White House, according to curator William Allman, as first reported here on Obama Foodorama. Only special guests have sampled White House homebrew.
Of course that's something the young war hero didn't know when he requested a beer with the Commander in Chief--whose phone call Meyer initially declined to take. At work in a new construction job, Meyer asked White House aides to have the President call him back during his lunch break.
"He felt he couldn’t take the call right then, because he said, 'If I don’t work, I don’t get paid,'” President Obama said. "I told him the news, and then he went right back to work. That’s the kind of guy he is. He also asked to have a beer with me, which we were able to execute yesterday."
Raised in rural Kentucky, Meyer is the third living recipient--and the first Marine--to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. President Obama described Meyer as "one of the most down-to-Earth guys that you will ever meet" before telling the incredible story of how Meyer saved his fellow troops.
White House aides always ask guests about their food preferences, and CBS reported that Meyer requested Bud Light for his Presidential moment. He was served a beer that is far more special.
A brief history of White House homebrew... The White House chefs are homebrew enthusiasts, and have created a number of different editions of beer, all using honey from theBeehive, the first to ever be on the White House grounds. The very first batch that was served at an event, White House Honey Ale, was created last February for President Obama's Super Bowl party. "90 to 100" 12-ounce bottles were served, made with about a pound of honey. The chefs later created White House Honey Blonde Ale and White House Honey Porter. The Beehive is overseen by Beekeeper Charlie Brandts, and this year produced the most honey since first being installed in 2009: 254 pounds. (Above: A detail of the label for the first brew; the label was created by the White House, and reads "Brewed With White House Honey")
The Honey Porter and the Honey Blonde were first created in June.
"We just tasted the Honey Porter yesterday, which was unbelievably good, if I do say so myself," Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives and assistant chef Sam Kass (l) said during an event celebrating Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business list (Kass was #11 on the list).
Kass was speaking to Sam Calagione, owner and founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Delaware, who also appeared on the list.
"We have no idea what we're doing--we're just experimenting, so anytime you want to come for a visit and give us some pointers, we'd be more than happy," Kass told Calagione. Calagione took Kass up on the offer.
In June, Goose Island owner and chief brewer Greg Hall of Chicago also visited Kass to give some sudsy pointers, and he praised the White House beer on Twitter.
"Today I tried Sam Kass' Honey Blonde and Honey Porter homebrews in the White House kitchen, showed the WH honey very nicely, bravo Sam," Hall tweeted (sic).
For the record, despite what other media outlets have reported, the President and Mrs. Obama did NOT serve White House homebrew at their St. Patrick's Day reception in March, according to an East Wing spokesman. The St. Paddy's homebrew myth originated in Irish media, and was picked up by US outlets. The myth is still being repeated today as fact.
The Obamas paid for the brewing equipment with their own funds, an aide told Obama Foodorama, spending about $200 for the set up.
The Medal of Honor Ceremony... Meyer's Medal of Honor citation is here. He is one of the youngest Medal of Honor recipients in decades. (Above: The President places the Medal around Meyer's neck)
"In Sergeant Dakota Meyer, we see the best of a generation that has served through a decade of war," President Obama said, adding that Meyer's story “will be told for generations."
The video of the ceremony:
*Photos by Pete Souza/White House, except for Kass photo, by Eddie Gehman Kohan/Obama Foodorama. Updated.
UPDATE, Sept. 16:President serves homebrewed White House beer President Obama chatted over beers with Dakota Meyer on the patio outside of the Oval Office today, according to Press Secretary Jay Carney. The White House posted a photo of the meeting to the official Flickr. Tomorrow afternoon, the President will present Meyer with the Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the White House. The 23-year-old former Marine Corps Sergeant, from Greensburg, Kentucky, is a combat veteran from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Meyer is the first Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and also the first Marine to receive the Medal since the Vietnam War. He is being honored for one particular action of "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" in the Ganjgal Valley in eastern Afghanistan on Sept 8, 2009 that occurred when he was 21 years old and a corporal.
Carney wrote on Twitter that the President’s staff called Meyer during the weekend in preparation for the ceremony.
"Meyer asked the staffer if he could have a beer with the President. POTUS invited Dakota to come by the White House this afternoon," Carney tweeted. He also tweeted a brief recap of Meyer's acts of extraordinary courage.
During a six-hour firefight with Taliban insurgents, Meyer went on a rescue mission and saved the lives of 13 Marines and Army soldiers, as well as 23 Afghan soldiers, while providing cover for the troops to fight their way out. Five US soldiers were killed. Meyer killed at least eight insurgents despite being wounded, according to military officials. (Above: Meyer during his tour of duty in Kunar province, Afghanistan)
The private beer bash was not listed on President Obama's official schedule for Wednesday. He traveled to North Carolina today for two events promoting the American Jobs Act, and in the evening will make remarks at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s 34th Annual Awards Gala in Washington, DC.
*A note on homebrewed White House beer: Asfirst reported here on Obama Foodorama, the Obama's chefs are the only ones in history to homebrew at the White House.
From the White House announcement of the 2:45 PM Medal of Honor ceremony:
President Barack Obama will award Dakota Meyer, a former active duty Marine Corps Corporal, the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.
He will receive the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions while serving as a member of Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, Regional Corps Advisory Command 3-7, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on September 8, 2009 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He will be the third living recipient - and first Marine - to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. He and his family will join the President at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service.
*Top photo by Pete Souza/White House; second by AP
Another view of the Commander in Chief's historic tête-à-tête with the Medal of Honor recipient...
The President and Meyer drank White House Honey Blonde Ale, made with honey from the White House Beehive. The Obamas' chefs are the first to ever homebrew at the White House, according to curator William Allman, as first reported here on Obama Foodorama. (Above: The first photo released of the historic Presidential beer moment)
"President Barack Obama shares a laugh with Jean Meyer, the grandmother of Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer, second from left, as they and members of the Meyer family walk along the Colonnade of the White House, Sept. 15, 2011," reads the photo caption on the WH Flickr.
