Days of the Beer, January 20

The beer for today is Ommegang Inauguration Ale 2009.

Today, January 20, 2009, is the Inauguration of President Barack Obama (oddly, blogger's dictionary doesn't have his name in it yet).

Obama will be/is the 44th President of the United States. He won the presidency with 53% of the popular vote.

Obama will be sworn in at noon eastern time.

As to the beer:

Brewery Ommegang is located in Cooperstown, New York.

The TTB won’t let us call the beer Obamagang on the keg label. So it will be known legally as Inauguration Ale 2009, but the tap handles will be more . . . um . . . direct. The style lies between a porter and stout, with a bit of Kriek and a touch of chocolate blended in. It will be on draft only, beginning with the inauguration – in limited areas including DC, NYC, Syracuse, Philly, Chicago and Boston. We will donate a percentage of sales to charities in the respective cities where the beer is sold, and we’ve asked our distributors to match our donations and pick the local charities. (Also please note that the beer is not an endorsement of Obama.)

So, if you live around Washington D.C., New York, Syracuse, Philadelphia, Chicago, or Boston, go out and find yourself one of these beers. If you aren't in that area, there are several other beers you could drink. Bruisin Ales in Asheville, North Carolina has put together a list of some that you might consider.

So, for the new President, have yourself a beer. Regardless of is you supported him, he's your president now, so either have one in celebration, or one to drown your sorrows.

Here's hoping the next four years are better than the last 8 (at least in my opinion; individual results may vary).