Political Symbolism Log 005: Logos

Political Symbolism Log 004: Barley WhoYouSayin Osiris

[Barak Hussein Obama]

A brewer shows a beer bottle at Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL), East Africa's largest brewery where the special edition lager "President" was inspired after the victory of Barack Obama in last year's U.S. presidential elections, in the capital Nairobi, January 13.



Kenyan beer stirs Obamamania



The close battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to secure the Democratic nomination for the US presidency is captivating many across the world.The charismatic Illinois senator is drawing big crowds at campaign rallies in a phenomenon known as Obamamania.

Kenya, where Senator Obama's father came from, is not immune from this either, but here, another Obama is riding on the crest of a wave. This one, though, comes in the form of a brown bottle and is called Senator beer.In many slums and low income areas, people who find beer too expensive often resort to cheap home brews.

But these potent drinks which include traditional spirits known as chang'aa have on a several occasions proved lethal.Some consumers have died and others have been blinded. It's believed brewers spike the beer with deadly additives.

So one brewery, East African Breweries Limited (EABL), spotted a market opportunity for a cheap beer that is also safe. The result: Senator Keg beer, known simply by drinkers as "Obama".The beer became an instant hit when it was launched in 2004 at about the same time as Barack Obama was elected as senator of Illinois.

D.C. has Obama-theme beer for Inauguration week

By Greg Kitsock

The Washington Post

Obamamania has gripped the beer business. As of press time, two Washington brew pubs planned to offer presidential- theme beers through inauguration week. A local wholesaler was stocking brands popular in Hawaii and Chicago. And federal regulators denied a New York microbrewery the right to call its newest release “Obamagang.”

Capitol City Brewing, which operates two sites in Washington and one in Arlington, Va., has been offering InaugurAle since shortly after the Nov. 4 election, and head brewer Mike McCarthy said he expected the supply to last through the hoopla. InaugurAle is a crisp, moderately hopped pale ale with a faint floral aroma from a dollop of Illinois wildflower honey (McCarthy uses 60 pounds of it per 15-barrel batch). Plunk down $8 for a pint, and you get to keep the etched souvenir glass.

Meanwhile, at the District ChopHouse & Brewery, head brewer Barrett Lauer was tossing final hops into his Barack Bock, a strong amber lager that he predicts will clock in at 7 percent alcohol by volume. Tapping is set for this week. Lauer describes the beer as “clean and malty, with a little bit of a citrusy note” from American Simcoe and Amarillo hops.

If Barack Obama finds himself pining for Hawaii, Premium Distributors is happy to supply a taste from his birth state. The District of Columbia wholesaler has received a special order of 120 cases of Primo Beer in 12-ounce bottles.

The Primo label dates to 1898, according to brand manager Kyle Wortham, and once held a 70 percent market share in the islands: “It’s a part of Hawaiian culture.” But Schlitz bought out the Honolulu brewery in 1964 and eventually moved production to the mainland. The declining brand was acquired by Stroh and was discontinued in the mid-1990s. Pabst revived Primo last year, reformulating the golden lager so it’s made from 95 percent barley malt and 5 percent Maui cane sugar. The brewery reportedly taste tested the new recipe with a group of surfers and watermen to make sure the beer retained the light, refreshing quality of the original. Jessica Muskey, marketing manager for the distributor, says Primo will be available at the Hawaii State Society Inaugural Ball and a few select retail outlets.

For Obama’s Chicago following, Premium is distributing 420 cases of Heileman’s Old Style Beer, a light American lager not usually offered here. Old Style hails from Wisconsin but has built a following in the Windy City as a result of its Chicago Cubs sponsorship.

Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, N.Y., had hoped to mark this historic inauguration with a single-batch brew called Obamagang, but federal regulators at the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau told them it was a no-go. “They said you can’t use anybody’s name for commercial purposes without their permission,” said marketing director Larry Bennett. The brewery has decided to re-christen the beer Inauguration Ale and plans to parcel out 600 kegs of the draft-only brew among select bars in Washington, Philadelphia, New York and other urban areas.

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